ʻO ke ala ma waena o Hell Canyon, kahi e hui pū ana me nā mokuʻāina ʻo Nuevo León a me Tamaulipas, kahi lōʻihi o 60 km ma waena o nā kahakai pali a nani hoʻi i hohonu i nā paia a hiki i ka 1 000 m kiʻekiʻe, ʻaʻole ia hoʻopilikia ʻia e ke kanaka i loko o hoʻokahi miliona mau makahiki.
ʻO ka pahuhopu nui o ka huakaʻi e ʻimi i nā ana e ʻimi a nānā iā lākou i ka wā e hiki mai ana. ʻO ka mea a mākou i ʻike ʻole ai, ʻo ia ka mea i manaʻo ʻia e hoʻi i hope i ka wā e ʻike ai mākou i ka paʻakikī o ke ala, ʻoiai ʻo ke ola ke lilo i hana nui loa i loko o kēlā ʻano ʻohana maikaʻi ʻole, kahi e kū ai i ka makaʻu a ʻike i ke kumu o ka inoa o ka Canyon.
Ua hui mākou i kahi hui o nā mea ʻimi ʻelima: Bernhard Köppen lāua ʻo Michael Denneborg (Kelemānia), Jonathan Wilson (USA), a me Víctor Chávez a me Gustavo Vela (Mexico) ma Zaragoza, kahi kaona ma ka hema o ka mokuʻāina ʻo Nuevo León. Ma laila mākou e puʻunaue ai i nā pono e pono ai i kēlā me kēia ʻūlū, pono ʻole ke wai: "e nui nā ʻauʻau," wahi a Bernhard. No laila mākou e ʻūlū ai i nā ʻeke hiamoe, nā meaʻai maloʻo, nā lole a me nā mea pilikino i nā ʻeke wai ʻole a me nā ipu. E pili ana i ka meaʻai, ua helu ʻo Jonathan, ʻo Victor a me au e halihali mākou i nā lako no ʻehiku mau lā, a ua hana nā Kelemania ia no 10 mau lā.
I ke kakahiaka hoʻomaka mākou i ka iho, aia i loko o ke canyon, me kahi hele lōʻihi ma waena o nā lele a ʻauʻau i nā loko wai anuanu (ma waena o 11 a me 12ºC). I kekahi mau ʻāpana, ua haʻalele ka wai iā mākou, ke ʻea nei ma lalo o ko mākou mau wāwae. ʻO nā ʻūlū, i kaupaona ma kahi o 30 kg, hoʻolohi i ka hele wāwae. Ma mua aʻe ua hele mākou i ka pale ākea mua: kahi kulu kiʻekiʻe 12 m. Ma hope o ke kau ʻana i nā heleuma i ka paia a me ke kau ʻana i ke kaula, iho mākou i ke kī mua. Ma ka huki ʻana a kiʻi ʻana i ke kaula ua ʻike mākou ʻo kēia ke kiko o ka hoʻi ʻole. Mai kēlā manawa mai, ʻo ka koho wale nō a mākou e hoʻomau i ka holo i lalo, ʻoiai ʻaʻole e ʻae nā paia kiʻekiʻe e hoʻopuni iā mākou. ʻO ka manaʻo he pono ʻoe e hana i nā mea āpau āpau ua huikau ʻia me ka manaʻo e hiki i kekahi mea ke hele hewa.
Ma loko o ke kolu o ka lā ua loaʻa iā mākou kekahi mau puka komo o ke ana, akā ʻo nā mea i ʻike ʻia he mea hoʻohiki a hoʻopiha iā mākou me ka kali ʻana ua pau kekahi mau mika ka mamao, a me ko mākou mau manaʻolana. ʻO ka nui o ko mākou iho i lalo, ua hoʻonui ka wela a ua hoʻomaka ka holo ʻana o nā waihona wai, ʻoiai ua nalowale ka wai kahe mai ka lā i hala. "I kēia helu, pono mākou e lawe i kā mākou mimi ma ke awakea," i hoʻohenehene ai ʻo Mikaʻela. ʻO ka mea āna i ʻike ʻole ai, ʻaʻole mamao loa kāna ʻōlelo mai ka ʻoiaʻiʻo. I ka pō, i loko o kahi hoʻomoana, ʻike mākou iā mākou iho e inu i ka wai mai ka puddle brown e kinai i kā mākou make wai.
