Day One; Part One
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The last sign I saw stated that I had walked 85 kilometers; that was about 40 minutes before my aching feet, tired body, and exhausted mind had reached Talpa de Allende. I walked through the Sierra Madre of Mexico and survived! In fact, it was one of the most unique experiences of my life. Normally, I am very humble but let me declare...My body, mind & spirit are Bad *ss for taking me through this journey!...and by Bad; I really mean f'n incredible!
Day One. 6:00 a.m-9:00 p.m.
The people I was hiking with had completed this pilgrimage several times prior to our recent journey together; Argelia, the mother of one of my students, was on her fourth journey. Ana, the sister of Argelia, was also on her fourth. 'Primo', the cousin; whose name I am still unsure of, on his second. 'Tio', the uncle of all three, and former Mexican Navy Seal was our driver and caretaker; along with his sister, 'Tia'. And, Nancy, a coworker, was braving her first journey. Besides a few e-mail exchanges and one pre-trip meeting with Argelia, this was my first time meeting the group I was about to spend three intense days with.
We arrived at our meeting spot at 6:30 a.m. where I began the journey in the back of a pick up truck before the sun had even considered rising. Once at our starting point, at the southern end of Puerto Vallarta, we circled up and Tio said a blessing for a safe journey. We walked a narrow, dirt road, that is used for the transport of lumbar, for the majority of the trip. The four wheel drive truck driven by Tio and Tia carried everything we needed. After doing many backpacking trips throughout my life, I can honestly say, there is no frickin way that I could have carried a day pack for this trip. This trip was the most challenging thing I've ever done; physically or emotionally.
Our days were broken into two parts; morning and afternoon hiking. The first portion of the hike was our chattiest moments of the entire journey, we started out talking; getting to know each other as we gently inclined. As the powerful sun slowly began to illuminate the lush, tropical hillsides. As we climbed, men on horses and motorcycles; bundled up in warm clothing, made their way down the hill towards work. Many wishing us a safe journey; easily recognizing the objective of our early morning walk.
The entire journey had the same pattern. Walk 45-55 minutes; rest 10 minutes. In the middle of the day, at the hottest point, we ate and took a nap. Then we walked again. Our hiking was comparable to a marathon; not your leisurely weekend backpacking trip with friends. We pushed ourselves to walk fast; no meandering. We pushed hard. We pushed all day long. We climbed and descended; all day long. When we reached the truck, it always felt like it had been several hours; not just 45 minutes. We would arrive and Tio & Tia would have the tailgate down for us to sit in a shady spot, water bottles filled for us, and fresh fruit or snacks. They were our caretakers and without their help, I could not have done this trip. They timed each leg of our journey and gave us encouragement. When the ten minutes of rest was over, Tio would yell 'Vamos' and throw the tail gate back up. The only reason to ever stop walking was to ' hacer un piss-stop' ; our Spanglish term for letting the group know to keep walking. Most of the times we would attempt to get off the trail, but often we would be so tired we would just stop and go right then and there. The members of the group, knowing not to take their eyes off the ground directly in front of them.
Day One. 6:00 a.m-9:00 p.m.
The people I was hiking with had completed this pilgrimage several times prior to our recent journey together; Argelia, the mother of one of my students, was on her fourth journey. Ana, the sister of Argelia, was also on her fourth. 'Primo', the cousin; whose name I am still unsure of, on his second. 'Tio', the uncle of all three, and former Mexican Navy Seal was our driver and caretaker; along with his sister, 'Tia'. And, Nancy, a coworker, was braving her first journey. Besides a few e-mail exchanges and one pre-trip meeting with Argelia, this was my first time meeting the group I was about to spend three intense days with.
We arrived at our meeting spot at 6:30 a.m. where I began the journey in the back of a pick up truck before the sun had even considered rising. Once at our starting point, at the southern end of Puerto Vallarta, we circled up and Tio said a blessing for a safe journey. We walked a narrow, dirt road, that is used for the transport of lumbar, for the majority of the trip. The four wheel drive truck driven by Tio and Tia carried everything we needed. After doing many backpacking trips throughout my life, I can honestly say, there is no frickin way that I could have carried a day pack for this trip. This trip was the most challenging thing I've ever done; physically or emotionally.
