What began as an off-season surf odyssey nearly ended in tragedy when thugs attacked Chris Wherry and Walker Ferguson on a remote beach in Mexico during the first week of October. The duo left Boulder, Colorado, September 20 in Ferguson’s customized Toyota van, heading towards warm weather and Pacific-side swells on mainland Mexico. Nearly two weeks into the trip, however, things went awry.

“We left Boulder and drove south,” Wherry said. “It had just snowed and all the high peaks had snow on them. The leaves were changing and it was an insane backdrop.”

The pair spent an evening visiting Ferguson’s family in Norwood, Colorado, near Telluride. From there they passed Durango and Tucson — where they stayed with teammate Mike Sayers — before crossing into Mexico on September 25. They drove as far south as they could that day, and soon angled towards the coast in search of waves.

“We surfed for three days, just north of Mazatlan, but it was pretty small so we went further south,” recalled Wherry.

Along the way they camped in a lightweight tent, enjoying the Sinaloan coast and relatively good living, save for the aggressive mosquitoes. As they neared Sayulita, a town well-known for good surfing and a popular destination for American travelers, the trip took a turn for the worse.

Wherry, who just returned to the United States, recounted the events of the attack as best he could. “It was around October 2 or 3, I don’t exactly remember. We were just north of Sayulita, in a little town called Chacala. It was tiny, maybe 50 people living there. At about four o’clock in the morning, these guys start shouting and before I know it someone’s unzipping the tent.

“We couldn’t understand what they were saying and then one guy just held Walker down by the neck and three guys dragged me out of the tent. One of them hit me in the face — I think that’s where I got my black eyes.” Wherry also sustained bruised ears, cut lips and bruised ribs. The slightly built Ferguson, meanwhile, remained in the tent with one of the attackers forcefully applying a choke hold.

“These guys tried to tie me up, but they had these shitty little pieces of rope,” Wherry continued. “Eventually one of them left me and went to help tie up Walker. I punched one of them in the balls right then and started running, but it was dark and I ran towards the beach. When I hit the deep sand they tackled me from behind, and that’s when one of them kicked me pretty hard in the ribs. I was winded and they dragged me to the car.”

By now two of the assailants had heaved Ferguson into the rear of his van and the other two brought Wherry to the rear as well, and threw him in.

“When they tried to put us in the car, that’s when we started kicking our way out,” said Wherry. “I just kicked one of them in the chest and he sort of crumpled. There was a hole there, where he was, and I just got through it and started running. We were within 50 meters of the ‘downtown’ in this little town. I went into this little restaurant and riled up this old man with a machete. What I learned is that all those old men down there sleep with a machete!”

Ferguson had escaped just after Wherry and followed.

“This old man and about six others walked back to the car with us — all of them had machetes. I guess the guys just panicked and grabbed what they could. They got our wallets and my camera,” Wherry said.

“We called the cops, but it was like 45 minutes before they came. The people in the town were pissed because this has happened a few times recently. The closest police station is 15 or 20 k away.”

Mexican police took a statement, but there was little hope of apprehending the men. Often, assailants hope to abduct travelers, steal their driver’s licenses and attempt to enter the United States with their victims’ vehicles and documents.

“You know, I wish this had happened to me a lot earlier, it’s really made me think and realize how lucky I am,” said Wherry, the 1996 amateur national champion and winner of the 2002 Saturn Classic, who plans to relocate to Durango, Colorado, in mid-November. “I’m happy to be home, just hiking, chillin’ in Boulder, waiting to get my house in order down in Durango.”

Ferguson, who sustained only minor bruising in the attack, decided to continue his voyage and will eventually head north in November, when he’ll meet his parents in Baja. He has no plans to race in 2005 and is looking at it as a year off. Ferguson won the junior world championships in cross country in 2000, in Sierra Nevada, Spain.

Neither Wherry nor Ferguson were hurt seriously or have lasting injuries. No photographs of the trip survive.

“Man, it could’ve been a lot worse,” Wherry said. “It’s really motivated me in a way, and I met some incredible people because of it.”