Day 3

Day 3

By now we have settled into Entre Amigos, I help with the registration packets for the racers at the school, Gary goes to the Micah True memorial at Los Alizos, which is also one of the legs of the race.  He meets Prospero and his wife who tend the shrine.  They are gracious, quiet people who feed everyone fresh grapefruit, beans and fresh tortillas. 

I stay at Entres to help Meruca, the manager, with food preparation for the dinner to be served in conjunction with a premier of a movie about Micah tonight.  Meruca is awesome, she is an observant, unobtrusive woman who comes in every morning with Thomas, her brother in law.  They clean the place and she cooks; this day she was making tortillas, carne, beans, pollo, kale chips, and making it look like a piece of cake.  Flint, the French-Canadian with a quick smile and an eye for details, is there too.  He is an easy man to like, open and intelligent.  When he leaves to get the hikers and deliver school supplies, he invites me along.  He is in love with this place and the trip is filled with stories and warm greetings with the locals who watch the influx of strangers with curiosity.  I learn that you drive with windows down so people can see who is in the car, a subtle acknowledgement that this place is not without its troubles.

We find the racers at the river, like a pile of colorful confetti. Gary is there swimming in the Urique river.  The crew has turned into a group of kids, swimming, laughing, and shimmying up rocks to bask in the sun.  Years are falling off Gary like so much unnecessary baggage.  He is alive with excitement about the race.  His pulled muscles are still there but lost in the festivities.

We go to the first school, where the kids are waiting for us.  Gary and I talk with Flint who suggests we not photograph the kids, the Raramuri are shy people, but before long we take a few photos.  The kids are poor, heartbreakingly so.  Some of them have traditional clothes, some in t-shirts with logos like ‘Big Yeti’s Winter Camp’.  Many are barefoot, others wear the huaraches famous in this area.  Flint tells me many walk miles to get here.  I hand out the origami horses to the shyer children, others crowd around folks with soccer balls and slap bracelets.  Maria and Naomi lead a crew in some Spanish song.  But Sweeny takes center stage.  He has brought a box of stuffed animals and as he pulls each one out it comes to life; they wiggle, slither, roar, hiss and bark.  His enthusiasm is contagious; a huge group gathers round him eyes wide and squealing in delight.  It ends too quickly and we head back to camp.

We get back, working on a few details for dinner; Tony, Tyler and Sam are working on huge salads from the garden and Nicole and Benedict are making more Kale chips.  What is with the Kale chips?  I avoided those things in Laramie but now, like the Dr. Seuss character with his green eggs, I find that like them!  Before long our friends from Colorado, Mary and Bob, have found their way to the camp.  We help them find their campsite, then off to help serve dinner.  Keith had expected about 30-40 people but there was more like 100.  Meruca deals with the discrepancy nonplussed and the meal comes off without a hitch.