I ka mahina o Malaki 1994 ua hōʻike mai kekahi o koʻu mau hoaaloha mai ka Cuauhtémoc Group of Speleology and Exploration (GEEC) iaʻu i ka Peña El Gigante nui ma ka Barranca de Candameña ma Chihuahua, ua ʻike wau aia mākou i mua o kekahi o nā paia nui loa o pōhaku o ko mākou ʻāina. I kēlā manawa ua lawe mākou i ka manawa kūpono e ana i ka nui o ka pōhaku, a ua loaʻa he hāʻule manuahi o 885 mau mika mai ka muliwai ʻo Candameña a hiki i kona piko.
I ka mahina o Malaki 1994 ua hōʻike mai kekahi o koʻu mau hoaaloha mai ka Cuauhtémoc Speleology and Exploration Group (GEEC) iaʻu i ka Peña El Gigante nui ma ka Barranca de Candameña ma Chihuahua, ua ʻike wau aia mākou i mua o kekahi o nā paia nui loa o pōhaku o ko mākou ʻāina. I kēlā manawa ua lawe mākou i ka manawa kūpono e ana i ka nui o ka pōhaku, a ua loaʻa he hāʻule manuahi o 885 mau mika mai ka muliwai ʻo Candameña a hiki i kona piko.
I koʻu nānā ʻana i ka ʻike kūpono e ʻike ai inā aia nā paia i ʻoi aku ma mua o kēia i ka ʻāina, pūʻiwa wau ua ʻike wau ʻo ia ka maka pōhaku kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe i ʻike ʻia i kēia manawa. Whoa, whoa! ʻO nā mea kokoke i hoʻopaʻa mua ʻia nā paia o Potrero Chico, ma ka Husteca Canyon ma Nuevo León, me 700 mau mika wale nō.
ʻOiai ʻaʻole wau he piʻi, ua hoʻoholo wau e hoʻolaulaha i kēia pā i waena o nā mea piʻi, e kakali ana i ke ala piʻi piʻi mua o El Gigante e wehe ai, a me ke kau ʻana i ka mokuʻāina ʻo Chihuahua i mua o ka piʻina pae ʻāina. I ka manawa mua ua manaʻo wau i kaʻu hoaaloha ʻo Eusebio Hernández, a laila ke poʻo o ka Climbing Group o ka UNAM, akā ʻo kāna make kupaianaha, ka piʻi ʻana i Palani, ua kāpae i kēlā ala mua.
Ma hope koke iho, ua hālāwai wau me koʻu mau hoaaloha ʻo Dalila Calvario a me kāna kāne ʻo Carlos González, nā mea hoʻolaha maikaʻi o nā haʻuki kūlohelohe, me ka mea i hoʻomaka ai ka papahana e hana. No lākou ʻo Carlos lāua ʻo Dalila i kāhea aku i ʻehā mau piʻina piʻi maikaʻi loa, me lākou i hoʻopili ʻia ai i ʻelua mau mea piʻi wāwae. ʻO kekahi o Bonfilio Sarabia lāua ʻo Higinio Pintado, a ʻo kekahi ʻo Carlos García lāua ʻo Cecilia Buil, ka hope o ka lāhui Sepania, i noʻonoʻo ʻia i waena o nā elite piʻi o ko lākou ʻāina.
Ma hope o ka loaʻa ʻana o ke kākoʻo kūpono a me ke kipa ʻana i ka paia, ua hoʻomaka ka piʻi ʻana ma ka waena o Malaki 1998. Mai ka hoʻomaka ʻana, nui nā pilikia. ʻAʻole hiki i kahi hau kaumaha ke hoʻokokoke aku i ka paia no kekahi mau lā. Ma hope mai, me ka wai o ka wai, ulu nui ka muliwai ʻo Candameña a pale ʻia hoʻi i ka hōʻea ʻana i ke kumu o El Gigante. No ke kiʻi ʻana iā ia, pono ʻoe e hele wāwae i hoʻokahi lā mai ka maka o Huajumar, ke ala wikiwiki loa, a komo i lalo o ke awāwa ʻo Candameña, e hele i kēlā me kēia muliwai.
ʻO ke kau ʻana o kahi hoʻomoana kahua i koi ʻia i mau haul o nā haul ma kahi o hoʻokahi pule, no kahi i hoʻolimalima ʻia ai nā mea lawe puka mai ke kaiāulu ʻo Candameña. ʻAʻole i ʻae ka ʻāina kolohe i ka hoʻohana ʻana o nā holoholona o ke kaumaha. Ua ʻaneʻane hapa hapalua o ke kaupaona o ke kaupaona, ma waena o nā pono hana a me nā meaʻai, i pono e hoʻopili ʻia ma ka wāwae o El Gigante.
I ka manawa e hoʻonā ʻia ai nā pilikia mua, hoʻonohonoho nā cordadas ʻelua i kā lākou mau ala hoʻouka, koho i nā pono kūpono a me nā pono. Ua koho ko Higinio a me ko Bonfilio hui i kahi laina o nā māwae i loaʻa ma ka piko hema o ka paia, a e komo ʻo Cecilia lāua ʻo Carlos i kahi ala i waenakonu, ma lalo pono o ka piko. ʻO ka pahuhopu e hoʻāʻo i nā ala like ʻole e pili ana i nā ʻano ʻenehana i ka manawa like. Ua ʻimi ʻo Higinio lāua ʻo Bonfilio i kahi ala e hiki ai i ka piʻi kūlohelohe, akā ʻaʻole ʻo Cecilia lāua ʻo Carlos, ka mea e hoʻāʻo e piʻi manuahi.
Hoʻomaka ka mea mua me ka piʻi lohi a paʻakikī hoʻi ma muli o ka pala o ka pōhaku, a paʻakikī ka belaying. ʻO kona mua he ʻīniha ma ka ʻīniha, me nā pilikia he nui e ʻimi ai i kahi e hoʻomau ai. Ma hope o hoʻokahi pule lōʻihi o ka hoʻāʻo ʻana, ʻaʻole lākou i ʻoi aku ma mua o 100 mau mika, me ka like a ʻoi aku o ka paʻakikī o ka panorama i luna, no laila hoʻoholo lākou e haʻalele i ke ala a piʻi. Ua huhū lākou i kēia huhū, akā ʻo ka ʻoiaʻiʻo ʻaʻole loaʻa ka paia o kēia nui i ka hoʻāʻo mua.
No Cecilia lāua ʻo Carlos ʻaʻohe mea ʻokoʻa i ka ʻōlelo o ka paʻakikī, akā ʻoi aku ka nui o ka manawa a ua mākaukau e hana i nā hana āpau e hiki ai ke piʻi. Ma ko lākou alahele, mai lalo mai me he manuahi ia, ʻaʻole lākou i ʻike i kahi ʻōnaehana o nā māwae e paʻa ai, no laila pono lākou e ʻimi i nā wahi he nui i ka piʻi kūpale; a he nui nā palaka ākea i hoʻoweliweli i ka piʻi. No ka hoʻomau ʻana i ka holomua, ua lanakila lākou i ka luhi o ka noʻonoʻo kaumaha, i hiki ai i ka palena o ka makaʻu no ka mea ma mua o ka hapalua o ka piʻi ʻana, ua alakaʻi ʻia kahi ʻāpana paʻakikī iā lākou i kahi mea ʻoi aku ka paʻakikī, kahi o nā belay e weliweli loa ai ʻaʻohe mea ma muli o ka pala o ka pōhaku. Ua pilikia pinepine hoʻi a lohi loa i mua kahi a lākou e noʻonoʻo pono ai i kēlā me kēia mika o ka pōhaku. Aia kekahi mau manawa ke hoʻonāwaliwali lākou, ʻoi aku i kahi mau lā ʻelua i ka holo wale ʻana i 25 mau mika. Akā he mau mea piʻi lāua ʻelua i kahi huhū kupaianaha, kahi makemake ʻole, i hoʻonāukiuki iā lākou e lanakila i nā mea āpau, ke nānā pono ʻana i kēlā me kēia mika e piʻi, me ka mālama ʻole i ka ikaika. Ma ka laulā nui, ua hoʻoholo ka hoihoi a me ka wiwo ʻole o Cecilia na lākou e haʻalele ʻole, a no laila ua hoʻolōʻihi lākou i nā lā a me nā pō ma ka paia, e hiamoe ana i kahi hāmaki kūikawā no nā piʻi lōʻihi e like me kēlā. ʻO ko Cecilia ʻano e kūpaʻa mau ana, a ke hele pānaʻi nei me Carlos, e wehe ana i kēlā ala mua ma El Gigante, me he mea lā ua hāʻawi pio i kona kuko no ka piʻi pōhaku, ua lawe ʻia ke kuko i kona palena.
