Hi Ant,

Whatever happened to your planned Antarctica trip? If I’d had a choice, I, too, would’ve chosen Brazil. Sounds like a great trip!

My passion is exploring the backwaters of other cultures, places where nobody goes. I’m planning a trip now for early ’09 to the canyons of northern Mexico. Though I plan to go alone, I would be willing to take others along with me. I’ve explored several of the canyons of that area, and lived at the bottom of one of them for several months. My home there was in Batopilas, Chihuahua, which is on the river, 6000 feet below the canyon rim. The town then was a ten-hour drive from the nearest paved road in Creel, Chihuahua, a major stop on the Copper Canyon Railroad. Today it’s only half that far from pavement, with buses three times a week. Yet back in 1970 there was no road at all. It was a 3-day mule ride to the closest dirt road! The town has about 1000 inhabitants now, but once was the largest city in northern Mexico. Silver was discovered there in 1590. The mines are shut down now, but hundreds of miles of old tunnels remain to explore. Some are safe, others not. A friend of mine lives in a house built in 1630, the oldest in town. So Batopilas will be my first stop, to relax a few days and catch up on the local news.

Then off to the unknown. Don’t know where, but my heart draws me to three places:-

1) Topia, Durango, an ex-mining town much like Batopilas, yet with far fewer visitors. As a passionate photographer, I would expect it to be exceptionally photogenic, both the town and the mining ruins.

2) The lower canyon of the Rio Basaseachi, starting about 10 miles below the famous falls and walking downstream for a month or two, until I come to a road where the canyon ends, not far from the ocean. I’m 70 and have mild arthritis, so will likely do only about 5 or 10 miles a day. If the hip acts up too much, I would consider renting a horse, or more likely a burro to carry my pack. Ill be in no hurry, so might stop and hang out with the people wherever I feel welcome, maybe staying a month or more in one place, or shorter spells in several. Most of the way there’ll be no roads at all, though some 4WD tracks penetrate the canyon. So I’d expect the people to be living on isolated ranches and completely self-sufficient, a throwback to a century or two back. My goal is to meet new friends, capture some photos of a vanishing culture and outstanding scenery, and write another book. Yet nothing is a must. I’ll just do what I feel like at the time. No deadlines or itinerary.

3) The town of Lluvia de Oro, once a thriving mining village, now deserted. It’s the scene of part of the best-selling book, “Lluvia de Oro, (Rain of Gold),” by my friend Victor Villasenor. The town site is about a 10- or 20-mile hike from a road, and likely only worth a couple of days. But I’ve long wanted to go there.

Which of these would I actually do? Who knows? I’ll decide when I get there. The weather will be ideal in midwinter for hiking the lower canyons. Very little rain and not too hot. Up on the canyon rims, there’ll be snow–not my idea of fun. So I’ll take my camping gear, camera, and notebook, but keep my pack light.

So if anyone wants to take on a leisurely walk through lightly-populated areas where it never gets cold, let me know. Since my timing and actual destination haven’t yet been finalized, I would be somewhat flexible. I’ll leave no earlier than Jan. 1, 09 and return no later than April 15, 09 (the date when the bugs begin to become bothersome in the lower canyons.) At this time I’m only thinking of the deep canyons of northern Mexico, specifically in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, and possibly Sonora.

If anyone is interested, email me at heyyouhd@yahoo.com I’ll get back to you within a week. If our goals don’t mesh, I could still direct you to some great places to explore on your own, anywhere in Mexico, since I’ve been to all of the 31 states and lived in several of them. And I know some fabulous canyons in the States, as well. The best are in Arizona and Utah, accessed thru Vegas. Some require rock climbing skills, while others are an easy two-hour ramble. I find it thrilling to be in a canyon that’s 4000′ deep and only 50′ wide–no place to walk except the river itself. I can go nuts with my camera.

Next year, the Colca Canyon of Peru, the world’s deepest at 16,000 feet..I’ve been there once, but want to hike to the bottom at the deepest spot. Then climb the 21K mountain on the rim. That peak might be beyond my abilities, but I can give it a try. Slowly.

Chow–

Harold Dunn

San Diego, California