Sierra Madre Expeditions, Mexico

The Great Sierra Madre Horse Trip
Horse Packing In The Remote Mountains & Canyons of Mexico's Wild West...
 

From high in the Sierra Madre, we drop steeply down into the deep Oteros (Copper) Canyon, ride through dusty outposts, cross the great divide on remote rugged trails, explore lost cliff dwellings and camp near forgotten Tarahumara settlements. A wild, crazy adventure...

Meeting in El Paso, we drive through the Chihuahua desert then over a winding mountain highway to overnight at the cow town of Cuauhtemoc. We ramble on, up through the Sierra Madre, to arrive early at our isolated mountain base camp over lookling the famous Copper Canyon. The Mancinas family meets us for evening margaritas and a traditional Mexican ranch meal around the big bunkhouse fire place. We are guests at Lola Mancinas' rustic, log cabin mountain Lodge. Anda le Muchachos... Huevos rancheros and stout cook stove coffee sends us on our way. We choose our mounts and test out saddles. Pack ponies loaded, we trot off across the high sierra, soon dropping over the rim of the great Oteros Canyon (part of the Copper Canyon system) to descend several thousand feet over the next several days.. Teresa Mancinas, our seasoned trail cook treats us to a Mexican dinner and round of freshly made margaritas beside the evening campfire. During the next days, we ride through some of the wildest terrain on earth, making camp along side the Orteros below towering andesite cliffs deep in the great canyons. Climbing out on ancient foot and mule trails we finally arrive at the sleepy village of Arepunapuchc. Founded in the 1700s, the place has not changed much since Pancho Villa and his Division del Norte recruted riders here to fight General Huerta's Federales in 1914.  Spurs jingling, horse shoes echoing on the rocky path, we tie up for a warming shot of Tequila then corral our tied ponies for a much needed graining and rest. Loading back in our dust covered van, we bounce along the rutted back road to reach paved highway setting out for home. The scenery is striking, vast forested high lands punctuated abruptly by steep volcanic peaks. After a shopping visit to the bustling backpacker town of Creel, we find an upscale Inn along the way for a bit of deserved comfort. The following day finds us reluctantly back in El Paso in time (hopefully) for afternoon flights home.

IT-MXRT01
Rates include Round trip transport from El Paso by van, all lodging, camp, tents and cook, guides/wranglers, meals except as noted below, horses, tack and saddle bags. 6 riding days
9 days/ 8 nights  $ 1,795   Single +$250 
2007 Dates:  09/15-09/23  10/20-10/28
2008 Dates:  trip is not available
  check availability
Meeting Point: El Paso, Texas
Trip Length: 9 days - 8 nights  6 riding days -  Min. age 15
Level:    Low Intermediate
Tack:  Western
Horses:  Quarter, Hispanic Berb
Min/Max Riders: 6 - 12
Pace:  Slow/Moderate, steep trails

This is a rugged, physically demanding adventure. Although the horses are "no nonsense" and well trained, you must be an experienced, confident rider in good physical condition. Rider weight is restricted to 200 lbs. We spend long hours in the saddle and must hike some steep or dangerous sections.

