Ngenkathi ngoMashi 1994 abanye babangane bami beCuauhtémoc Speleology and Exploration Group (GEEC) bangikhombisa uPeña El Gigante omkhulu eBarranca de Candameña eChihuahua, ngabona ukuthi siphambi kolunye lwezindonga ezinkulu kakhulu itshe lezwe lethu. Ngaleso sikhathi sithathe ithuba ukukala ubukhulu bedwala, okuvele ukuthi liwele ngokukhululeka ngamamitha angama-885 ukusuka emfuleni iCandameña kuya esiqongweni sawo.
Ngenkathi ngoMashi 1994 abanye babangane bami beCuauhtémoc Speleology and Exploration Group (GEEC) bangikhombisa uPeña El Gigante omkhulu eBarranca de Candameña eChihuahua, ngabona ukuthi siphambi kolunye lwezindonga ezinkulu kakhulu itshe lezwe lethu. Ngaleso sikhathi sithathe ithuba ukukala ubukhulu bedwala, okuvele ukuthi liwele ngokukhululeka ngamamitha angama-885 ukusuka emfuleni iCandameña kuya esiqongweni sawo.
Ngenkathi ngibheka imininingwane edingekayo ukuze ngibone ukuthi ngabe zikhona yini izindonga eziphakeme kunalezi ezweni, ngamangala lapho ngithola ukuthi kwakuwubuso bedwala obuphakeme kakhulu obaziwa kuze kube manje. Hawu, hawu! Okusondele kakhulu okwake kwarekhodwa phambilini kwakuyizindonga zikaPotrero Chico, eHusteca Canyon eNuevo León, ngamamitha nje angaphezu kuka-700.
Njengoba ngingeyena umgibeli, nginqume ukukhuphula lolu donga phakathi kwabagibeli, ngilinde umzila wokuqala wokukhuphuka we-El Gigante ukuvula, ngaphezu kokubeka izwe laseChihuahua ngaphambili ekukhuphukeni kukazwelonke. Okokuqala ngacabanga ngomngane wami u-Eusebio Hernández, ngaleso sikhathi owayeyiNhloko Yeqembu Elikhuphukayo le-UNAM, kodwa ukumangala kwakhe ukufa, ekhuphuka eFrance, kwahoxisa leyo ndlela yokuqala.
Ngokushesha ngemuva kwalokho, ngahlangana nabangane bami uDalila Calvario nomyeni wakhe uCarlos González, abagqugquzeli abakhulu bezemidlalo yemvelo, lo msebenzi owaqala ukwakheka nawo. Kubo uCarlos noDalila babize abagibeli abane abasezingeni eliphezulu, okuhlanganiswe nabo abagibeli bezintambo ababili. Esinye kwaba esikaBonfilio Sarabia noHiginio Pintado, kanti esinye esikaCarlos García noCecilia Buil, owokugcina wobuzwe baseSpain, ababebhekwa njengabantu abakhuphukayo ezweni labo.
Ngemuva kokuthola ukwesekwa okudingekayo nokwenza ukuvakasha kokufunda odongeni, umqansa waqala maphakathi no-Mashi 1998. Kusukela ngomzuzu wokuqala ubunzima baba bukhulu. Ukuwa okukhulu kweqhwa kwenza ukuthi izinsuku ezimbalwa zingakwazi ukusondela odongeni. Kamuva, ngancibilika, uMfula iCandameña wakhula waba mkhulu kangangokuba wavimbela nokufika ezansi kwe-El Gigante. Ukuyifinyelela, kufanele uhambe ibanga losuku ukusuka ekubukeni kwe-Huajumar, indlela esheshayo, bese ufaka ezansi komhosha waseCandameña, ukuze ekugcineni uwele umfula.
Ukufakwa kwekamu lesisekelo kwakudinga inqwaba yokuhudulwa phakathi nesonto, lapho kwaqashwa khona abathwali bezimpahla abavela emphakathini waseCandameña. Indawo emangelengele ayikuvumeli ukusetshenziswa kwezilwane ezithwalayo. Kwakucishe kube uhhafu wethani lesisindo, phakathi kwemishini nokudla, okwakumele kugxilwe ezinyaweni ze-El Gigante.
Lapho izinkinga zokuqala sezixazululiwe, womabili ama-cordade alungisa imizila yawo yokuhlasela, ekhetha imishini efanele nezinto zokwakha. Ithimba likaHiginio noBonfilio bakhethe umugqa weziqhekezi ezitholakala ohlangothini lwesobunxele lodonga, kanti uCecilia noCarlos bazongena emzileni osenkabeni, ngqo ngaphansi kwengqungquthela. Inhloso bekuwukuhlola imizila ehlukene ebandakanya amasu ahlukene ngasikhathi sinye. UHiginio noBonfilio babheka umzila owawuzothambekela ekukhuphukeni kokuzenzela, kungenjalo uCecilia noCarlos, abazozama ukukhuphuka mahhala.
