ʻO kā mākou huakaʻi, he ʻewalu mau hoa hele, i hoʻomaka i ka Pōʻaono. Me ke kōkua o ʻehā Tarahumara, ua hoʻouka mākou i nā ʻauwa ʻelua a me nā pono e pono ai, a iho mākou i nā ala ʻololī a hiki i ke kaona e hiki mai ana, kahi kahi e hele pū ai me kā mākou hoaaloha lawe puka, no ka mea hiki iā mākou ke kiʻi i nā holoholona a me nā poʻe e kōkua iā mākou hoʻomau i kā mākou huakaʻi.
ʻO kā mākou huakaʻi, he ʻewalu mau hoa hele, i hoʻomaka i ka Pōʻaono. Me ke kōkua o ʻehā Tarahumara, ua hoʻouka mākou i nā ʻauwa ʻelua a me nā pono e pono ai, a iho mākou i nā ala ʻololī a hiki i ke kaona e hiki mai ana, kahi kahi e hele pū ai me kā mākou hoaaloha lawe puka, no ka mea hiki iā mākou ke kiʻi i nā holoholona a me nā poʻe e kōkua iā mākou hoʻomau i kā mākou huakaʻi.
Nani ke ala; i ka mua ua ululāʻau nā mea kanu akā i ko mākou iho i lalo ua mānoanoa ka ʻāina. Ma hope o ka hele wāwae ʻana i kekahi mau hola a mahalo i nā kahawai pau ʻole a mākou e hele wāwae ai, ua hōʻea mākou i ke kaona i lilo he hale hoʻokahi. Ma laila kahi kāne lokomaikaʻi i kapa ʻia ʻo Grutencio i hāʻawi mai iā mākou i kekahi ʻalani a ʻoluʻolu hoʻi, a ua loaʻa iā ia nā pālua a me nā burrito ʻelua e kōkua iā mākou e hoʻomau i ka iho. Hoʻomau mākou i luna a i lalo i nā ala i kālai i ko lākou ala i waena o nā kuahiwi, ua nalowale mākou i ke ala o ka manawa a me ka pō i hāʻule. Ua ʻike ʻia ka mahina piha ma waena o nā puʻu, e hoʻomālamalama ana iā mākou me ka ikaika i hoʻolōʻihi ʻia ai ko mākou aka, e pena ana i kahi kīnā ma ke ala a mākou e haʻalele nei. I ka wā a mākou e kokoke ana e hāʻawi a hoʻoholo e noho i ka pō ma ke ala ʻoʻoleʻa, ua pūʻiwa mākou i ke kani kilohana o ka muliwai e hoʻolaha ana i kona kokoke. Eia nō naʻe, ua hele wāwae mākou no hoʻokahi hola a hiki i ko mākou hōʻea ʻana i ke kapa o ka ʻUqueque. I ka hōʻea ʻana, wehe mākou i ko mākou mau kāmaʻa e hoʻū iho i nā wāwae i ke one anuanu, hoʻomākaukau i kahi ʻaina awakea maikaʻi, a hiamoe maikaʻi.
Ua hiki mai ka lā iā mākou me nā kukuna lā mahana o ke kakahiaka, e hōʻike ana i ka mōakāka o nā wai o ka muliwai kahi e holo ai mākou no nā lā ʻelima e hiki mai ana. Ala mākou me kahi ʻaina kakahiaka kakahiaka nui, wehe a hoʻoulu i nā pōkā ʻelua, a mākaukau e hele. He maʻi lele ka pīhoihoi o ka hui. Ua makaʻu iki wau no ka mea ʻo kaʻu ʻohana mua ia, akā ʻo ka ʻiʻini e ʻike i nā mea e kali ana iā mākou i lanakila i koʻu makaʻu.
ʻAʻole nui ka wai o ka muliwai no laila ma kekahi mau ʻāpana pono mākou e iho i lalo a huki i nā kaupoku, akā ʻoiai me ka hana nui, ua hauʻoli mākou āpau i kēlā me kēia manawa o kēia wahi hoihoi. ʻO ka wai ʻōmaʻomaʻo emerald a me nā paia ʻulaʻula nui e kū ana i ka muliwai, ʻokoʻa me ka polū o ka lani. Ua ʻike wau i ka liʻiliʻi liʻiliʻi e pili ana i kēlā ʻano hanohano a hoʻokau.
