God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre.

This book goes more into the cultures and people of the Sierra Madre then the back country itself but is a great and interesting read. I read many books mostly travel essays and survival stories, and this by far has been one of the best books I've read in a long time. It is hard to beleive that people live like this just south of our (US) border.

This book is shocking and you will find it hard putting it down.


Tom

Tom:

Thanks for that info, cause I hadn't heard of the book. There's been an allure to that area since I saw the movie, "The Treasure of . . . "

From what I could find, it's just out, is $15 softbound, and here's a LA Times book review of it.

I'm going to go look for it tomorrow.

Google has a preview of it. Checking it out now.

It would be real easy to talk about this book, but I must wait till some of you have read it. Lots to discuss!!!


Tom

My wife was just reading that and she mentioned I'd like it. Haven't picked it up yet, but now...

So, who all is planning a visit there?

lol, Not me. I like my adventures a little tamer.

I Breezed through the area in the early 1980's before i was cognizant of the real dangers of the area. then in the early 1990's I made another, abliet, short lived foray to the area. it's real, it's dangerous, and yes, you can live or die at any moment <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Which is only for the young, fool hardy, and criminally insane to venture forth.......A Methhead would be scared travelling in those areas, and they're already on drugs! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

If someone finishes a copy of this book and would like to send it to me to read; I'll remit your postage. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

After I bought and read the book, I noticed that the library branch in my area carries it. I don't know how big your city/county library district is, but I am often shocked at the variety of books the library district I reside in.

I'm letting my brother-in-law read it now. When I get it back, I see if any of you want to read it.


Tom

I googled some images of the area and it is gorgeous. It is now on my list of places I would like to potentially hike. What is all this extreme danger everyone is talking about though? I mean anything in particular... not just it being very remote. Is it not mapped well? Dangerous 2 legged creatures? Lack of survival resources like water or shelter if something unexpected happened? Other?

Just some of the comments I found about the area...


Today, local power rests largely in the hands of regional strongmen, with occasional incursions by the Mexican army. All of which would be dangerous enough, but in the last 30 years, the Sierra Madre has also become "one of the world's biggest production areas for marijuana, opium, heroin, and billionaire drug lords."


I would research the area you plan on hiking. I know there are places safe for tourists, however if you want to aviod the tourists and hit the back country I strongly suggest you do your homework. The number one cause of death in males there is homicide.


Tom

This article in the Miami paper today -- an LA Times story about why I'd be very careful hiking in Mexico at the moment (in geological time). This was the line that scares me:

In the year and a half since [President] Calderon launched a crackdown against drug gangs, about 4,100 people have died, the government says.At least 1,400 have been killed so far this year, including 170 in Tijuana, about 400 in Ciudad Juarez and 270 more in the western state of Sinaloa.

"No Country for Old Men" . . . or hikers, either.

One of, if not the biggest problem one has backpacking in this area is the turf wars that are constantly going on. They tend to shoot first and ask questions later <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> If you went alone it's pretty good chance you'd never come back, just from a high cliff slip, let alone a drunken, high gunman guarding a pot crop or meth camp. there are reasons sane men don't go some places, and all of the reasons are there plainly for you to see. if yo <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> care not to heed them please bring back lots of photos and write a book, which sho <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />ld make for excellent reading <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />