When reading about Mexico's long and storied past, we often forget the ancient history, which surrounds us at Lakeside. I was "pleasantly" reminded Sunday, August 15, when my buddies Pat and Gabriel suggested I accompany them on a hike into the hills behind Mezcala in search of 4,000 year-old Indian cave paintings. I couldn't resist this combination of anthropology and physical fitness, and so I immediately accepted. Pat and Gabriel had been unsuccessful the previous week in locating the caves, but now with the benefit of reconnaissance data (directions from the locals), I was assured we would be successful.
With our 2 canine companions, Zak and Shoobie, we set out early in the morning resembling quite the expeditionary crew. Toting backpacks full of liquids and brandishing 2 long-bladed machetes, which incidentally broke more branches than they cut, we felt invincible.
An hour into the "hike" and I was on my hands and knees, soaked with sweat, gasping for air, and wondering what I was thinking that would make me trade my relaxing Sunday morning for such strenuous torture! On the positive side, the view of Mezcala and the lake from above was both picturesque and inspiring.
Another hour later and I had forgotten about the view and was looking for rocks to throw at Pat and Gabriel, as I was now convinced that they had no idea where we, or the cave paintings were! THEN FINALLY... the reconnaissance data paid off! There it was, clear as mud, in a pre-described patch of bamboo, a basketball-sized rock with the words "El Toro" faintly scratched on it. If we could find this needle-in-a-haystack, finding the caves was going to be a piece of cake!
Fifteen minutes later, in a small clearing by the side of another mountain, we found our precious cave paintings. It was truly an impressive sight, and the exhaustive feelings from the climb quickly disappeared. We celebrated with a lunch consisting of peanuts, potato chips, fruit, bread, and whatever liquid we had left. An hour later, we began our descent feeling enlightened
and fortunate to have made the journey. SPECIAL HIKER'S NOTE: Coming down a mountain can be much more dangerous than going up!!!
