The team all met yesterday in Mexico City where we took walks during the day and were impressed with the city. We met for a fun dinner with lots of tacos and laughs. We all are looking forward to traveling around Mexico, climbing the high mountains, and tasting the best smoked chipotle sauces.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
There is nothing like the mountains shadow on clouds below as the sun turns everything pink. We were fortunate to experience sunrise on the summit of Orizaba this morning after spending the previous 6 hours slowly rest-stepping and pressure-breathing our way to 18,500 feet.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
We loaded up all our gear and added 10 liters of water to our already four gallons and hit the trail for High Camp. It was slow going with heavy packs ,loose scree steps, and not much atmosphere above us but all went well. We made many friends along the trail who are all rooting for the tall blond lady team. Tonight we will hopefully get some sleep and wake up at midnight for the summit bid.
Think warm and speedy thoughts!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Sue and I spent one of my favorite nights I've ever had in Mexico, camping on the slopes of Orizaba last night. We slept on a floor of pine needles surrounded by blue bunch grasses. Yesterday we hiked from the town of Tlachichuca to a camp at 12,000 feet on the forested side of the mountain. We had a fire and watched cows till the sun set leaving us chilled and ready for bed. This morning we lounged around our precious camp with enough time for two cups of coffee. Then set off for Piedra Grande, the typical starting point for climbers on Orizaba. We are grateful for the extra days of acclimatizing and time to enjoy this countryside. Tonight we bed down at 14,000 feet hoping for some good rest.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
What an amazing hike we did today. Starting in the dense trees of the national park (which are open in Mexico), we headed up past horses grazing and children laughing to 12,000 feet where we met some really nice people who were excited to joke with us. We kept our slow and constant pace all the way to 13,500 feet where the trail became rockier and the air lighter. After a break of dried fruit and protein bars we headed to the summit of La Malinche at 14,500 feet. We were in a light cloud so no great views but it felt got to be up there and not too winded. Here's a picture of Sue at the high break. Feeling happy and proud, we chitchatted all the way down to hot showers and enchiladas!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
We are perched on the side of La Malinche this evening settling into our nice but chilly cabin. We took a walk this afternoon to see how our bodies feel after being rudely moved to 10 thousand feet and it felt great. Tomorrow we'll head up 4,400 feet to the summit and hopefully get nice views over to Pico de Orizaba, our next objective. Quick shout out to Norm from the mountains of Mexico!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
We had a great summit day on Orizaba; cold at times, warm at times and lots of new snow on a mountain that desperately needs it. The descent from the summit was warm and straightforward, what else could you ask for? The Team is staying in a turn of the century soap factory turned climbers hostel, packing for their flights tomorrow and enjoying some showers and refreshments to wrap up another great Mexico Volcanoes trip.
RMI Guide Mike King
Hey, this is Mike with the Mexico volcanoes team. We are standing at 18,491 feet on a clear, windless day on the summit of Pico de Orizaba. We had a cold calm morning to start off with lots of new snow on the route made for great climbing. The team is doing well. We will be descending here momentarily. We will send you a message when we're back safe down in Tlachichuca. Thanks for following along. Everyone's doing great.
RMI Guide Mike King
RMI Guide Mike King calls from the summit of Pico de Orizaba.
We had a relaxing day in historic Puebla yesterday. The Team spent the day walking around the markets and taking in the beautiful buildings and cathedrals. The city was founded in 1531 and is a busy commercial hub filled with murals, colorful buildings, delicious food and several ornate cathedrals.
Today we are headed East through rolling Mexican farm land to the small village of Tlachichuca near the base of Pico de Orizaba. After we pack our gear, 4x4 trucks drive us up to Piedra Grande hut at 14,000’. From there we will get ready for a summit bid tomorrow.
The weather looks promising and recent snowfall should make for great climbing. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to the main objective, 18,491’ Orizaba.
RMI Guide Mike King
We got an early start to our summit day. The first section is a steep scree slope, a big bite to chew when you wake up at midnight. As we gained the ridge we were surprised by the amount of snow, making for efficient climbing. The weather was warm for 15,000’+ and light winds allowed us to wear a few layers and stay comfortable while winding up and down the five false summits of Ixtaccihuatl.
With the city lights glowing in each direction and shooting stars across the horizon the Team kept plugging away until we reached the summit.
So many climbs ascend with the sunrise to thier backs. The unplanned benefit to summiting in the dark was that we descended into the rising sun with stellar views of Orizaba poking through the clouds. Alpineglow on the snow flanked sides of Ixta was a nice reward.
We are back down and headed to Puebla for a day of rest, culture and tacos al pastor. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
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What a happy looking group and hope everyone (especially Andy & Mychal!) are fueled up and ready for a fun adventure! Best wishes and have fun.
Posted by: Stephanie R on 1/20/2019 at 3:16 pm
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