Entries By mike king
The guides got up at 11:30 pm to head up onto the ridge where you can see any approaching storms for the East and West. There was a low lying blanket of clouds and west wind of 5-10 mph. Hoping not to get into a similar lightning and thunder storm from previous years we waited 45 minutes before waking up the climbers. The approaching cold front kept the clouds low through the night which afforded us a great temperature to go climbing. The first stretch takes you through the “knees” of Ixta and is a steep scree slope with some scrambling straight out of high camp.
Once on the ridge we began the up and down of what seems like 7 false summits. As we crossed the rapidly receding Ayoloco Glacier, the trail begins to narrow and we were close to the summit crater. At 17,160’ it was still dark and the teams began their descent with increasing winds and cold/damp clouds started rolling over from the West. The descent back to high camp was smooth and we enjoyed an amazing sunrise with the dark silhouette of Pico de Orizaba in the East.
The Team is in Puebla now for a rest day and tomorrow we will head for our last climb of the trip on North America’s third highest mountain, Orizaba.
On The Map
The RMI Mexico's Volcanoes Team reached the summit of Ixtaccihuatl at 5:30 am local time. They left High Camp in warm conditions but the weather changed to cold and windy by the time they reached the summit. The team is making their way to the trailhead and will check in later with more details.
Congratulations to the team!
Congratulations!!! Have a safe trip down and cannot wait to hear about your adventures John! Love ya- Jen and JD
Posted by: Jen Brown on 11/13/2019 at 11:08 am
This morning we had a hearty breakfast of fresh fruit and a locals take on huevos mexicana. The Team got packed up and organized their gear to begin the 3.5 mile hike to our High Camp. The route consists of a series of ascending traverses that gain approximately 2,500’. During this time we looked out upon the farming communities of Amecameca and Puebla. After our second break we were overtaken by some thin clouds. Thankfully they were dry and didn’t carry any lightening. More times then not we experience some thunder and electrical activity at this High Camp due to similar weather patterns that many of you have experienced in the US Rocky Mountains. If the weather gets bad we do have a hut to hide out in since it is grounded and has a few lightening rods.
The Team did well today considering the high altitude and heavy overnight packs. This camp is at 15,500’ which is a new high point for many in the group. We will make a summit attempt early tomorrow morning and we have our fingers crossed the weather cooperates.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Today was a logistics day with a hike to continue our acclimatization. We left La Malinche around 8 am and had a delicious breakfast enroute to the town of Amecameca where we bought our water and remaining supplies for the Ixta climb. From there we drove up a winding road to Paso de Cortes which lies between the 2 volcanoes Popo and Ixta that dominate this area of Mexico. With rain lightly bouncing off our jackets, we walked the 4.5 miles from the park entrance to the hut located at 13,000’. We are packing and enjoying the new dusting of snow on the surrounding peaks. Dinner and a good night's sleep will have us prepared to head up to high camp tomorrow morning.
On The Map
Best of Luck to you and your team Mike!!! I’ll be following along!
Posted by: Farmer Dave on 11/12/2019 at 3:05 am
Today we attempted to hike up the 14,600’ peak of La Malinche. The drive to the park entrance goes through a nice pine forest. We got to tree line around 1:45pm at 12,800’ and storm clouds had been sitting on the summit all day. There was thunder and billowing clouds for the next hour. The guides decided that being on an exposed ridge line with a building electrical storm on the horizon wasn't the best scenario. We started the descent with views of the surrounding countryside coming and going between dark clouds. We are back at the cabins having had a delicious meal and eager to get started on the Ixta portion of our trip.
RMI Guide Mike King
Posted by: Mike King, Josh McDowell
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,000'
Thanks for posting. Thinking of y’all.
Posted by: Matzen Shelley on 9/29/2019 at 9:31 am
Congratulations team and a special shout out to my special man, Pete Crino. I love you and I’m so proud of you-and everyone on this expedition!! Mark, you were there in spirit and I imagine there will be a next time too.
Posted by: Jeanne on 8/30/2019 at 12:32 pm
Hope Jeremy Wallace and friend are on this climb. Congrats to all and have a safe descent.
Posted by: Robert Wallace on 8/24/2019 at 11:33 am
Good luck tomorrow
Posted by: Roger Coffey on 11/14/2019 at 11:41 am
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