Our days were broken into two parts; morning and afternoon hiking. The first portion of the hike was our chattiest moments of the entire journey, we started out talking; getting to know each other as we gently inclined. As the powerful sun slowly began to illuminate the lush, tropical hillsides. As we climbed, men on horses and motorcycles; bundled up in warm clothing, made their way down the hill towards work. Many wishing us a safe journey; easily recognizing the objective of our early morning walk.
The entire journey had the same pattern. Walk 45-55 minutes; rest 10 minutes. In the middle of the day, at the hottest point, we ate and took a nap. Then we walked again. Our hiking was comparable to a marathon; not your leisurely weekend backpacking trip with friends. We pushed ourselves to walk fast; no meandering. We pushed hard. We pushed all day long. We climbed and descended; all day long. When we reached the truck, it always felt like it had been several hours; not just 45 minutes. We would arrive and Tio & Tia would have the tailgate down for us to sit in a shady spot, water bottles filled for us, and fresh fruit or snacks. They were our caretakers and without their help, I could not have done this trip. They timed each leg of our journey and gave us encouragement. When the ten minutes of rest was over, Tio would yell 'Vamos' and throw the tail gate back up. The only reason to ever stop walking was to ' hacer un piss-stop' ; our Spanglish term for letting the group know to keep walking. Most of the times we would attempt to get off the trail, but often we would be so tired we would just stop and go right then and there. The members of the group, knowing not to take their eyes off the ground directly in front of them.
At 2:00 we had reached our first mid-day resting spot; thermal hot springs. We quickly changed into our bathing suits and relaxed in the warm, healing water. But only for 10 minutes and followed by a quick dip in the cold river water. Tio and Tia believed this timed routine to be best for the body while enduring such a challenge. I didn't quite follow their reasoning; I was so tired, I tuned out the Spanish being spoken around me. At times, my mind was unable to even think in it's own native language.
We ate lunch, then laid out our blankets and mats for a nap under a large shady tree. As we drifted off, Tio read passages from the Bible. Nobody in the group being practicing Catholics, but the tradition and the expectation of this journey requiring it. I didn't listen to the words he read; I had no interest. Instead, it was Tio's voice and his storytelling tone, that captured my attention. We must have been asleep for about 30 minutes when I heard a truck passing and a women yell from the truck. It was an aunt who was randomly driving by to attend a party. First of all, the fact that anybody was passing by was strange. And that it was a family member was even more incidental. She was repulsed by the idea that we would walk this far, but nonetheless wished us a safe passage. She went to her truck and pulled out a big package of local, handmade cheese she had bought at a 'casita' along the way. Just like when she arrived, she gave kisses to everyone as she left. After kissing me and telling me it was a pleasure to meet me, she said 'Espero que no ser una rancha en culo de caminar tan lejos'...I hope you don't get a rash on your butt from walking so far, and drove off. Did my butt look like the rashy type? Hmmm. I smiled and agreed with her.
We ate lunch, then laid out our blankets and mats for a nap under a large shady tree. As we drifted off, Tio read passages from the Bible. Nobody in the group being practicing Catholics, but the tradition and the expectation of this journey requiring it. I didn't listen to the words he read; I had no interest. Instead, it was Tio's voice and his storytelling tone, that captured my attention. We must have been asleep for about 30 minutes when I heard a truck passing and a women yell from the truck. It was an aunt who was randomly driving by to attend a party. First of all, the fact that anybody was passing by was strange. And that it was a family member was even more incidental. She was repulsed by the idea that we would walk this far, but nonetheless wished us a safe passage. She went to her truck and pulled out a big package of local, handmade cheese she had bought at a 'casita' along the way. Just like when she arrived, she gave kisses to everyone as she left. After kissing me and telling me it was a pleasure to meet me, she said 'Espero que no ser una rancha en culo de caminar tan lejos'...I hope you don't get a rash on your butt from walking so far, and drove off. Did my butt look like the rashy type? Hmmm. I smiled and agreed with her.
3:30 p.m. We packed up and began hiking again....
