Sayulita to Guadalajara = Climb on!!

The sound of waves echoed in the distance as we rolled on towards Guadalajara with our new traveling amigo, Francisco (a traveling artisan who we met in Sayulita). Good fortune found us yet again when Francisco offered us food and shelter for the lift to his casa. After eating the best hamburgers in Mexico we met Christian, Iguana and the rest of the La Banda. The good vibes continued as we were introduced to the local climbers and the easy going Iguana showed us around the climbing areas of Guadalajara. The climbing began in El Diente with its massive boulders and graffiti covered rock. Chalked and ready to go the next day we moved a little further west for four days at El Cuajo. The mornings brought uninvited cattle guests, cool breezes, and day hikes to waterfalls and swimming holes. There we ate mangos, papaya, plantains, and sweet lemons from the surrounding flora as we climbed up slippery ledges and leaped into the refreshing turquoise water below. The afternoons came with siestas followed by getting stoked for climbing hard at El Cuajo with its soaring walls rising above farmland that dipped in and out of canons, where the only order resided within the maze of stone walls.

The steep Canon of Huaxtla called our attention one afternoon as we spent a large portion of the time route finding and then battling our way out on one of the many hard multi-pitch routes. The sun set on the green lichen covered walls as we strolled through agave fields and finished our climbing with a roaring bonfire talking about the many untapped cliff bands in the area.

Our time in Guadalajara ended in a festive manner as we joined La Banda in the colonial streets of San Pedro sharing stories and admiring the scenery. We were sad to leave our new friends from Guadalajara but new horizons unfold as we head for the mountain gem of Guanajuato.