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Ay Chihuahua!On the way to Copper Canyon
Boarding El Chepe, so named because it is short for Chihuahua al Pacifico, the anticipation begins. My flight down from Chihuahua was over some of the wildest, ruggedest country I have ever seen from the air. I can hardly wait to enter the great Copper Canyon that I am now hearing so much about. It has suddenly become famous where three days ago I hardly even knew what to expect, even with the bit of research I had done before the trip.
My first stop is at the Bahuichivo depot. This is the
beginning of a remarkable adventure for me. Mario, owner of the Cabanas de San
Isidro (also known as the Porochi Inn), meets me at the station and drives me
through the lovely little town of Cerocahui an up to the rim of Urique Canyon.
The next morning Mario and I visit the Cerocahui Indian boarding school for Tarahumara girls and the 17th century gold-domed Jesuit Mission Church before I get back on board El Chepe for the next leg of my journey.
This is the off season and I am the only guest at the lodge
for my two night visit. I quickly become Mister Robert and Noel is eager to see
that my visit is everything I could hope for. He offers several hiking and
birding opportunities and I opt for a very long hike the next day. We end up
crossing ravines, discovering waterfalls, visiting ancient Mogollon caves,
finding Tarahumara goat farms and corn fields high in the mountains and making
occasional stops along the canyon rims to sit and talk and enjoy the remarkable
vistas that were, only days before, completely unknown to me.
Later, back at the lodge on the rim there is a thunderstorm coming in across the canyon. After dinner it is a fabulous light show that I can view from my expansive windows or from the chair out front. After the show I retire early. Why not? A long and somewhat wearying day and no TV. But, I’m not used to sleeping so many hours so about 2 am I awake and the storm is gone. The air is clear and the stars are bright. Sitting outside for about an hour in the early a.m. gives me a chance to see something I haven’t seen in a long time. The Milky Way. And constellations long absent from my memory. And shooting stars. And satellites traversing the sky. And, an occasional airplane - but luckily far enough away that I don’t even hear it.
I have one more stop before leaving for Chihuahua on El Chepe and that is the Divisadero area. This is where many travelers get their best view of the canyon and where many Tarahumara people set up their crafts for sale. There are food vendors here as well. Look for a lady cooking and preparing chile relleno burritos. Absolutely delicious and I’m from New Mexico so you can rely on my opinion on this topic. But walk to the rim and enjoy the view. It is not nearly as spectacular as that from my lodge of the night before, but it is a sight to behold. Don’t miss it. Story and Photos by Robert Painter (rpainter2006@comcast.net) When You Go: Take insect repellent, hiking shoes or boots, a small flashlight and plenty of extra film or memory cards for your camera. But pack lightly - there is no baggage check-in on the train. You’ll need to keep your things in the spacious overhead racks. If you plan a visit to the Uno Lodge charge your batteries before you arrive. There are no electrical outlets in the solar powered battery system. Canyon Travel: http://canyontravel.com/unoydoslodge.htm. You can reserve rooms for the three lodges in the story through Canyon Travel. They can also arrange for other adventures. Toll free phone is: (800) 843-1060. Chihuahua Tourist Office: Send an email to Rita Meraz at: merazrita@hotmail.com. |
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Perhaps
you’ve heard this somewhat stereotypical expression. Maybe in an old movie or
just something you or a friend picked up and occasionally find yourself
exclaiming. It’s o.k. It’s a real expression that some residents of the great
state of Chihuahua, Mexico, sometimes find themselves using. I know this
because I just came back from Chihuahua and a Mestizo friend that I met there
explained it to me. He is part Tarahumara and part Mexican and 100% Chihuahuan.
So what does Ay Chihuahua mean? Who knows? What does Goodness Gracious mean?
Or Holy Cow? We’ve all got our little colloquialisms and they often mean
different things to different people. So when in Chihuahua be ready for an
occasional Ay Chihuahua!
What
you may not be prepared for, however, is the rugged beauty of this amazing
state. The city of Chihuahua itself is lovely with fine old colonial buildings,
museums and homes relating the deeds of the famous Pancho Villa, delightful
plazas where men come to get their shoes shined and children come to play in the
park and mothers come to watch over them. And there is one thing that you might
expect to find in a city named Chihuahua that you will find in abundance. I’m
speaking of Chihuahuas. Not just little tiny ones waiting for their chance to
star in a Taco Bell commercial, but also large ones, maybe 4 feet high in
different forms lining the streets and gaily painted by different artists. You
can’t miss them and they’re great fun to include in your photos. And the little
children love them. I saw some little 3 and 4 year olds who insisted on
stopping at every single one along the street and playing with them (and on
them.) 
Chihuahua
has many charms and is a perfect location to begin a journey into the back
country of this large and interesting state. Nearby there is a giant crystal
cave with crystals that are larger than people - really. I didn’t get there on
this trip but I did see photographs, They are amazing and I’m going back to
visit the cave as soon as I get a chance. Just think of the energy! I also want
to visit the Mennonite farms in Chihuahua. That’s right, Mennonite farms. They
apparently speak German and Spanish as well as English and are highly acclaimed
in the region for their farming prowess. Many of them came down from Canada and
that is an interesting story in itself. One which I want to learn more about
firsthand.
