Real del Monte

(from left to right: Carmen, Fernando, Gabriel, Leticia, me)

Another weekend of outdoors activities a couple of hours outside of Mexico City. This time, it was rock climbing and hiking at Penas Cargadas, an ecological preserve located about 90 km northeast of the city. On the way there, we stopped at a roadside tent for a large breakfast of barbacoa (barbecue) tacos and consommé—the perfect pre-climbing, energy-rich feast. Wish I would have had my camera. Picture: huge hunks of barbecue that hardly fit into the blue corn tortillas, garnished with a spicy salsa.

Real del Monte is a colonial town with stone streets, red roofs, and brightly colored buildings. And from the moment we stepped out of the car, you could tell it was a very tranquil place. Things just moved at a much slower place. We stopped for a quick walk through town to pick up supplies for our night of camping. Most important were the pastes, or pasties, for those of you more familiar with their English spelling. I think the best way to describe them is empanadas with a variety of salty and sweet fillings. If you’re still not sure what an empanada is, then take a look at the pic below. Also important with regard to supplies were water and beer.

Once we got to Penas Cargadas, a short 10-minute ride from town, we set up the tents and made out way over to Cerrote, the 30m tall basalt rock we were going to climb. For most of the process of setting up the route, I was simply a bystander. I watched Fernando climb up and connect all the clips/clamps (truly, I don’t know their name) and the rope. Once the route was secured, he repelled down and Gabriel was the first to go up. They both made it look very easy. Leticia went after them, and she too did well. Then, it was my turn. I was definitely the novice of the group. All had been climbing before, except me. I would love to blame my inability to make it up on the first couple of attempts on my clothes, which weren’t ideal, but I think it had more to do with my technique. I tried using Fernando’s climbing shoes (which are supposed to be tight, a size or two too small), but they were a size 7. I am a size 10. Yes, they hurt immensely and ultimately I gave them up for my tennis shoes.

(proof that I actually made it to the top)

(Captions: Fernando showing proper form, me not so much)

After a few failed attempts, I decided to take a quick rest and let Carmen go up. And while she admitted that rock climbing was not her favorite outdoor activity, she too struggled her way up to the top, like the three before her. I decided I’d give it one more go. This time, they helped get me past the first section which was the most difficult. After that, with some help and quite a few rest stops, I made it to the top (although I must admit, I can’t remember my hands, fingers, and forearms hurting more in recently memory). Fernando went up once more for fun and to take down the course and harnesses, after which point we celebrated with beer and pasties.

Went on a hike afterwards and eventually stumbled upon a beautiful overlook, from which you could see for 20-30 miles. I didn’t have my camera on this part of the hike but I’ll see if I can get the pics from Carmen. Around 7, we set off for the last hike of the day. It was a steep climb, but well worth it. A beautiful view. Made it back to camp just before dark.

Got a campfire going and roasted marshmallows. Also played dominoes…for high stakes. Losers were responsible for collecting more firewood. Overall, a fun night of hanging out. Went to bed around midnight.

Sunday morning was a leisurely affair. We slept in and weren’t really in a hurry to get going. It being Día del padre (Father’s Day), the reserve started filling up early that morning with families and large groups coming to enjoy the day. In hindsight, we were very lucky to have had such a peaceful day on Saturday. No crowds. Carmen and Leticia decided to try their luck on the park’s zip lines, one of which was almost 1 km long. Fernando and Leticia bought breakfast for all of us, which we took to go. The breakfast was good. Spicy, tasty, and greasy. More to come about this…

(Carmen on the zip line)

Real del Monte was much more crowded on Father’s Day. There was a program with music, a DJ, etc. We explored town while Carmen and Fernando had lunch with Carmen’s cousin and her children who lived there. I bought pasties to bring back for Nancy (when she found out I was going, she put in an order). Got back to Mexico City around 6pm, when I made the requisite phone calls to family for Father’s Day. Exhausted and sore, it was an early night.