Itinerary
From high in the Sierra Madre, we drop steeply down into the Copper Canyon system of great remote barrancas, explore ancient cliff dwelings and visit remote Tarahumara ranchos. Following seldom used rugged trails, we travel through some of the wildest terrain on earth. Mexico’s living old west... a wild, crazy adventure...
Day 1) Meet at the airport Quality Inn in El Paso at 7:00 am. We drive through the Chihuahua desert then over a scenic mountain highway to overnight at Cuauhtemoc. Be prepared to listen perhaps to the complete history of the Mexican revolution if Gary Ziegler is driving or to endless adventure stories if Amy Finger is along. Bring a good book. Maybe you can hide in the back of the van! We lodge at Los Cumbres, a very comfortable three star, Santa Fe style Motel on the hill overlooking the town. A short walk takes us into El Centro to change money, and perhaps buy a pair of chaps or boots in one of the several ranch stores. We share margaritas and Dos Equis while enjoying good local beef ( they serve frijoles, chiles rellenos and other vegie fare for you non-carnivores) and pleasant conversation at El Rancho Viejo, a favorite eatery.
Day 2) Leisurely breakfast and morning coffee behind us, we head westward across the high savanna plain toward the pine/oak forested foothills of the Sierra Madre. Soon the narrow paved roadway winds up, then down past towering andesite cliffs into the immense west facing escarpment that hosts the great arroyos and rivers of the famous Copper Canyon. We reach the small village of Arepunapuchic by mid afternoon.
Now established comfortably in several of the Mancinas family’s cabins, we have time to hike and explore. A short trail leads to a cliff top overlooking North America’s great Copper Canyon known here as the Barranca del Urique. We stare in silent awe at the deep gorge and river some 5000 feet below. Gary, if he’s along, likes to run the winding trail along the rim before dinner. Some may be crazy enough to join him. We regroup for evening refreshments with our hosts around the chimenera (fireplace). Later, we enjoy the first of many home cooked Mexican meals before blowing out lights for a quiet night’s rest.
Day 3) Fueled by Lola Mancinas’ huevos rancheros, we pull our hats down tight, throw down a last cup of cowboy coffee then head down to the corrals to select a sure footed caballo from the milling remuda of mountain horses eagerly munching at flakes of alfalfa.
The morning moves quickly, we saddle, pull the latigo up tight, adjust stirrup leathers and take a trial spin around the yard. Ponies pushing into the bits, we trot off on a winding trail across the vast expanse of the Sierra. Following trails along the canyon rim we soon get to know our surefooted mounts while absorbing awesome vistas of the great barranca. The evening finds us pleasantly tired, relaxing about the lodge as Lola whips up another Mexican specialty dinner.
Day 4) The crew is up early. Pack burros are carefully loaded with balanced, weighed loads. The aroma of fresh coffee drifts with the cool morning air. Breakfast...tortillas, beans and chile laced scrambled eggs simmer on the grill. Soon we are mounted, bouncing along a rocky trial leading down toward the distant Barranca del Oteros.
This is a big day! Leaving the high sierra we descend into the depths of the Orteros Canyon, one of the several great tributaries that flow into the Rio Urique to make up the Barranca del Cobre, Copper Canyon. We ride past a Mexican homestead, surrounded by rock spires above dark pines and bright red Madrone trees, where we will later return to camp. We pass through one of the many remote Tarahumara communities that are scattered throughout the sierra..the reason for all of the tracks. Quida Ba (hello)..We stop to visit with several men who have walked out to greet us. They are friends of our crew. Prepared for our arrival, they are not concerned about a bunch of Gabacho riders invading their rancho.I We then descend into the remote Chuachuique canyon, dubbed Mushroom valley for all the rock pinnacles. The trail is rocky and challenging and we continue amazed and confident of our surefooted ponies to lunch underneath the incredible rock escarpments leading down into the Oteros. We return to camp all set by our burro wranglers and Teresa’s chuletas and guacamole around the fire.
 

Day 5) Crossing over into the Batochique canyon we descend to find a camp with sand beach along side the small Oteros River. Midway we explore rock art drawn in red against the white rhyolite and speculate about the artists. Were they inspired by the Mogollon? The last half mile to camp proves unrideable as the gorge deepens. We dismount and lead our horses along the rock ledges. These are not cliff edges but experience dictates caution even though our fellow wranglers procede to ride through every hairy spot! The sun is still shining on the river when we arrive and all rush to the deep green pools to bathe. We settle in to a near gourmet meal of chiles rellenos and fresh tortillas., colorfull acorn woodpeckers and Jays dart through tall pine trees, squawking displeasure at this interruption of canyon solitude. Sparks leap from the glowing embers. Shadows flicker ominously about the tall stands of long needled pines as we hunker down around the fire, cups in hand. Was it here perhaps that General Crook cornered Geronimo and his band of marauding Apaches in the summer of 1883? Could this be where Pershing’s army corp chased Pancho Villa’s rag tag bandits fleeing from the attack on Columbus New Mexico in 1916? Heads full of mysteries and legend, we slip off to our bedrolls as a distant owl hoots a forlorn cry. Or...could it be the ghost of Coronado still searching for lost cities of gold ?
Day 6) We move on down river. The route is steep, winding up, down and around cliffs, boulders and arroyos. We sent a trail crew down here in the fall to improve a route for horses but it is still barely passable. We dismount, allowing the horses to scramble up and down bad spots on their own. The trail climbs up to a magnificent viewpoint up and down the Oteros. We gain a little more altitude and then it’s a pleasant ride through the ancient oaks and pines towards our destination, the local Tarahumara’s governor’s Rancho, Siquiriche. Governor Guadalupe is waiting for us and greets us coming into the Rancho. Everyone is aweinspired by the setting, with thousand foot cliffs surrounding the houses and Church on their raised diaz above the corn fields, it really is something special. Slowly Lupe's 16 year old beautiful daughter emerges with his wife and son. They have a young baby as well.. Lupe may ask if we want to see the matachine and pascual dancers after our afternoon ride out to another view point where his ancient mother lives. Our stay here is very important to them. We pay for trail clearing and firewood and his wife makes baskets for sale. Lupe is an excellent violin maker and also prepares for our arrival with a couple new violins . Our night here in their beautiful box canyon is an unforgettable experience for all.
Day 7) We awake to a cold clear morning, frost coats the tent tops, making the nearby clumps of bunch grass looks like decorative white bouquets. We gather around the welcome crackling fire with coffee in hand. Soon the sun has arrived, quickly warming the camp to comfortable day time temperature. Today is a long wonderfull ride up the Recayna Canyon. We are all struck by the beauty and remoteness of this place, amazed that people still live so far from our modern world . As John Wayne would say “daylight’s a burnin”. Although tired from the long day, the horses eagerly push into a trot as they sense that the end of the journey is near. We ride on, arriving just as the sun sets. Clean sheets and hot showers greet the journey’s end.
Day 8) A long leasurely morning followed by a pleasant drive deposits us in the bustling backpacker, logging, railroad town of Creel. We spend the morning here. This is the opportunity to do the tourist thing; shop for Tarahumara handicrafts; try the fare in local eateries, see what tourists look like. We continue on to Cuauhtemoc for the night.
Day 9) Back in the dust covered van, we bounce along as Lyle Lovett and Ian Tyson’s Cowboy ballads blare out of the speakers. We strike out for El Paso. The scenery is striking and lonely, vast high land plains punctuated abruptly by steep isolated volcanic peaks. Rolling on, we soon hit the major four lane leading from Chihuahua to Ciudad Juarez, Some of us read or quietly visit. Relaxed, thinking about home, jobs, projects to return to, we cross the boarder into the traffic and congestion of El Paso to meet evening flights home. Someone asks “ When’s the next trip?”

