My First Camping

When I look back and try to remember when was my first camping with the Scouts, I can't believe that took place 22 years ago, and I can still remember so many details of it.

The camping took place in May of 1989 and it was a 3 days camping, in the place named "San Rafael", in the lower border of the Iztacihuatl's head. And my troop wasn't the only one, the girls troop was invited too. There were about 60 boys and girls heading to a new and unespected great adventure.

We arrived at the town of San Rafael, arround 10 am and started to walk into the mountain. This was my very first expierence in a camping like this, carring my bagpack with my clothes, food, water, lamp, sleeping bag and some other things. For an 11 years old kid, it was a lot and the load was heavy.

Our destination was a place called "Cascada de los Diamantes" wich is a waterfall created by the melting snow of the mountain.

Being so many scouts on the road, and a lot of new guys, just like me, who were not used to walk and carring heavy stuffs, the people line was delayed. On the road to this place there are certain key points, to wait for the delayed ones and choose the right way. So with this situation, the people who reach first this points had to wait about 2 hours until the last one arrived; this situation deleyed our walk a lot.

The night fall down, and we were stuck in gully, the only way out was climbing along side the mountain wall to reach higher ground and continue the walk. Finally we could got out. Along the wall, the raod had only 1 meter wide; on one side, the climbing wall and in the other side a 20 mts fall. You don't need to be a genius to figure out what could happend if you fall down, in fact, there was some crosses of people who had died in that place.

I can't describe the feeling when I was walking that wall, between fear and sharpness. Finally we all passed through; no one fallen down.

Whe spend the first night into a kind of cave, the ground had no place to set our camp tents, and we were in a kind of corredor. That was my first time sleeping in the outside and having a stone as my pillow, besides hearing the voice of a night-owl kid who was asking to be lighted in every step he made. It was so funny.

The morning showed up, with a cold sugar cornflakes breakfast with grape juice, giving the new day strenghts.

Our trip was almost complete. To our surprise, we spend the night in a few meters of our destination, and having a disappointed view of the waterfall, just a fine string of water falling down.

The joke time of the day: one of my friends carried his goggles, snorkel and flippers, hoping to take a nice swim in the waterfall. This never happened.

We had to move to an other place, and set the camping site. We climbed up to the mountain to find some flat terrain and so we did, making a large chain and passing the luggage.

Finally we were able to set our camp tents, having time to make a hot meal, have some fun and rest in a flat comfortable tent with out any strange noise.

Next day, was the returning day. We set all our gear and prepared to walk down the mountain. There are two ways to climb down that mountain, one is on the car road, and the other is across the "el tubo" a pipe which is used to collect the melting water and carries down to the town. I chose the car road, it was wider and safer and less rocky.

As well in the beginning, the returning was slow, reaching the key points late. We reached the bus to México at 8 o'clock pm, arriving at the Tapo terminal around 10 pm, and from there to my home almost an other hour. My home is Azcapotzalco, near by the "Casco de Santo Tomás", which is the IPN oldest campus.

Many of my friends lived in the same neighborhood as I, so we returned together once we got in the subway. The nearest subway station to my home is "Normal", and from there you get a "microbus".

That night an electrical storm came down, and leaving the area without electrical power. When we got out the station, the bus wanted to charge an extra cost for each one, and making an special trip for us. We decided it was better to walk home and save the extra money.

At this point I don't want to talk about our parents. In those days there wasn't cell phones, so we couldn't inform every 5 min about our location. Obviously our parents were waiting in the park where we use to gather each saturday. In those days it was a little bit difficult to inform at the exact time. I thought they were a "little" concerned about us.

Finally I got home, in the middle of the dark, almost at midnight, tired and little bit wet. Having the best experience of my life, challenge me in all senses and loving this activity like no one. It was so intense that I can still remember many details, smells, tastes, faces and situations even after 22 years. So far my first and very best camping in my life.