Eliis Trail to Upper Tram Snowshoe Hike, Sandia Mountains, NM, 12/28/16

NM Mountain Club Wednesday hike: ~ 20 of us snowshoed from Ellis trail head onto Rocky Point Trail and zigzagged on and off the trail on powdery snow to Upper Tram.  

 Trudged over and under logs and low brush.

For those of you who have lived in Albuquerque for some time, do you recognize the High Finance Restaurant at the Upper Tram?  We found it gutted, apparently to make way for a new fancy establishment that will bring in plenty of tourists.

  

Setting off again after lunch from the ski area.  This time we made our way north of Ellis trail and stopped to admire the eastern views (See picture above.)

Eye of the Sandias, Sandia Mountains, NM, 12/21/16

 Wednesday NM Mountain Club hike to the Eye of the Sandias. 

Twenty-five hikers joined this ~6-mile trek.

 The hike for views!
Started by heading north-east from the Copper trail head to the end of the Mano trail.

 Plenty of scrambling in this hike: Time for a rest and a  snack...

 Crossed over pass at the end of Mano trail. Looking south to the Manzano mountains.

Happy to discover that someone painted a new Eye of the Sandias where the old (and bigger) eye   had been painted over a few years back. Can any one guess what the tears are about? 

A different kind of trip, San Isidro Lodge, Mexico, 11/24/16

Rocks heating in preparation for our sweat lodge experience. The lodge is called a "temacal" and is completely closed off and pitch dark during the ceremony, creating a womb-like environment.  Water is sprinkled over the red-hot rocks.  Three times, fresh red-hot rocks were added to the pile in the middle of the lodge, creating more intense steam and heat each time. It was my first experience with this native American cleansing practice, and it became the highlight of my trip.

Herbs grown at the lodge ready to be used during the ceremony.

Urique, Copper Canyon, Mexico, 11/23/16

Trip to Urique at the bottom of the canyon.  Although the town is the county seat, there is no paved road into the canyon.  From Cerocahui, half way down the canyon, it took two hours to drive down by 4WD.  After about an hour or so, our driver and guide asked us to walk for a while so that the breaks on the van could cool down.

My attempt at a panoramic picture.  

Again, my camera did not do these incredible views justice. 

 Finally, we got to the bottom.  Cold at the rim and tropical at the bottom!

 

 Plaque commemorating the life of Micah True, "Caballo Blanco" who lived and ran with the Tarahumara for many years.  His life and contributions to the region and its people is immortalized in the book: "Born to Run."

Proof it is really tropical at the bottom of the canyons: grapefruit ripening in the sun. 

(Elevation in Urique: ~1800 feet.)

Cerocahui, Copper Canyon, Mexoco, 11/23/16

The San Isidro Eco Lodge welcomed us for two nights. Remote and primitive, but my favorite place  on this trip, and one where I would like to return to for hiking and just hanging out.   

Hiked a short portion of the trail used by Tarahumara for their famous international yearly 100-km run. 

Irrigated field at the bottom of one of the short ridges we crossed. We noticed that the natives utilize every bit of arable land.

Shared running trail...  Jim and I encountered several cows and one bull on the trail on our return to the lodge.  They stared and we waited, and waited. ..Until finally we mustered enough courage to tell them to go home... and to our surprise they started walking.

Cabin for rent by the week at the edge of the lodge property, gorgeous views included.  No electricity  or running water. Wood burning stove for heating.  (Delicious!) meals served at the lodge. 

Posada Barrancas Adventure Park, Copper Canyon, Mexico, 11/22/16

Two courageous travel companions trying out the zip line.  It was sooooo long that the two disappeared completely from view after a few moments.  The less courageous among us rode the tram to were the zip line stopped :)

Pictures do not do the canyons justice.  If you look carefully at the picture towards the right, you will see ridge after ridge. I counted six, showing multiple canyons. 

A rock is balanced at the edge of the middle cliff.  Not for the faint of heart! Daredevils stand on the rock and balance! 
My camera could only get half of the cliff in the viewer.

And, every where we went, Tarahumara women weaving and selling their wares. 

Posada Barrancas, Copper Canyon, Mexico, 11/21/16

 Very late-in-the-day walk along the canyon.

Partial stone house and cliff dwelling.  When the door is closed the house is inhabited, we were told by our guide.  When the door is open anyone can move in. 

 Technology making life easier yet allowing the Tarahumara to continue living according to tradition.

Occupants of this cliff dwelling did not appear to be moving down into the canyon for the winter :) Notice the blackened cliff from cooking fires.

A  young man was sitting on a rock nearby and asked me in Spanish where I was from.  "Belgica," I said.  He appeared very interested and said he wanted to learn English so he could get a job in tourism.

Creel Outing, Copper Canyon, Mexico, 11/20/16

The Tarahumara live a nomadic life and move to tropical lower elevations in the canyons in winter and the cooler higher elevations in summer. Toward the back of the picture you can see a cave-like entrance, a traditional Tarahumara cliff dwelling.  Today, the Tarahumara make a living from farming, hearding and from selling the baskets they weave to tourists. 

 Short hike to Valley of the Monks and

 

Valley of the Mushrooms.  

It was Sunday and mass just let out at the Mission of San Ignacio.  Jesuits arrived here in the early 1700s, about the same time the mining industry started extensive operations in neighboring Batopilas Canyon.  Notice men and women do not mingle.

 

The austere interior conveyed a sense of calm and peace - no place to sit during service!

Copper Canyon Train Trip, Mexico, 11/19 - 11/25/16

We finally got to take the trip we had been talking about for 10 years: Visiting Copper Canyon in Mexico, a remote, inaccessible and breathtakingly beautiful region, home of the Tarahumara Indians. The easiest way to visit is to ride the El Chepe train through Copper Canyon, from Chihuahua to El Mochis. Copper Canyon is an umbrella name for six canyons, four of them larger than the Grand Canyon in Arizona! We joined a group of 15 travelers and rode the train for six days, hopping on and off daily or every other day.  Here is the second stop, Creel, the major town on our route and also the one with the highest elevation, ~8000 feet. 

 Local van at train station picking up travelers.

Departure morning in Creel: waiting for the train to arrive from Chihuahua.  Notice the number of people on the track.  There were no rail guards or train crossings anywhere.  Every one just walked freely across the tracks even with the train in sight!

Tarahumara women selling baskets to travelers on the train.
Notice the infant she is carrying on her back.