RMI Expeditions Blog
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Matias Francis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 15,354'
November 2, 2021 - 6:33 am PT
Yesterday we did our first serious acclimatizing by hiking Rucu Pichincha. It is a fun hike that includes a gondola ride to 13,000' where we began our ascent to Rucu Pichincha, with an official summit elevation of 15354'. The entire team made it to the summit after a few hours of hiking and a short scramble. We then hustled down to avoid the afternoon rains and arrived back at the gondola before getting wet. This morning we are headed to Iliniza to make a summit attempt on Iliniza Norte tomorrow!
The members of the team arrived safely in Quito and ventured out yesterday for a city tour of Quito. The first (and generally favorite) stop on the tour was at the Mitad del Mundo museum, which means "middle of the world". This museum is located on the equatorial line and the tour guides give us a review of some 8th grade science (which it seems we have all forgotten). At an elevation greater than 9,000' we are already getting our breathing in check and today are looking forward to a warm-up hike on Rucu Pichincha!
This morning at 8:45am everyone on the team was standing on the highest point in Mexico! We didn’t have a chance to hang out long on top because of strong winds that were bitter cold at 18,491ft. But we were able to enjoy the view before the clouds rolled in and followed us down the mountain.
It was a difficult climb due to the strong winds, but everyone did a great job pushing through to the summit!
We are back down in the town of Tlachichuca where we will celebrate our final night together before we fly home tomorrow.
I am beyond impressed with this accomplishment, Matthew!! And I am so relieved you are back down
Posted by: Constance Roth on 10/17/2021 at 8:36 am
What an amazing accomplishment! Congrats to my brother, Matthew, and the entire team!
Posted by: Ashley on 10/17/2021 at 6:57 am
Hello from 14,000ft on Pico de Orizaba! Today we left the comfort of Puebla behind for our final objective. A two hour bumpy 4x4 ride in the back of a pickup truck took us up to our basecamp on Orizaba. The team is feeling well rested for one more climb tonight.
We have clear skies at the moment and the forecast is calling for a clear summit bid tonight. We are looking forward to watching the sunrise from the side of an 18,491ft volcano. For some folks this will be a new altitude record previously broken on Ixta earlier this week.
Wish us luck for a beautiful morning of climbing. We will check in again tomorrow!
Greetings from Puebla! Today was a great day for the team to rest and explore the beautiful city of Puebla. This city is full of history, delicious food, colorful markets and a perfect place to recover for our next climb.
After a day to explore the incredible Catholic Churches built in the 1500s, the team ate dinner together at El Mural de los Poblanos, a fantastic restaurant full of classic local dishes. Puebla is known as the home of Mole.
Our next objective begins tomorrow as we head up to 14,000ft to the high camp on Pico de Orizaba!
The whole team is standing on the summit of Ixta at 8:10 am central time! It was a chilly climb but the sun is shining now and it is warming up a bit. The team did an awesome job getting up here. Now we will shift our focus to a smooth descent. That's all for now. We will check in again from thicker air!
Hello from 15,500ft on Ixta! The team did an impressive job carrying heavy loads up to our high camp today. Sunny skies and upbeat attitudes made for a great day in the mountains.
Our camp is above the clouds for now with only a light breeze. We have spectacular views of the Volcano Popocatepetl (17,800ft) to our south. Popo is an active volcano that spits out plumes of Ash from time to time which is fun to watch.
Tonight we will eat an early dinner and crawl into bed to get some shut eye before an early start to our summit attempt tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing the massive sprawl of city lights from both Mexico City and Puebla thousands of feet below.
Love reading the updates. Hope tomorrow is a successful summit day!
Posted by: Katie Allanson on 10/12/2021 at 1:25 pm
Checking in from 13,000ft on Ixta. Today the team is preparing our equipment for our trip up to high camp (15,500ft) on Ixta. We are enjoying a beautiful sunset to the west with glorious views of Ixta to the North. The mountain has fresh snow above 15,500ft.
Tomorrow will be a challenging day with heavier packs, but our team is looking strong. As we watch the sunset, we are eating a delicious meal prepared by our wonderful local staff!
Wish us luck for continuing good weather and hopefully a successful summit of Ixta 17,100ft!
We will check in from our high camp tomorrow.
Sunday, October 10, 2021 - 5:46 pm PT
Greetings from La Malinche! Today the team moved away from the busy streets of Mexico City to the mountains that surround it. We got great views of our future objectives, Ixta and Orizaba on our drive today across the Mexican country side.
Everyone did great hiking up to 13,700ft on La Malinche, a dormant volcano. We had sunny skies today and no wind.
Tonight we are going to feast on some authentic Mexican food and stay in cabanas at 10,000ft. The cabanas we are staying in were once used by the Mexican Olympic team for their training. The stars are out and it is a beautiful night up here.
That’s all for now, tomorrow we move to the base of Ixta.
Sounds like a pretty perfect start to your adventure! Here’s to tomorrow and more great memories!
Posted by: Constance Roth on 10/10/2021 at 8:35 pm
Hola de Mexico!
The RMI Mexico Volcanoes team has arrived in Mexico City. After negotiating the busy maze of streets from the airport we have arrived in the lively Zona Rosa district. Last night we enjoyed some authentic Mexican food and prepare for our first acclimatization hike at La Malinche today. Stay tuned for more dispatches as we continue our trip around Mexico!
--RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
That is Awesome Dustin!!! Best of luck to you and the team!!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 11/3/2021 at 4:05 am
Nice hike to the summit of Rucu Puchincha. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Joel Cline on 11/2/2021 at 8:16 am
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