Welp, after one of the roughest weeks in the desert we are back from Me-xee-co!
We crossed the boarder without the guards even asking for our passports or about how we got our mullets so silky and smooth. I guess trying to keep rockstars out of their country was the least of their worries. Without stopping we booked it straight to the deesert. The hand drawn map we used to find Cañon Tajo lead us awry for a few hours until we finally stumbled down the right dirt road.
We were alone in the canyon with nothing and no one for miles and miles in each direction. So, naturally we started partying. Brock stumbled upon a relic from the previous native inhabitants of the land and preceded to perform the honorary Doodly Dance that is the custom of our people.
We were completely struck by all the beauty the Mexican desert had to offer.
The very next day we made our hopeful assault on Gran Trono Blanco. We had heard the approach would be especially heinous but we could never have been prepared for the 8 hours of bush waking through green barbed monsters. Quickly, we learned, in Cañon Tajo everything wants to hurt you. No matter how pretty.
This is just one of the desert devil plants protecting the beautiful white granite. Everything wants to hurt you, they're all very good at it, and they all work together. The flowers do their best to hide the cactus spines. The loose dirt hides in thin passes between the dreaded agave. And the large white granite boulders, which are your only safe haven from the green monsters, give to your body weight and chase you down the gully.
After 4.5 hours of hiking we finally made it to the base of the East wall. With most of the day gone along with nearly all of my energy, we decided to bail on our objective and call it a day.
We would go on to make a second attempt at the Great White Throne, but on it's South face. The approach would prove to be much easier... the climbing did not even pretend to ease up. We made it half way up and decided that the blank white dome would look better if we didn't leave red streaks up and down it's old school 5.10 squeeze chimney...
When we finally made it back to camp we were surprised to find that not only were their people there, but there was a whole group of locals . They turned out to be the Tijuana Alpine Club
They were doing some self proclaimed "glamping". Which we learned means lots of wine, fish, wine, steak, and wine!!! They were all very helpful and did everything they could to make us weird aliens feel at home in their remote stomping grounds.
We also met some Gringo locals in the canyon. They have spent much of their lives traveling Baja and exploring what wild is left in the Americas. Gregorio "GriGri", Jason, and Nikky showed us some of the canyons most beautiful and exciting secrets, shared a campfire with us, gave us crucial beta, and even let us play with their pet wolf.
Our nuevos amigos explained to us how special this place was to them and how important it has been to the freedom of adventure. Because of the lack of information out on the intrawebs the whole place is still very untamed and undisturbed. Our young eyes have been opened to the importance places like this have in the climbing world. Without the park rangers, the entry fees, paved trails, or even guided tours, places like this are some of the few to remain wild. The few that can facilitate true adventure.
Because of this we have scrapped all our footage we had shot to make a video. The photos and vague stories will stay up as some representation of our trip but do not even begin to scrape the surface of all the gnar we found in Mexico's middle ah nowhere.
Although we did not summit Trono Blanco our hearts are filled with new friendships, bellies with genuine tequila, our skin with cactus spines, and our stoke is set to overload!!
PARTIDO TIEMPO MEXICO PARA SIEMPRE
-Rex "BonerJamz" McKenzie
Brock "Freedom Ain't Free" Steel
P.S. For all the Americans afraid of getting your heads cut off:
The Mexican side of the boarder line is much friendlier than the Norte.
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