But
I came down to see one of the best kept secrets of Chihuahua. Whenever I speak
with people about it in the United States the reaction is almost always the
same. Where? What? I’m speaking of the Copper Canyon. A place so fantastic
that you may think you have discovered the legendary Shangri La. Wrong
continent maybe, but Shangri-La just the same. The easiest way to explore the
fabulous Copper Canyon is by train. Everyone there knows the secret that
apparently almost no one in the U.S. knows. That secret is El Chepe. Are you
curious? El Chepe is the name of the train that runs from one end of the Copper
Canyon to the other, making a number of stops along the way. Actually there are
two trains. A first class train and a second class train. I took the first
class or express train. I would have loved to have taken the other one as well
but I was no better informed at the beginning of my journey than anyone else. I
was advised to fly from Chihuahua to Los Mochis and then take the train north.
It would have been cheaper and probably lots more fun to take the second class
train South and then come back to the North on the Express train. It certainly
would have saved me a few dollars. It think my one way plane ticket was a bit
over $200 and the train would have been closer to $65. Another benefit, of
course, would have been seeing much of the canyon twice, especially since I like
to take lots of photos. Also getting a chance to mingle with many of the
Tarahumara who ride that train. Although I don’t speak the native tongue it is
still a treat to see the families and watch them interact with their beautiful
little children.
My
trip north really began in the village of El Fuerte, where I stayed at the Rio
Vista Lodge. It is a modest inn with the best view in town of the Rio Fuerte and
an excellent place to begin to explore the surrounding countryside. I was
fortunate to spend a morning bird watching (and I’m not really even a “birder”)
with Felipe, my guide who, in addition to showing me many local birds spotted a
wonderfully large Great Horned Owl 20 feet up in the dark branches of a tree. I
would never have seen it on my own. There is also an ancient petroglyph site
with some very well defined art to be seen along the way.
There
are tunnels, bridges and remarkable switchbacks along the route. Even
waterfalls beside the tracks as we climb into the mountains. You can purchase a
beautiful glossy book on the train that explains some of the landmarks along the
way and is keyed to kilometer markers along the route.
Mario
keeps a small herd of beautiful, well groomed horses for those who may want to
ride. But the big surprise comes around the campfire that evening. An older
gentleman appears and performs a Tarahumara rain dance for our small group of
five intrepid visitors. This man turns out be the legendary Victoriano - winner
of the Leadville 100 mile ultra marathon some years back. By some reports he
was 55 at the time, but this seems hard to verify. The books list this as his
age, but some locals report it differently. Whatever the age he is fit and
trim.
The
other guests have only the next morning before departing so they opt to take a
horseback ride. Amazingly, Victoriano agrees to spend the next day hiking with
me. He turns out to be a great hiking companion. He speaks no English so there
is no idle chitchat. He maintains a good pace and knows shortcuts down into
Urique Canyon. Urique is deeper than the Grand Canyon and Victoriano’s
shortcuts are rugged. I learn quickly that when he takes a shortcut it is
usually either almost straight up or straight down! There is a road to the
bottom of Urique Canyon and Mario has driven down to the small town below to
pick up some supplies and to give us a ride back up to the rim. There is not
enough time for us to climb back up to the top in one day. Mario is surprised
when we arrive because he does not expect us for almost two more hours.
Victoriano does set a very good pace. After a brief stop with a chat with an
expat from Oregon living in the canyon and another 6 mile hike along the river
to visit a small Tarahumara village we meet again with Mario for the ascent out
of the canyon.
After
about a one hour train ride through more spectacular canyon vistas the train
arrives at the San Rafael station and my new guide, Noel, is waiting to drive me
to the most spectacular lodge on my trip. Uno Lodge is owned by a group of
about 45 Tarahumara families. The only electricity here is from solar powered
batteries and there is no TV, no telephone, and no traffic noise. The lodge is
on the very edge of Urique Canyon at the end of a 6 mile road that takes a full
hour to traverse.
In
the far off distance, across the canyon in beautiful green valleys we can see
small Tarahumara villages. There are no roads, no motorized vehicles, but many
walking paths. Maybe I should say running paths. The Tarahumara are known as
exceptional long distance runners. When we talk about running into town to get
our groceries, we may be talking about jumping into our SUV and driving a couple
of miles. For these remarkable people a run into town may mean 8 to 12 hours of
actual running! And then back again carrying whatever they went to town for!
When Victoriano won his race the story is that he was given running shoes.
After a few miles he discarded them, put on sandals made of a piece of tire
tread and laced on with rawhide to finish the 100 mile run. Running is running,
not driving.
When
it’s time to leave this lodge on the rim I know I may not be back for a long
time - if ever. I have it placed high on my list of places that I want to
return to, but know that list will likely never be completely fulfilled. For
now it is a memory . . . Some day, who knows?