Ke hele mākou i kahi o nā rapids mua, nā alakaʻi alakaʻi o ka huakaʻi. Ua hāʻawi ʻo Waldemar Franco lāua ʻo Alfonso de la Parrra iā mākou i nā ʻōkuhi e hoʻokele ai i nā kaola. ʻO ka walaʻau nui o ka wai e hāʻule ana i lalo o ka pali kahi e haʻalulu ai au, akā hiki iā mākou ke hoʻomau mau hoe. Me ka ʻike ʻole ʻia, ua kū ka moku i ka pōhaku a hoʻomaka mākou e huli i ka wā e huki ai ke au iā mākou i lalo. Komo mākou i ka wikiwiki ma ko mākou kua, lohe ʻia ka ʻuwā a hāʻule ka hui holoʻokoʻa i loko o ka wai. I ko mākou puka ʻana i waho o ka hou ua huli mākou e ʻike i kekahi i kekahi a ʻaʻole hiki ke kāohi i kā mākou ʻakaʻaka makaʻu. Kau mākou i luna o ka raft a ʻaʻole mākou i kū me ke kūkākūkā ʻana no ka mea i hana ʻia a hiki i ka hāʻule iki ʻana o kā mākou adrenaline.
Ma hope o ka holo ʻana no ʻelima mau hola kahi a mākou i noho ai i nā manawa nui o ka naʻau, kū mākou ma kapa o ka muliwai e luku i kā mākou pōloli. Ua lawe mākou i kā mākou ʻahaʻaina "nui": he piha lima o nā hua maloʻo a me ka hapalua o ka pā kī (inā mākou e waiho ʻia me ka ʻiʻini), a hoʻomaha mākou no hoʻokahi hola e hoʻomau i ka hoʻokele ʻana i nā wai hiki ʻole ke ʻike ʻia o ka muliwai ʻo Urique. Ma ka hola ʻeono o ke awakea, ua hoʻomaka mākou e ʻimi i kahi ʻoluʻolu e hoʻomoana ai, hana i kahi ʻaina awakea maikaʻi, a hiamoe ma lalo o ka lani hōkū.
ʻAʻole hiki i ka lā ʻekolu o ka huakaʻi ka hoʻomaka ʻana o nā mauna e hāmama a ʻike mākou i ke kanaka mua ʻaʻole no ka huakaʻi: he Tarahumara ka inoa ʻo Don Jaspiano nāna i haʻi mai iā mākou aia he ʻelua mau lā i koe e hiki ai i ke kaona ʻo Urique, kahi E hoʻolālā ana mākou e hoʻopau i kā mākou huakaʻi. Ua kono ʻoluʻolu ʻo Don Jaspiano iā mākou i kona hale e ʻai i nā pīni hou a me nā tortilla a, ʻoiai, ma hope o kēlā manawa a pau e hoʻāʻo wale nei i kā mākou mea ʻai i hoʻomaloʻo ʻia (nā hupa koke a me nā oatmeal), ua komo mākou i nā pīni ʻono me ka ʻoliʻoli kū hoʻokahi, ʻoiai minamina mākou ua hāʻawi mākou i ke ahiahi!
I ka lā ʻelima o ka huakaʻi ua hōʻea mākou i ke kaona ʻo Guadalupe Coronado, kahi i kū ai ma kahi kahakai liʻiliʻi. He mau mika mai kahi a mākou e hoʻomoana ai i kahi hoʻomoana, kahi i noho ai ka ʻohana o Don Roberto Portillo Gamboa. No ko mākou laki, ʻo ka Pōʻalima Hemolele ia, ka lā e hoʻomaka ai nā hoʻolauleʻa o ka pule Hemolele a ʻākoakoa ke kaona holoʻokoʻa e pule a hōʻike i ko lākou manaʻoʻiʻo ma ka hulahula ʻana a me ke mele ʻana. Ua kono mai ʻo Doña Julia de Portillo Gamboa a me kāna mau keiki iā mākou i ka pāʻina a, ʻoiai me ka luhi, ua hele mākou no ka hiki ʻole iā mākou ke haʻalele i kēia hana hoihoi. I ko mākou hōʻea ʻana, ua hoʻomaka ka pāʻina. Ma ka nānā ʻana i kēlā mau aka kanaka āpau e holo ana mai kekahi ʻaoʻao a i kekahi ʻē aʻe e hāpai ana i ka poʻe haipule ma luna o ko lākou mau poʻohiwi, e lohe ana i nā leo uē a hoʻopuehu hoʻi, ka hoʻokani pahu a me nā namunamu o nā pule, ua lawe ʻia wau i kahi manawa ʻē aʻe. Kupaianaha a hoʻokalakupua ke hiki ke ʻike maka i kahi hanana o kēia nui, o kēia wā kahiko. Aia ma waena o nā wahine Tarahumara i ʻaʻahu ʻia i nā pālule lōʻihi o nā tausani kala, ʻo nā kāne i keʻokeʻo me kā lākou lipine i nakinaki ʻia i ko lākou pūhaka, ua lawe maoli ʻia i kekahi manawa a me kahi e ka poʻe o Guadalupe Coronado i haʻi mai ai iā mākou.
