Well, we're at the hut on Orizaba getting ready to climb tonight. It was an interesting drive up here, for sure. It's been very dry here recently and some forest fires have sprung up down low on the mountain. Normally this wouldn't worry me too much but one of the fires is within a mile of our access road. There are firefighters working in the area and our local logistics company is on top of the situation so at this point it's just a minor concern. One thing that's looking good is that there seems to be a weather system building which would help the fire situation out a ton. The downside of that is it will make climbing more difficult if we are faced with a storm.
So that's basically our situation... there's a few things that are out of our control, so we're just doing what we can to give ourselves the best shot at the summit. We're prepping to go up but not at the risk of climbing in a dangerous storm or getting stranded at the hut. We'll be making the safest call, of course. I'll call back early tomorrow and update everyone on our status.
Wish us luck, we could use it!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall & Team
Today was a well deserved rest day for the team. After a long day of climbing yesterday we spent today relaxing and seeing the sights in Puebla. Molé, the traditional sauce of Mexico, was sampled by everyone on the team and I know one person had it at every meal. It's definitely a favorite of mine. Also, since it is Valentine's day the Zocalo (town square) was full of people celebrating the holiday. It's a big one here in Mexico. We capped off the day with a great dinner at the Mason Sacristía de la Companía. Tomorrow we switch back to climbing mode and head to el Pico de Orizaba!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi from Puebla! It's just after 11 p.m. and we just got back from dinner. It was a long and great day. We woke up this morning before 2 a.m. and started climbing just after 3. The night was cool and crisp but windless which was really great for us. Everyone on the team was very motivated to climb and we made good progress up to the top of the Ayoloco Glacier. From there the good weather continued and just over 4 hours after starting we were standing on top of Ixta. It was a beautiful day for climbing. The walk down went very smooth. We had a light breeze on the lower mountain (that's the big weather story for us so far!) and when we got to the trail head we were greeted with tortas, cervesas and refrescos. Now we're all set up for a rest day in Puebla tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hey guys this is Seth. We're all on top of Ixta! All seven climbers and three guides made it. Beautiful weather. Had a great day. Here's the big cheer. [Team cheers!] We'll give a shout when we're back down safe and sound at high camp.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Wow you met your goal!!!you must be on top of the world. We are thrilled for you Ryan. You are truly amazing.
Praying for you and the team..
Love you,
Proud mom&dad;
Posted by: nancy mccalley on 2/13/2013 at 9:22 pm
Congratulations to the entire team and guides for your summiting. I’m especially proud of Brandon, and I know this has been an awesome experience for him.
Greetings from high camp on Ixta! We had a great day on the trail. My day started a bit earlier than the rest of the team as I came up to camp to drop off some water early in the morning. The rest of the group enjoyed bacon and eggs for breakfast before starting their hike at 9:30am. It was very warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky for most of the day but we had a nice breeze to keep us from getting too hot.
We just finished with dinner and now everyone's getting their gear organized for tonight's we climb! Hopefully the next time we check in it will be from the summit.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
13,000! That's our sleeping elevation tonight at the Altzimoni hut. We started the day with the best breakfast in Mexico at the Mission Tlaxcala. Then we drove back to the west and around Ixta, with a few pit stops along the way. Once we reached the town of Amecameca we loaded up on water and drove to the Altzimoni hut. After getting settled the group headed out for a light hike. After that we made dinner and now everyone is tucked in their bunks and getting ready to move to high camp tomorrow. We will check back in from there.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi!! We are so excited for you.I am glad I finally found your blog. We love you and pray for you and the team everyday. Especially at night wondering if you are warm.
All our love,
Mom&Dad;
Hola! We're at La Malinche. Everything was pretty smooth getting out of the city this morning and we had great views of Ixta on the drive. Once we checked into out cabins at La Malinche we went for a great hike to acclimatize. 3.7 miles and about 3,500 feet up to a prominent ridge on the mountain. After a few pics we reversed course and headed toward the dinner bell. We'll check in again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Buenos Días! Everyone has arrived on time in Mexico City and most importantly we've got all our gear. We had our first team meeting at the hotel where we got to know each other a bit and went over the basics of the next nine days.
After that we braved the large crowd outside that has gathered for a free concert in the Zocalo. It sure feels like the biggest city in the world tonight. We had a great dinner just down the street at Café Tacuba, complete with a mariachi band. A few of the guys are checking out the concert while the rest of us are back in the hotel. We're headed for the mountains bright and early tomorrow to start our acclimatization.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Shhhh everyone is sleeping... We're all back in Tlachichuca and everyone has retired after our final team dinner. Today we climbed to the summit of Pico de Orizaba in fantastic weather, the best I've ever had on this mountain. Last night when I went to bed it looked like a storm front was moving towards us but when my alarm went off at 12:30am there wasn't a cloud in the sky and no wind to speak of either.
We made it from the hut at 13,990' to the 18,701' summit and back in twelve and a half hours which was a long enough day to ensure that after showers and dinner all the climbers headed for bed.
We all agreed that the last 8 days have gone by extremely quickly and that we've had some great climbs. Tomorrow we'll head back to Mexico City for our flights home.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hey, this is Seth checking in from the summit of Pico de Orizaba, tallest mountain in Mexico, fourth tallest in North America. Got the whole team with me. We've got a beautiful day. No wind up here, sunny skies, everybody's psyched. We're going to take a bunch of photos. Do some high fivin' then we'll check in once we peel back. Here's the shouts from everybody. [Team shouts!] They are very excited. It's just hard to breathe up here. We'll check in from high camp.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls from the Orizaba summit
Good Luck! I know you will make the safest decisions.
Posted by: Julie Grooms on 2/15/2013 at 4:30 pm
Good Luck! The route was wonderful a few weeks ago.
Posted by: Travis Lubinski on 2/15/2013 at 3:44 pm
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