Impophoma enkulu yaba ngamamitha ayi-120, ubuhle obungavamile nombono wangaphakathi komfula uhlaba umxhwele ngempela.
Kubonakala sengathi besisesitebhisini maphakathi nobubanzi besihosha, futhi phansi sabona ukweqa kuwela echibini elikhulu.
Phakathi kwabashayeli bezindiza baseSierra Madre kunamahemuhemu ngokuba khona kwempophoma enkulu eDurango. Umngani wami uWalther Bishop washeshe wathola omunye wabo, uJavier Betancourt, ongasinikanga indawo kuphela, kodwa wasinikeza ithuba lokundiza phezu kwayo. Sibe nethuba ngenyanga kaJulayi 2000. Esikhathini esingaphansi kwehora sasiseQuebrada de Piaxtla. Umbono we-canyon wawumangalisa. Kusuka ethafeni elikhulu elimbozwe yihlathi kwavela i-crevasse ejulile, emi mpo. Umfula wagxumela emhosheni wamatshe. Ubukhulu obuqondile buye bahlaba umxhwele. Ngesinye isikhathi uJavier wasikhomba iphuzu emfuleni futhi sabona izimpophoma ezimbili ezinkulu eziqhele ngamamitha angamakhulu ambalwa. Sizungeze izimpophoma kaningana sabuya.
Ngakusasa sasuka ngezinyawo saya ngasemhosheni. Besifuna ukuthola izimpophoma. EMiravalles, lapho kuqala khona umfula, sakha isisekelo sethu. Yidolobha elicishe libe yisipoki eliseduze noMfula iPiaxtla elashabalala kanye nensika yamapulangwe. Indawo izungezwe ihlathi eliminyene le-coniferous elilungisa izindawo ezinhle lapho umfula ugeleza khona.
UDon Esteban Quintero ukuphela komhlahlandlela esiwutholile, ngoba akekho ofuna ukungena emhosheni ngenxa yokungahambeki kwawo. Ngakusasa sathatha igebe elibheke ePotrero de Vacas. Simashe ngemisele, amabhuloho, amatshe nezihlahla eziwile amahora amabili sama epulazini elilahliwe elisemaphethelweni omhosha. IPotrero de Vacas itholakala maphakathi nesihosha futhi ingafinyelelwa ngezinyawo kuphela. Umhosha uyahlaba umxhwele, mhlawumbe kule ngxenye uzoba ngaphezu kwamamitha ayinkulungwane ukujula, ume mpo. Sibheke ngaphandle kweminye imibono saze sehla kancane, saze sabona umfula onamathambo.
"Kukhona izimpophoma," kusho uDon Esteban, ekhomba iphuzu elibheke ezansi. Kodwa-ke, izimpophoma zazingabonakali, ngakho-ke kwakudingekile ukuqhubeka. UWalther noDon Esteban baqhubeka, ngasala ezindaweni zokubuka ngithatha uchungechunge lwezithombe zezwe. Babuya ngamahora amathathu nohhafu. Yize bengakwazanga ukufinyelela ezimpophomeni, bakwazile ukuzibona bekude. Abakubone kahle kakhulu yimpophoma engenhla, uWalther wamlandela ebala ukwehla kwe-100 m. Owesibili, omkhulu kunabo bonke, babona kuphela ingxenye engenhla. Sasibuya nabantu nemishini yokulanda nokuzikala.
NGONYAKA OPHELE
NgoMashi 18, 2001, sabuya. UDon Esteban wayezoba ngumqondisi wethu futhi, wathola izimbongolo ezimbalwa zokuthwala yonke imishini. Bazobamba iqhaza futhi kulo mkhankaso; UManuel Casanova noJavier Vargas, abavela eQenjini Lezintaba le-UNAM; UDenisse Carpinteiro, uWalther Bishop Jr., uJosé Luis González, uMiguel Ángel Flores, uJosé Carrillo, uDan Koeppel, uSteve Casimiro (bobabili abavela kwiNational Geographic) kanye noWalther kanye nami.