I ke kakahiaka, i mau hola ʻelua ma hope o ka hoʻomaka ʻana i ka hele wāwae, ua piʻi ka pīhoihoi i nā kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe i ka wā e ʻauʻau ana au a e lele ana i loko o nā loko ʻōmaʻomaʻo emerald. Me ka nui o ka wai i hoʻololi ʻia ka canyon i loko o kahi wai me nā wailele pau ʻole. Ua hoʻoponopono ʻia ka pilikia o ka nele i ka wai; I kēia manawa pono mākou e hoʻoholo i kahi e hoʻomoana ai, ʻoiai kokoke i uhi ʻia ka canyon holoʻokoʻa me nā pōhaku, nā lālā a me ka wai. I ka pō, i ka manawa i kūkulu ʻia ai kahi hoʻomoana, kamaʻilio mākou e pili ana i ka nui o nā pōhaku i wāwahi ʻia i loaʻa iā mākou ma ke ala, no ka hāʻule ʻana o ka ʻāina i nā haneli mau mika ma luna. "Kamahaʻo ia!" –Commented one–, "ʻaʻohe paʻa i ka pāpale kila i ka hele ʻole ʻia e kekahi o lākou."
Ke ʻike nei i ka liʻiliʻi o ka holomua a mākou i hana ai a noʻonoʻo e lōʻihi paha ka lōʻihi ma mua o ka hoʻolālā, ua hoʻoholo mākou e hoʻomaka i ka ʻai ʻana.
I ka lima o ka lā, ma hope o ke awakea, i kona lele ʻana i loko o kahi kiʻo wai, ʻaʻole maopopo iā Bernhard aia kekahi pōhaku kokoke i ka papa o lalo a i kona wā i hina ai ua ʻeha ʻo ia i kona kuʻekuʻe wāwae. I ka manawa mua ua manaʻo mākou ʻaʻole koʻikoʻi ia, akā 200 mau mika ma mua pono mākou e kū, no ka mea ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu ke lawe i kahi ʻanuʻu ʻē aʻe. ʻOiai ʻaʻohe mea i haʻi i kekahi mea, ua hāʻawi nā hiʻohiʻona o ka hopohopo a me ka maopopo ʻole i kā mākou makaʻu, a ʻo ka nīnau i kau i ko mākou manaʻo: he aha ka mea e hiki ke hiki ʻole ke hele hou? I ke kakahiaka ua hoʻomaka ka hopena o nā lāʻau a ua hoʻomaikaʻi maikaʻi ka kuʻekuʻe wāwae. ʻOiai ua hoʻomaka mālie mākou i ka huakaʻi, i ka lā ua holomua kēia i ka hoʻomaikaʻi i ka ʻoiaʻiʻo ʻaʻohe mea rappelling hou aʻe. Ua hōʻea mākou i ka ʻaoʻao ākea o ke awāwa a ua hoʻoholo mākou e haʻalele i nā mea a mākou e pono hou ʻole ai: nā kaula a me nā heleuma, i waena o nā mea ʻē aʻe. Ke hoʻomaka nei e hōʻike i ka wī. No ka ʻaina ahiahi i kēlā pō, kaʻana like ka poʻe Kelemania i kā lākou meaʻai.
Ma hope o kaʻauʻau lōʻihi a me kahi hele paʻakikī ma waena o nā kahakai nani, ua hōʻea mākou i ka hui o ke kahawai me ka muliwai ʻo Purificación. I kēia ala, ua pau ka pae 60 km a hele wale mākou i ke ala i ke kaona kokoke.
ʻO ka hana hope loa a mākou i hana ai ma ka muliwai Purificación. I ka hele wāwae mua a me ka ʻauʻau ʻana; Eia nō naʻe, kānana hou ke kahawai i loko o nā pōhaku e hana ana i ka 25 km hope loa e wela ana, no ka mea aia 28 ° C i ka malu. Me ka waha maloʻo, nā wāwae palupalu, a me nā poʻohiwi i wili ʻia, ua hōʻea mākou i ke kaona ʻo Los Angeles, nona ka lewa i hoʻokalakupua a maluhia hoʻi e like me mākou i ka lani.
I ka hopena o ka huakaʻi kupaianaha ma mua o 80 km i loko o nā lā ʻewalu, hele mai kahi manaʻo ʻano ʻē ma luna o mākou. ʻO ka hauʻoli o ka hoʻokō ʻana i ka pahuhopu: e ola. A ʻoiai ʻaʻole i loaʻa nā ana, ua waiwai ka huakaʻi i Hell's Canyon, e waiho ana i ka hoʻomaha ʻole o ka hoʻomau ʻana e ʻimi i nā wahi ʻike ʻole ʻia i kēia ʻāina maikaʻi.
Inā ʻoe e hele i ZARAGOZA
Ke haʻalele nei i ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Matehuala, e hele i ka 52 km hikina a hiki i ke Kauka Arroyo. I ka hōʻea ʻana i ke alaloa mokuʻāina no. 88 hoʻomau aku i ka ʻākau a hiki i La Escondida; mai laila aku e hoʻohuli aʻe i Zaragoza. Mai poina e kau i nā kalaiwa ʻehā ma kāu kalaka e piʻi i ke kani; ʻehā mau hola ma hope e hōʻea ʻoe i ka pā holoholona ʻo La Encantada. Ma muli o kona paʻakikī, pono ia e lawe i nā limahana kūikawā e mākaʻikaʻi i ka Hell Canyon.