I ka wanaʻao ua ʻākoʻako mākou i kā mākou pono a ʻoiai ke ʻimi nei nā kāne no ka halihali ʻāina e hele ai i Urique, ua kipa aku ʻo Elisa a me ka ʻohana Portillo Gamboa. Ua ʻai mākou i ka ʻaina kakahiaka me lākou me ke kope me ka waiū hou, ka berena homemade mehana, a ʻoiai, ʻaʻole hiki iā lākou ke nalo i nā pīni ʻono me nā tortilla. Ua hāʻawi mai ʻo Doña Julia iā mākou i kahi capirotada liʻiliʻi, kahi mea ʻono momona i haku ʻia i nā ʻano mea like ʻole e like me ke kō kō, ka ʻāpala, ka pīnati, nā mea kanu, nā hua ʻalala, nā hua waina a me nā berena, i hoʻomākaukau ʻia no nā ʻahaʻaina Easter; Ua paʻi kiʻi mākou i ka ʻohana holoʻokoʻa a ua aloha.
Ua haʻalele mākou i ka muliwai, hoʻokomo i nā mea hana i kahi kalaka a hōʻea i Urique ma lalo o kahi moa moa. Hele mākou ma ke alanui wale nō i ke kaona a nānā i kahi e ʻai ai a noho ai hoʻi. ʻO ka pīhoihoi, ʻaʻohe lumi i loaʻa, ma muli paha o nā ʻoliʻoli i mālama ʻia ma nā kaona kokoke a me ka "hulahula" nui i hoʻomākaukau ʻia ma ka Plaza de Urique. Ma hope o kaʻaina awakea ua haʻi lākou iā mākou ua hoʻolimalima ʻo "El Gringo" i kāna māla i nā poʻe hoʻomoana, no laila ua hele mākou e ʻike iā ia a no ʻekolu peso kūkulu mākou i nā hale lole ma waena o nā wahi mahiʻai lōʻihi a me nā ʻano mea kanu like ʻole. Hoʻomaha ka luhi iā mākou e hiamoe lōʻihi, a ke ala ala mākou ua pouli. Ua hele wāwae mākou ma ke "alanui" a ua noho nui ʻo Urique. ʻO nā kūlea kulina, nā ʻuala me ka ipu valentina, ka ʻaikalima homemade, nā keiki ma nā wahi āpau a me nā kalaka i kū i ke ala liʻiliʻi mai kekahi ʻaoʻao a i kahi ʻaoʻao ʻē aʻe, hāpai a hoʻohaʻahaʻa i nā poʻe o nā makahiki āpau i hāʻawi i ka "kuleana". Noho koke mākou, hālāwai mākou me nā poʻe hoaaloha, hulahula mākou i ka ʻākau a inu i ka tesgüino, kahi wai ʻona palaoa fermented o ka ʻāina.
Ma ka hola ʻehiku o ke kakahiaka o ka lā aʻe, ua hala kekahi kaʻa iā mākou e lawe iā mākou i Bahuichivo, kahi e holo ai mākou ma ke kaʻaahi Chihuahua-Pākīpika.
Haʻalele mākou i ka puʻuwai o nā mauna e hōʻea i Creel ma hope o ke awakea. Hoʻomaha mākou i ka hōkele, kahi ma hope o ʻeono mau lā hiki iā mākou ke ʻauʻau me ka wai wela, hele mākou i waho i ka ʻaina awakea a hoʻopau ko mākou lā ma kahi moena palupalu. I ke kakahiaka hoʻomākaukau mākou e haʻalele iā Creel i ke kalaka like mai ka hui ʻo Río y Montaña Expediciones e lawe iā mākou i Mekiko. Ma ke ala e hoʻi ai he manawa nui wau e hōʻiliʻili i koʻu mau manaʻo a hoʻomaopopo ua hoʻololi kēlā mau ʻike āpau i kekahi mea i loko oʻu; Ua launa au i ka poʻe a me nā wahi i aʻo mai iaʻu i ka waiwai a me ka nui o nā mea o kēlā me kēia lā, o nā mea āpau e hoʻopuni iā mākou, a ʻaʻole loaʻa iki ka manawa e mahalo ai.
Puna: Un Mexico Mexico No. 219 / Mei 1995
