Crossing the Sierra Madres

Crossing the Sierra Madre range......up, up and more up. We had been warned by all those we came across that getting over the Sierra Madres was A LOT of climbing. We also emailed with a guy who has spent almost two years on his bike who suggested this route rather than taking the highway, stating somewhere in the email that this climb in "rewarding". I think his idea of an award and our idea of an award are two very different things. The sun was blazing and we hit the major ups in the dead heat of the afternoon. Not quite knowing what we were getting into, and up until this point we had come across a town with at least a small shop and often a food stand, we were not prepared with food and water. Not in the least. Three hours into climbing and we were exhausted, hot, even more burnt than yesterday, thirsty and out of water. Because of the way the road twisted and turned around every canyon and ridge, we were never quite sure what lie ahead or where the top would be and the climbing would stop. Hitting our maxed out point and then some with night falling, we came across one house being build on a papaya farm high on a ridge. Two men were just finishing their days labor when we asked for water and they gladly filled our bottles. They rode off on a donkey and we were left to figure out where to sleep. Two dogs barked at our presence in the backyard, but with nowhere to go and no place to hide our tent, we swept a small space in the unfinished shelter under the stars. After a quick dinner of our emergency supply of ramen (that has never before tasted so good), we were on our backs hoping it wouldn't rain and we wouldn't be discovered. I do not think I have ever been so nervous during a nights "sleep" and hope to never feel that way again.


Bright and early at 6:30am, we quietly packed our panniers and began our ride, twisting our way through the ridges, hoping the top would come soon. It didn't for another six hours. But we did find a wonderful roadside restaurant where everything was cooked over a wood fire. Chorizo, potatoes, frijoles, fresh tortillas and a cold coke never tasted so good at 7am. We were loving life. One of the difficult parts so far has been actually having an appetite during the heat. We sometimes have to force food which is something new as we need all the energy we can get. Part of yesterday's problem was the combination of too little calories, too much climbing and dehydration. Maybe only taking in half of the food we should have.

The Sierra Madres of Oaxaca rank right up there with (if not exceed) any of the other mountain ranges we have crossed. Be they the Pyrenees, the Alps, Australia's coastal range, the Rocky Mountains, the Cascade's or the California's Sierra Nevada.