Reflecting

Public bathrooms with toilette paper you don't have to pay for, free water at restaurants, public trash cans and recycling, ahhh it's great to be home!

I love Mexico, there are so so many things about that city that make so much sense but just as many that make me really appreciate the opportunity to grow up and live in the United States. 

It's been nearly a week since we've been back and when I think back about our the last four weeks, it already seems like a rapidly fading dream.  Luckily there are plenty of pictures and videos to keep the memory sharp, and when I go through the 1,100 pictures with Marie trying to decide what to upload and write about, we relive the adventures every time. 

It was pretty hard to frequently update the posts during the climbing weeks in Mexico because it's pretty tedious to write long posts on my iPod and we were too impatient to spend long periods of time in Internet cafes when they were available.  But now that we're back in the US it will be much easier to keep our blog updated.  So, with that said, let me take you back to Mexico in this post one more time before heading on to more current events shall we?

We last left everyone with a little teaser about El Chonta, the legendary cave located near Taxco, MX so why don't we pick up there in more detail?  In Marie's last post she filled you in on all the friends that we made there and the quality of life we had adapted to during our stay.  I'd like to add that I was in complete awe at all the nature around us and adapted very nicely to all the freedom at our disposal.  Highlights for me at the cave, like in Potrero, were never waking up to an alarm clock, not knowing or caring what time of day it was but rather measuring the length of day by the time between meals, making a fire every night, getting frequent visits by Señor Procopio's children, and of course, climbing our butts off from sunup to sundown. 

As far as the nature around us, the property surrounding the cave were full of woods in which nothing grew straight.  Everything was a twisting, tangling, braided, but organized mess of trees, vines, cactus, rock, and shrubs.  The sky was always filled with distinct calls and answers from different birds (including ones we swore were pterodactyls), and you could always spot a lizard or two sunbathing on the nearby rocks.  On one of our rest days Marie surprised a large iguana sunbathing near a fence.  And then there were all the other animals we were happy to not have stumbled upon, such as rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and mountain lions. 

Twisting trees & vines outside the cave

At first we thought this iguana was a Gila Monster!

You may ask, what more is needed to complete this nature paradise?  Well, we haven't yet told you about what we did for showers, since it wasn't difficult to work up a sweat after ticking all our projects.  On one of our rest days we got very clear directions from some climbers up for the weekend, on how to get to a nearby cave with an underground river that flowed from the nearby city of Toluca all the way to the underground caves of Cacahuamilpa.  We set off to find the cave, and were left speechless when we stumbled upon the massive underground opening only 20 minutes downhill from the climbing area.  The huge mouth opened to let you see a giant water-carved staircase, that took you to a large ramp, which then led you into the dark recess of the cave until you reached the riverbed circa 500 ft below where you entered.  It was like being swallowed up by that whale in Pinocchio!  Once down at the riverbed, only a small portion of that was lit up by the sunlight entering the mouth of the cave about 500 ft above.  We could hear the bats chirping in the cave's ceilings, and confident that we wouldn't contract rabies, we donned bathing suits and waded into the chilly snow melt river for a much needed bath, AAHHHH the life!

Marie sitting at the mouth of the river cave.

You simply climb better in a Stoneworks tee!

Superman invades the Bat Cave

But what about the climbing!?  Marie already let you know about her various accomplishments at El Chonta, and it seemed that the luck was running thick for both of us during this part of the trip because just as Marie was able to surpass her goals, not only by climbing all the 11's but also upping the ante with her first 12a redpoint, I managed to grunt, scream, and hug my way up my first 5.13a/b (El Ataxco).  I redpointed this beast in 6 tries over 3 days.  I also onsighted my 2nd 12a, redpointed a 12b, and redpointed my 4th 12c.  All while adapting to a form of climbing that was beyond my comprehension.  Thanks to Marie's eerily intuitive resting skills, I can now add cosmic knee bar and tufa hugging skills to my repertoire.

 Clipping the crux on Mantis (5.12b)

Lastly, I would like to talk about Señor Procopio's family.  A family we came to bond with very much during our stay and whose company we always looked forward to when they dropped in to check on us or climb with us in the afternoons.  When arriving at Procopio's farm, if you are not accustomed to witnessing poverty firsthand, some might turn their noses up or feel sorry for the family's apparent lack of resources.  The house, though made of concrete, has a tin roof and looks dirty and dusty.  Farm animals roam freely everywhere and for this reason you need to be careful where you step.  When you first meet the children, they look dusty themselves, and your heart squeezes just a bit when you see Señora Aurora sweep a dirt floor with an old broom.  But these thoughts and feelings cannot last more than a few minutes once you see how close this family is, and I'll be damned if it doesn't turn into an happy type of envy.  They were always smiling and were so happy to help in any way that they could.  They took payment only for the services they provided, and left the rest of the costs to our discretion.  They happily let us walk through their land, explaining all about the farm and their family's history, and asking lots of questions about our families, where we came from and what we did, and listened to anything else we wanted to share with them.  They talked about how climbing and the recent development (including the Petzl Roc Trip) had exposed them to things they never imagined and gave them the opportunity to meet people they would have otherwise never encountered. 

 Señor Procopio's house

The children were always happy, and we often discussed how great it was that they entertained themselves for hours running around the woods shoeless, climbing trees, swinging on vines, shooting slingshots at bottles and iguanas, wrestling, and of course climbing.  They had no use or apparent want for iPods, computers, cell phones, or video games.  They were more than content to ride horses, go to rodeos and get bucked off bulls, play with bunnies, and chase chickens and rabbits all around the house.  All the boys from the youngest to the oldest were strong and fit, not an ounce of fat on them from all the running and playing in addition to farm work.  Diets consisted of farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, and of course meat, all of which we got to enjoy ourselves on our last night there.  But most of all you had to admire the pride they all carried, and the humility, courtesy, and hospitality they displayed during our stay.  Truly the richest family I've ever met.

Sharpshooter

 Familia Procopio

And now, we find ourselves on the opposite side of the spectrum, the flip side of the coin.  Las Vegas, Nevada.  If it wasn't for my family and Redrocks, I would never set foot in the kitty litter state again.  But here we are, trading trees for neon lights, tufas for crimps, and sleeping mats for a platform in a minivan, continuing our amazing adventure, my baby and me.

-Juan