Note: this is a sample itinerary. We may make day to day changes as we ride and explore. Come prepared for a flexible expedition experience.
                             Itinerary subject to change

Details and Local Color
The region from Creel to Los Mochis is widely promoted as the "Copper Canyon". In fact, the northern Sierra Madre embraces 15 major canyon systems (barrancas) within an area of 75,000 square kilometers. Seven of these canyons are considered "most notable". Our trip takes in two of these: the Urique and Oteros
Wildlife: Unlike the heavily hunted and foraged main Copper Canyon region, wildlife can still be found in the mountains and canyons of the Oteros.This includes black bear, cougar, bobcats, small jaguar, macaws, eared trogons, parrots, deer, peccaries, nutria, rainbow trout, quail, golden eagles and other small species.
It is also interesting to note that this area was held under almost constant siege by the Apaches for well over a century. When the explorer Carl Lumholtz trekked through over a hundred years ago, he found that memories of the Apache terror were still quite fresh.
Suitability:
This is a rugged, physically demanding adventure. Although the horses are “no nonsense” and well trained, you must be in good physical condition. Although you do not need to be an expert rider we require that you have some prior experience and are comfortable around horses. Rider weight is restricted to 200 lbs. We do not spend long hours in the saddle but days are filled as we must hike some steep or dangerous sections. Be prepared to cheerfully accept the unplanned and unexpected. Although the guides and Mexican staff are the best, remote travel in the Sierra Madre has risk. This is the real thing....comparable to traveling through the Rocky Mountains in the 1880s. Only the adventurous should consider this trip. PLEASE COME PREPARED FOR THE UNEXPECTED AND CHANGES IN THE ITINERARY.
WEATHER These trips are scheduled during the dry, cool winter season in the Sierra Madre. Temperatures are in the 60's and 70's (nights 30's-40’s). On rare occasions, storm systems can affect this area and can cause freezing temperatures and snow.
DOCUMENTS- Proof of citizenship is needed in the form of a passport (preferable), or official birth certificate from the courthouse with seal (not from the hospital with your feet) accompanied by picture I.D.
MEETING TIME AND PLACE:
Time: 7am on the morning of departure. Please leave your bags in your room and we will breakfast together. Place: The lobby of the Quality Inn and Suites, 6099 Montana Ave, El Paso , TX 79925, 915-772-3300.
WHAT’S INCLUDED: Round trip transport from El Paso by van, all lodging, camp, tents and cook, guides/wranglers, meals except as noted below, horses, tack and saddle bags.
EXCLUSIONS - Costs resulting from illness or injury and emergency evacuation, program changes and delays beyond our control, meals in Cuauhtemoc and Creel, items listed on the equipment list, tips for trip and hotel staff.
Trip leaders: Gary Ziegler and/or Amy Finger -. Gary and Amy combine extensive outdoor experience to make Adventure Specialists a successful and unique operation. Gary's unusual background includes a Ph.D. in archaeology, discovery of archaeological sites in remote Peru and Mexico, first ascents of seven Andean peaks above 18,000 ft, extensive exploration of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico, and the first person to bicycle the ancient pathways of Peru's Machu Picchu. He guides horse pack trips in his native Colorado and Peru. He completed a `Discovery Channel film last year and is just back from leading a National Geographic Expedition in Peru. Sponsored by Western Horseman Magazine, Gary and a friend traveled five weeks on horse back from Chihuahua, through the Sierra Madre and Copper Canyons to Batopilas some years ago.
Amy has led more than one hundred groups into Mexico’s rugged Copper Canyon since 1980 and countless more in Colorado, Spain and Peru. Amy's degrees in geology, climatology and her studies of flora and ecology strongly influence our emphasis on natural history and environmental awareness. Gary and Amy operate Bear Basin Ranch in Colorado with a herd of more than sixty horses and Long Horn Cows.
 

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