I kekahi lā, iā lākou ma luna o ka pā no 30 mau lā, ua hōʻeuʻeu kekahi mau lālā o ka GEEC mai ka piko a hiki i kahi o lākou, kahi kokoke i ka pahuhopu, e paipai iā lākou a hāʻawi i ka wai a me ka meaʻai I kēlā manawa, ua ʻike ʻo Kauka Víctor Rodríguez Guajardo i ka lilo ʻana o ke kaupaona, ua hoʻomaha lākou no kekahi mau lā ʻelua e ola iki, a ua hana lākou pēlā, e piʻi ana i luna i nā kaula i kau ʻia e ka GEEC. Eia nō naʻe, ma hope o ka hoʻomaha ua hoʻomau lākou i ka piʻina mai kahi a lākou i haʻalele ai, a hoʻopau iā ia ma ʻApelila 25, ma hope o 39 mau lā o ka piʻi ʻana. ʻO ka nui o kēia piʻi ʻana ʻaʻole i hoʻokō ʻia e kahi Mekiko.
ʻOiai ʻo 885 mau mika ka pā o El Gigante, ʻo ka piʻi ʻana o nā mika he 1,025 ia, ʻo ia ke ala mua ma Mekiko i ʻoi aku i hoʻokahi mile. ʻO kāna kekelē o ka piʻina kiʻekiʻe, he manuahi a manuahi hoʻi (6c A4 5.11- / A4 no nā mea hoʻohihi). Ua bapetizo ʻia ke ala me ka inoa o "Simuchí", ʻo ia hoʻi "hummingbird" i ka ʻōlelo Tarahumar, no ka mea, e like me kā Cecilia i haʻi mai ai iā mākou, "ua hele pū kahi hummingbird me mākou mai ka lā mua i hoʻomaka mākou i ka piʻi, kahi hummingbird i ʻike ʻole ʻaʻole hiki ke like, akā i kēlā me kēia kakahiaka aia ma laila, i mua o mākou, he kekona wale nō. Me he mea lā e haʻi ana iā mākou e nānā ana kekahi a mālama lākou i kā mākou pono. "
Me kēia piʻi mua ʻana i ka paia o El Gigante, ua hoʻohui ʻia kekahi o nā hana i ʻike nui ʻia o ka piʻi pōhaku ma Mekiko a ʻike ʻia ʻo ka wahi o nā awāwa o ka Sierra Tarahumara, ma Chihuahua, hiki koke ke lilo i kekahi o nā pākaua o piʻi piʻi. Pono e hoʻomanaʻo ʻia ʻo El Gigante kekahi o nā paia nui loa, akā he nui nā paia puʻupaʻa o nā haneli mau mika e kali nei i kāna poʻe piʻi. A ʻoiaʻiʻo, e piʻi aʻe nā paia ma luna o El Gigante no ka mea pono mākou e ʻimi i ka hapa nui o kēia māhele.
Puna: Un Mexico Mexico No. 267 / Mei 1999