Umgwaqo wawumubi kakhulu kangangokuba sisuka eMiravalles senza amahora amathathu siya epulazini elahliwe, onqenqemeni lweQuebrada de Piaxtla. Silungisa imishini nokudla, silayishe izimbongolo. Ngo-4: 30 ntambama saqala ukwehla, sihlala sinemibono emangalisayo ngalesi sigodi. Ngo-6 ntambama. sifike ezansi, khona kanye ogwini loMfula iPiaxtla, lapho samisa khona ikamu lethu phakathi nendawo enesihlabathi. Isiza sasilungele indawo yokukhempa. Cishe ngama-500 m ezansi nomfula kwakuyimpophoma yokuqala. Kulesi sigaba sohambo, umfula wazifaka ngamaketanga, wakha izimpophoma ezimbili ezincane, enkulu kunazo zonke cishe amamitha ayishumi, ngaphezu kweminye imithombo nezimbiza ezibazwe kahle etsheni lomfula.
NgoMashi 19 sivuke ekuseni kakhulu salungisa izintambo zokuhlasela. Njengoba izimbongolo zazingakwazi ukuhamba ngendlela eya ezimpophomeni, sonke sathwala izintambo sahamba ngendlela ethile, savula indlela ngocelemba. Ukudlula lapha ubungahamba phezulu phezulu kokugxuma kokuqala, khona-ke umfula ubukhonjwe ngokuphelele futhi yi-rappel kuphela engaqhubeka. Lapho ngifika, uJavier wayesevele ethole iphuzu lokwehla futhi ahlole kancane i-panorama engezansi kwempophoma. Ukusuka lapho sabona impophoma encane kahle futhi ukuwa kwayo bekungeke kube ngaphezu kwamamitha angama-60, okuncane kakhulu kunalokho esasikubalile. Lapho ikhebuli lifika ngqo echibini elikhulu, sabheka elinye iphuzu lokwehla. Sithole elula lapho singathintanga khona amanzi. Ukwehla kwaba cishe ngamamitha angama-70 wokuwa. Kusuka ngezansi kwempophoma encane kwakubukeka kukuhle kanye nedamu layo elikhulu. Sihambe u-150 m ngemuva kokugxuma size sifike empophomeni enkulu. Kulolu hambo, baqhubekela phambili ngokuziphonsa phakathi kwamabhulokhi amakhulu anamatshe, amachibi kanye nohlaza, konke kuzungezwe izindonga zomhosha okwakubonakala sengathi kuya phezulu.
Lapho sifika empophomeni enkulu sanikezwa indawo ehlukile. Yize ukugxuma kwakungekukhulu ngendlela esasicabanga ngayo, njengoba kwavela ukuthi kwakungamamitha ayi-120 kuphela, kubonakala sengathi sasisesitebhisini maphakathi nobubanzi besihosha, futhi phansi sabona ukweqa kwehlela echibini elikhulu futhi ukusuka lapho kwaqhubeka umfula olandela indlela yawo ngokusebenzisa ezinye izimpophoma, izimpophoma namachibi. Phambi kwethu sinezindonga zamatshe zomhosha futhi uchungechunge lwemifantu lunikeze isithombe sokulandela ukulandelana kwezihosha.
Besisebhokisini lokuhlonishwa, ngaphezu kwalokho, besingabantu bokuqala ukunyathela kuleli sayithi. Sonke sangana futhi sahalalisana, sikhumbula abantu abaningi ababesisekela kuleli phupho, ukuthi mhlawumbe abaningi bakuthole kungasile, kepha noma kunjalo basinika ukwethemba kwabo. Sibeke izintambo ezimbili ezingama-50 m lapho sehla khona senza ukulandelana kwezithombe zale mpophoma. Sajabula isikhathi eside, sijabulela ubuhle bendawo. Asizange sehlele ezansi kodwa sanele ukukala impophoma. Sivikele izimpophoma ezimbili ezintsha ezingaziwa ukuqoqwa kwethu kwezimanga ezihloliwe.
Ngakusasa, ngemuva kokuqoqa izintambo kuzo zombili izimpophoma, samisa amatende saqala ukukhuphuka kancane ukuya ePotrero de Vacas. Kwakuwukukhuphuka amahora amabili, njalo kunemibono emihle yomhosha ongemva kwethu.
Umthombo: I-Mexico engaziwa # 302 / Ephreli 2002
