A HIKE WITH THE FAMILY
By Tricia Greub De Dios

Our boys are big enough, strong enough and old enough now to join their dad and me on our continuing explorations up the Cuale River that bisects Puerto Vallarta. As owners and operators of BikeMex, we have been taking visitors on biking and hiking adventures into the surrounding mountains since 1990. As we planned our first long hiking adventure with our kids, we invited our friends Barbara and Ruben Inigez and their three boys Evan, Ryan and Christian to accompany us
.
We loaded into the van at our shop on Guerrero, and drove just a short five minutes to the point up river from which we would begin our real adventure. But before our feet hit the trail we were welcomed into Oscar’s aunt Cuca's typical Mexican ranchito where the kids were soon caressing bunny rabbits, chasing geese and goats and talking to the beautiful parrots. We had to physically drag them away from this petting farm before we could get started on our adventure.

At the foot of the trail, small stores sell fresh indigenous fruit such as mangos, pineapples, guavas and bananas that we purchased for our day to complement our picnic. Now we were officially on our way kids, fruit, backpacks, and water with a few dogs following close behind. Not far along we gathered seedpods from the tabachine trees whose long brown form made perfect swords for the kids and Oscar to duel with.
Our next stop was at the home of Doña Soledad who gave us freshly made agua de jamaica, an extremely refreshing drink made from boiling the dried flower petals of a hibiscus type plant with water. (The terms Don and Doña are used as an expression of respect for elder members of all families here.) In Doña’s backyard was a large cage filled with beautiful little palomas (doves). She explained to the kids why she had so many of the little birds, "I found one bird with a hurt wing and took it in to heal. This little bird had a friend who came to visit and before I knew it, I had over a hundred doves!"

Our hike took us mainly along the river, although Oscar made little side trips to be sure we visited all the people along the way he had grown to know almost as family as he grew up here. Finally, Oscar said, "Just up this trail," as he led our group in single file along a small donkey path to our destination.

The plants and flowers along the way were so beautiful! Oscar told us the names of the plants and showed us a coapinole plant whose fruit he opened up and took a bite from. "I grew up on these," he said reassuringly, but we all chose not to try them because to us they smelled like over-ripe cheese! Oscar then painted our faces with a yellow seed he pulled from a tree turning us into a gang of wild boys and moms.

About two and a half hours into our hike, we arrived at nice sandy spot along the river by a serene swimming hole. The water was clear and cool and we could slide down the small waterfall and play in the pools at its base. We ate our fresh tropical fruits, sandwiches, chicken and cookies as we listened to wild parrots flying over our heads and the wind whispering through the trees. It was so peaceful.

Oscar made a small campfire and told stories that his father had told him when he was a young boy. He told about the jungles of Vallarta, the wild animals, and the Indian
villagers. The kids were listening to him breathlessly, and as he came to a heart-catching part of his tale, the bushes began to rustle and rattle and who should appear in the clearing but our rancher friend Adolfo and his wife Hortencia. It was perfect timing in Oscar’s story, and the relieved kids screamed with laughter. Adolfo and Hortencia had been up in the hills collecting mangos and had filled three huge sacks full to take back to their ranch down river. Before leaving, they shared some of their delicious cargo with us. Oscar and I had been their witnesses at their boda (wedding) last year; another wonderful chapter in our lives.

On our way back down the trail, we were lucky enough to come upon Don Conrado who was just grilling fresh corn on the cob. The aroma was mouth watering! Mexican hospitality is surely a grace we can all learn from! First mangos and now we each have corn on a stick with lime and salt in our hands (accompanied by cold cervezas for the parents). As the sun was sinking behind the hill, the cool wind began to blow down the canyon. What a day! Along our way back we met with Don Chabelo Cuevas who offered the boys each a ride on his burro whom the kids repaid with corncobs. Don Chabelo?s grandkids all came running out of the house to see what the excitement was all about only to find little blond boys making a fuss about sitting on a donkey; something they could do every day! The kids all asked me to take their pictures, which I will deliver on our next adventure hike.

Another few yards down the wondrous trail, we made our last stop at Maria de Los
Angeles's ranch to admire her splendid garden of chiles, fresh herbs, and fruit trees.
In her yard, she was busy making panocha, which is similar to peanut brittle, but she was
making it with corn instead of peanuts. We all took handfuls of this wonderful treat from
this little ranch in the hills. My own were saved for Oscar’s family members back in civilization.
Filled stomachs and thoughts of the beautiful flora and fauna we had seen along the way mingled with wonderful memories of the good people we had met. The very first thing I heard next morning from my boys was an eager "When can we go again, mom?" Barbara reported that her boys were asking the same and were ready to go!