Sunrise Hike

Berto had told us that he would come knock on our doors around 5:45 to make sure we were up because we needed to be moving by 6.  I, of course, slept like crap afraid that my ridiculously dependable cell phone wouldn't wake me up in time!  I was up before my 5:30 alarm, which was silly since I had nothing to do besides put on my jeans and long sleeved t (yes, again) and brush my teeth.

I did all that and sat around a few minutes.  Around 5:50, I decided to go to the front desk and pay for my hike.  As I walked out, Berto was on his way to my room to make sure I was awake.  I asked him if I could run to the office real quick and pay and he said we'd take care of it afterwards.  Well that kind of changed my morning plans.  Since I was dressed and toothbrushed, I just decided to hang with him at the meeting spot until everyone else got there.

Let me tell you that ten minutes is a looong time at 5:50 am when it's 39 degrees outside!  

Of course, we were on Mexican time, so I was waiting by myself until 6am when a girl from Chihuahua (she was one of the annoying ones I mentioned in an earlier post) came out and said she was just running to the car really quick to get a jacket for her friend (equally or more annoying).  I think her car must've been parked back in Los Mochis because it took her forever.  My couple friends from DF were late, too.  At about 6:07, Berto said, I guess we'll just have to leave them.  At that precise moment, the couple came out of their room and the Chihuahuan girl ran past us to her room (why her fiend couldn't have met her at the meeting spot is beyond me).  We got going.  There was the couple, the two annoying Chihuahuans, a dad from the tour the day before, Berto and me.  

We went much faster than we had on Saturday's free hike.  I knew this would happen: I was still cold, yet sweating!  Ugh.  Love my body's thermostat!

We stopped twice to catch our breath, and in less than twenty minutes, we were at the top.

I took both of my cameras; my plan had been to video with my small camera, but to get some great shots with my Nikon.  I got so wrapped up in the photos that I forgot all about the video.  Oh well.

The picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice.  After making your heart work, and feeling like you've accomplished something, watching the sun come up in a canyon this beautiful was just amazing.  It was so peaceful (minus the annoying yoga breathing from yoga girl- seriously?) and perfect.  I have not had the best luck of finding a church I like in Culiacán.  That's partially due to the fact that I'm usually out of town on Sundays.  It also has to do with the fact that Culiacán is not Nashville, so there's not a Christian church on every corner!  Anyway, after a perfect first day in the Canyon, this was a perfect Sunday morning service!

The picture above is looking down from where we watched the sunrise.  Again, there is no justice in photographs.
The early morning quiet of the canyon.
After we had had our 20 minutes of waiting, watching and sitting peacefully, we continued down the other side of the mountain.  I was most interested in the Tarahumara school.  These kids travel from throughout the canyon to get to this school that has no electricity!  The ones that live a full day's (or more) walking distance from the school come on Mondays, spend the night through the week and go home on Fridays.  I was at the canyon during the cinco de mayo holiday, so there were no schools.  How I would've loved to have gone inside!  Berto's cousin was the director of the school.  The Tarahumara have their own language.  Many don't even speak Spanish at all.  Most of those who sell their crafts speak at least enough to give prices.
This pictures is of one of the "caves."  No one lives here, but there is enough space for a small family to sleep.  Hard to imagine, huh?  I still have an issue with their definition of cave.  However, I hear that there are actual caves and that some Tarahumara families live there.  I didn't get to see those.
I'm not sure what this was.  Maybe a current Tarahumara home?
My couple friends took a great shot here, so I wanted one too.  We were out on a serious ledge.  After I took a normal shot, I started to get up and lost my footing.  It scared me a bit.  So I sat back down and we all laughed to shake off the nerves.  Then I said it needed to be photographed- my near plunge to the bottom of the canyon!  I was kidding, but the husband snapped a shot anyway.  

On the last 40 minutes or so of the hike, we saw some cave paintings (I begged to differ with their definition of painting as well as cave on this one!) and made our way back up to the hotel.
This is my favorite shot from the weekend.  The sunrise hike was the best 200 pesos I spent that weekend.