Ezokuqala zaqala ngokunyuka okuhamba kancane futhi okuyinkimbinkimbi ngenxa yokubola kwetshe, okwenze ukuthi ukubheda kube nzima kakhulu. Ukuthuthuka kwakhe kwaba ngamasentimitha ngamasentimitha, kunezithiyo eziningi zokuhlola ukuthi uzoqhubeka kuphi. Ngemuva kwemizamo yesonto elide, bebengakadluli amamitha ayi-100, benombono olinganayo noma onzima ngokwengeziwe oya phezulu, ngakho-ke banqume ukushiya umzila bakhuphuke. Lokhu kukhungatheka kubenze bazizwa kabi, kepha iqiniso ukuthi udonga lobukhulu obungaka alutholakali kufinyelelwa ekuzameni kokuqala.
KuCecilia noCarlos isimo sasingafani nakancane nobunzima, kepha babenesikhathi esithe xaxa futhi babezimisele ukwenza yonke imizamo edingekayo yokufeza umqansa. Emzileni wabo, owawubonakala ungezansi ukhululekile, abatholanga uhlelo lweqiniso lwemifantu ababezoyivikela, ngakho-ke kwakudingeka baphendukele ezindaweni eziningi ekukhuphukeni okufakelwayo; kwakukhona namabhulokhi amaningi axegayo enza umqansa ube yingozi. Ukuqhubeka nokuthuthuka, kwakudingeka banqobe ukukhathala kwengqondo okucindezelayo, okwafika emngceleni ngokwesaba ngoba ngaphezu kwengxenye yokukhuphuka, isigaba esinzima sabaholela kokunye okunzima nakakhulu, lapho amabhande ayesengozini enkulu kwakungekho nhlobo ngenxa yokubola kwetshe. Kwakukhona nezithiyo njalo nokuthuthuka okuhamba kancane lapho kwakudingeka bezwe ngokucophelela yonke imitha yamatshe. Kwakukhona izikhathi lapho babedikibala, ikakhulukazi izinsuku ezimbalwa lapho babedlulela kuphela ngamamitha angama-25. Kepha bobabili bangabaqali bomsindo omangazayo, wentando engajwayelekile, okubenze banqoba yonke into, bahlola ngokucophelela imitha ngayinye ukuthi bakhuphuke, bengashiyi mandla. Kakhulu, intshiseko nesibindi sikaCecilia kwakungumnqamulajuqu kubo wokuthi bangapheli amandla, ngakho-ke bachitha izinsuku nobusuku obuningi besodongeni, belala emgodini okhethekile wokukhuphuka okude kanjalo. Isimo sengqondo sikaCecilia sasingesokuzibophezela okuphelele, futhi ngokushintshana noCarlos, evula lowo mzila wokuqala e-El Gigante, kwakufana nokuzinikela ekuthandeni kwakhe ukukhuphuka kwamadwala, uthando olwalukhawulelwe.
Ngelinye ilanga, ngenkathi sebesodongeni izinsuku ezingaphezu kwezingama-30, amanye amalungu e-GEEC aphindaphinde ukusukela engqungqutheleni kuya lapho ayekhona, okwase kusondele inhloso, ukubakhuthaza nokubanikeza amanzi nokudla. Kuleso senzakalo, uDkt Víctor Rodríguez Guajardo, ngokubona ukuthi banciphile kakhulu, wancoma ukuthi baphumule izinsuku ezimbalwa ukuze balulame kancane, futhi bakwenza lokho, bakhuphukela phezulu ngezintambo ezazibekwe yi-GEEC. Kodwa-ke, ngemuva kwekhefu baqhubekile nokukhuphuka kwabo lapho begcine khona, bakuqeda ngo-Ephreli 25, ngemuva kwezinsuku ezingama-39 zokukhuphuka. Ubukhulu balokhu kukhuphuka bebungakaze bufinyelelwe ngumuntu waseMexico.
Yize udonga lwe-El Gigante lilinganisa amamitha ayi-885, amamitha akhuphukile empeleni ayengu-1,025, eyindlela yokuqala eMexico edlula ikhilomitha elilodwa. Iziqu zakhe zokukhuphuka zaziphezulu, zombili mahhala futhi zenziwe (6c A4 5.11- / A4 for connoisseurs). Umzila ubhabhadiswe ngegama elithi "Simuchí", okusho ukuthi "i-hummingbird" ngolimi lwesiTarahumar, ngoba, ngokusho kukaCecilia usitshele ukuthi, "i-hummingbird yasiphelezela kusukela ngosuku lokuqala saqala ukugibela, i-hummingbird okusobala ukuthi ayizange kungafana, kepha njalo ekuseni ibilapho, phambi kwethu, imizuzwana embalwa nje. Kubonakala ngathi kusitshela ukuthi kunomuntu obekwazi nokuthi unendaba nathi.
Ngalokhu kukhuphuka kokuqala odongeni lwase-El Gigante, enye yezimpumelelo eziphawuleka kakhulu zokuqwala kwamatshe eMexico kuhlanganisiwe futhi kwavela ukuthi isifunda semifula yaseSierra Tarahumara, eChihuahua, kungekudala singaba enye yamapharadesi abagibeli. Kumele kukhunjulwe ukuthi i-El Gigante ingenye yezindonga ezinkulu kakhulu, kepha kunezinqwaba zezindonga zezintombi ezingamakhulu amamitha amaningi ezilinde abagibeli bazo. Futhi-ke, impela kuzoba khona izindonga eziphakeme kune-El Gigante ngoba kusamele sihlole iningi lalesi sifunda.
Umthombo: UMexico ongaziwa uNombolo 267 / Meyi 1999
