On November 19 of last year, Jalisco expat Cam Honan descended into Mexico’s Barrancas de Cobre to begin an epic trek which lasted for over 20 days, during which he and fellow hiker Justin Lichter walked more than 600 kilometers – the first “through trip” of the Copper Canyon region ever recorded.
This canyon system is located in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua, 800 kilometers north of Guadalajara and is said to be deeper and longer than the famed Grand Canyon of the United States.
“In my opinion,” Honan told me, “the Copper Canyon is one of the ten best places in the world to hike.” He should know. This tall Australian has trekked all over the world from Andorra to Wales and recently completed the Triple Crown of American hiking (the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail and the Appalachian Trail) in 236 days, the fastest time ever recorded and only the third time it’s ever been done within a calendar year. All in all, Honan has hiked more than 80,000 kilometers during his life, perhaps more than any other living person today.
Cam “Swami” Honan and Justin “Trauma” Lichter began their adventure on November 19, 2013 at Basaseachi Falls, Mexico’s second highest cascade (at 453 meters). On his fascinating website, TheHikingLife.com, Honan paints a colorful picture of stage one of that trek, from the falls to Creel, which took just over a week and covered 230 kilometers:
“The first section of the Copper Canyon Traverse linked together two of the region´s six major canyons, namely the Candamena and the Oteros. It was a mixture of canyoneering, little used trails, dirt roads and plenty of gear ripping, shin busting, expletive peppered bushwhacking. How bad was the bushwhacking? By the end of day two, the side pockets on both our backpacks had been torn, I had lost my trekking pole which had been strapped to the side of my pack, and my hiking shirt looked like it had been lifted from the wardrobe of the Incredible Hulk … During the final dirt-road stretch into the spectacularly situated village of Uruachi, we were passed by nine vehicles over the course of a seven hour period. All but one of these cars and trucks stopped to ask if we were OK and if we wanted a ride. Although we declined all offers, both Justin and I couldn’t help but be struck by the genuine friendliness shown to us. In a region (i.e. northern Mexico) which receives almost exclusively negative international press due to drug and violence issues, the hospitality we were afforded during our time in the canyons was universally positive.”
Stage two of the trek – from Creel to Divisadero – took two and a half days, during which the hikers covered only 67 kilometers. Why? Honan explains that the only maps they had (INEGI 1:50,000) showed precious little detail of the rough, technical terrain through which they were passing, where they typically spent their time descending roaring waterfalls, picking their way through narrow canyons, fording chest-high rivers, and bushwhacking up cactus-laden cliffs.
The constant discrepancy between man-made features on the ground and what appeared on their maps, “turned the unpredictability factor up to eleven,” says Honan. “Indeed, villages seemed to materialize and disappear without rhyme or reason … sort of like a Mexican version of Brigadoon.”
This situation required the trekkers to retrace their steps again and again. “Adaptability was our mantra from start to finish,” says Honan.
Stage three – from Divisadero to Batopilas – took 3.5 days, but this time Honan and Lichter covered 106 kilometers. Honan’s journal continues: “Leaving Divisadero, our route skirted the western rim of Urique Canyon. As we rambled along amongst the ponderosa pines, we passed through a handful of tiny villages. Other than a couple of guys armed with AK 47s loitering around the plaza of Churro, things were generally on the sleepy side. Indeed, even the aforementioned gun-toting gentlemen looked liked they had just awoken from a Rip Van Winkle-like slumber.
“When the time eventually came to descend, we were faced with a 3,000-foot drop and a spectacular south-facing vista over Urique Canyon. Ideal moment for a snack break. After wolfing down a couple of chocolate bars and taking a good look at the topo map, we began what I like to call an ‘educated bushwhack.’ Before long we hit a faint cattle trail, which soon turned into a well trodden donkey path. We switch-backed our way down for 90 minutes before reaching the scenically set village of Naranjo. From there we descended much more gradually along a dirt road, arriving at Urique not long after 7 p.m.”
On the last stage of their journey, the trekkers covered a distance of 210 kilometers from Batopilas to Cumbres de Sinforosa, walking an average of 35 kilometers per day. Says Honan: “The final two days of the trek were mostly spent tip-toeing our way through a number of well tended “agricultural” plots. The crops of choice were marijuana and poppies. In order not to surprise anyone while walking through the drug fields, Justin and I regularly called out “Hola, que tal!” or “Buenos dias/tardes!” For all intents and purposes, it was the Copper Canyon equivalent of repeating “Hey Bear!” a mantra commonly heard amongst hikers in grizzly or black bear country in the United States and Canada.
“Thankfully, harvest season had recently finished, so the only people manning the fields were cheerful campesinos who were apparently more than happy to help us out with any and all directional queries. None of them could remember seeing a foreigner in these parts for many a year. Not sure we would have encountered the same warm fuzzy greeting if we had arrived a month earlier when the crops were being taken to market. Timing is everything in the Copper Canyon.”
You’ll find great pictures and more information about the Copper Canyon Trek at Honan’s website www.thehikinglife.com, which also features a wealth of tips on hiking gear and techniques as well as philosophical considerations for those who would hope to gain new awarenesses while walking through Mother Nature’s back yard.