Recently my canyoneering friends – members of the group Jalisco Vertical – decided to rappel all the waterfalls of the Jalpa River as it passes through Aquetzalli Canyon, close to the town of Chiquilistlán, located 65 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara. Although I’m not a canyoneer, I decided to tag along hoping to catch up on my writing in full view of a spectacular cascade where I could periodically cool off in a deep pool of deliciously refreshing, clean water. After all, the word Aquetzalli, I was told, means “crystal-clear water” in Nahuatl.
Canadian Chris Lloyd gathered together a group of around twenty people for the event, including several children and newcomers who had never “done” a canyon before.
It took us two hours to drive from Guadalajara to a little bridge over the Jalpa River where the canyoneers would abseil down their first waterfall. I then proceeded by car down to the end point of the river run, the three gorgeous waterfalls (each with its own deep pool) of Comala.
It was a Sunday morning and I was amazed to find not a single person at these incredibly beautiful falls … it was, after all, the first week of June, probably the very hottest week of the entire year in this part of Mexico.
I hiked to Fall Two with nature photographer Carlos “Charlie” Contreras. The scene in front of me was spectacular enough to be the backdrop for an exotic Hollywood movie: two cascades side by side rushing down a golden rock wall into a wide, deep, translucent green pool – and all for me alone, as Charlie had gone hiking upriver.
I alternated between writing and swimming, figuring it would take the canyoneers all day to negotiate twelve waterfalls along two kilometers of river. To my surprise, less than three hours later my friends suddenly appeared at the top of the fall and were soon sliding down the natural chute or leaping into the pool from on high.
As they emerged one by one from the final waterfall (also spectacular, naturally) I found them all shivering slightly and with “washerwoman hands” after being in the cold water so long, but at the same time laughing and in great spirits.
I asked Italian Laura Fantinello, an Italian educator working in Guadalajara, what the experience was like.
“This was my first time canyoneering,” she said. “I couldn’t believe what the river was like – the scenery was something right out of Indiana Jones. At one point, I stood at the edge of a waterfall four meters high and they told me ‘Jump!’ Well, I don’t like deep water and this turned out to be one of the most challenging moments of my whole life. It was an intense experience and I could feel the adrenaline racing. But standing there on the edge, I felt the support of the whole group. So I jumped and for a second I experienced total silence, like being in a vacuum and then I was in the water. ‘Wow,’ I said to myself, ‘I’m safe!’ Later I discovered that there had been a trail around that waterfall and I could have bypassed it, but I’m glad nobody told me. Without a doubt, it was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I did it.”
If you want to cool off Tarzan style, don’t wait! mid-June traditionally marks the beginning of the rainy season and a few days later you may find yourself pulling on a sweater. So enjoy the Aquetzalli Cascades while the weather is sizzling! For directions to the canyon and lots more photos, see www.ranchopint.com.