2003-10-17,18 The Journey 2003-10-18,24 Creel 2003-10-19 Rock Climbing 2003-10-20 Valley of the Monks 2003-10-21 Copper Canyon 1 2003-10-22 Copper Canyon 2 2003-10-23 Copper Canyon 3

Copper Canyon, Day 1 (Tuesday, 10/21/2003)

Tuesday would be our first chance to see the actual canyon system, and it was well worth the wait. We arrived at the put in point, somewhere along the jeep road leading to Magimachi, around the middle of the morning. David had arranged for a local to shuttle his truck to Divisadero, which we would not see for three days and 24 canyon miles hence.

As we made our way along the rim of the canyon system, we saw many of the Tarahumara summer homes, which would remain inhabited until November. We saw rocky, sandy hills adorned with conifers and goats, and terrain that in general looked much like the area around Creel. And then the world fell out from underneath us ... The best way I can describe Copper Canyon is by comparing it to an upside-down mountain range. Coming upon the canyon is like suddenly finding oneself at the summit of a 10,000-foot peak, staring out at the surrounding peaks and realizing that the only way forward is down. It is, in this sense, completely different from the Grand Canyon, as the latter stair-steps down from rim to floor over a distance of many miles. Copper Canyon, by contrast, plummets a mile down from the rim without stopping. It is a wholly spectacular and vertigo-inducing experience.

On Day 1, we descended about 2500 feet over 8 miles and camped that night under a rocky overhang that formed part of a Tarahumara dwelling, facing east toward the rising sun.