Jon Shea, Orizaba Express Lead Guide, November 27 - 2 December, 2007

December 1, 2007 (1:07 p.m. PST) :
We are back at the hut after a very long descent. All is well and we are packing up the truck now and heading to Tlachichuca for a nice dinner and a good nights rest. In the morning we will head back to Mexico City and catch afternoon flights back to the U.S.

December 1, 2007 (8:47 a.m. PST) :
Hey this is Jon calling from the summit of Pico de Orizaba. We are experiencing some wind here on top but overall we had beautiful conditions for climbing and conditions were perfect all the way up and nice for cramponing We are super psyched to be here. We have great views looking out over the mountains including Ixtaccihuatl.

November 30, 2007 (12:33 p.m. PST) :
We are back at the hut after a day of training. Today we hiked up from the hut to brush up on our ice axe arrest and cramponing skills. We had snow close to the hut. I haven't seen snow that low down before, which was a great surprise. After our 4-hour training we are back at the hut making dinner. The weather was beautiful today. Typical weather for this time of year is beautiful all day and then turns to cloudy during the evening. It usually clears up by midnight, which is what we are hoping for on our summit day tomorrow. We will check in tomorrow from the summit.

November 29, 2007 (3:13 p.m. PST) :
We woke early this morning and drove to Tlachichuca, at the base of Pico de Orizaba.  We packed our gear and after lunch drove to the hut at 14,000'.  Everyone in the group is doing well and we are excited to be on the mountain.  The weather is good with some late afternoon clouds but we have gotten a few sneak peaks of the summit. We will check in again tomorrow.

November 28, 2007 (4:30 p.m. PST) :
This morning we drove to La Malinche, the training area for the Mexican Olympic team, and took our first acclimatization hike.  Everyone did well and we were able to climb to over 13,000'.  We will spend the night in the cabanas (10,000') at the base of La Malinche tonight.

November 27, 2007:
Hola! This is Jon checking in from Mexico City.  All of our team members arrived today and we have finished our first team meeting. We have checked our equipment to make sure everyone has what they need and plan to leave the city tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m.

Seth Waterfall, Orizaba Express Lead Guide, March 13 - 18, 2007

March 15, 2007 (2:30 p.m. PST) :
Hi. Our group has reached the hut on Pico de Orizaba. The weather is nice and the mountain looks great with some fresh snow on top. We will take an acclimatization hike tomorrow and prepare for our summit climb. Everyone in the group is doing well and we are excited to be on the mountain. That is all for now. We will check in again soon.

March 14, 2007 (message 5:35 p.m. PST) :
Hey this is Seth checking in from the cabanas at La Malinche. We arrived here this morning around 11:00 a.m. and headed out at noon for our acclimatization hike. We reached a high point of 13,500' and turned around in some gropple. It was pretty fun. Everyone is doing really well. We are all looking forward to heading to Tlachichuca tomorrow and then on to Piedra Grande, our high camp. We will check in from there tomorrow.

March 13, 2007 (email 8:45 p.m. PST):
This is Seth checking in from Mexico City. We are on day one and everyone has arrived safely. We've just returned from dinner at the Fonda del Refugio restaurant in the Zona Rosa which first opened in 1894. We are planning on an early departure tomorrow for an acclimatization hike on La Malinche. We will check in from our cabanas there in the evening.

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