Entries from Mexico
October 17, 2019
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Grayson Swingle
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 7,000'
Greetings from Puebla! The team is enjoying a well deserved rest day in the beautiful city of Puebla. It’s been a rainy day here but we are making the most of it. Each of us have set out on our own to explore the incredible churches built in the 1500’s and the lively markets found around our hotel.
Tomorrow we will head to our final objective of the trip, Pico de Orizaba (18,491')! The weather is looking quite wintery up there today through tomorrow but we may get a window to summit on Saturday if all goes well.
That’s all for now, we are heading to feast on some authentic Mexican cuisine!
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
October 16, 2019
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Grayson Swingle
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 16,500'
Today we gave our best shot at the summit of Ixta, but the mountain countered with a stronger blow.
We woke up to mild temperatures and light winds and decided to start climbing around 2am. From past experiences our local guide, Ulisses, and myself were wary of these conditions, such warm temperatures with moisture aloft often indicate heavy precipitation and winds in the near future, so we decided we would climb tentatively upwards until the first sign of bad weather.
We successfully climbed through the most technical portion of the mountain to an elevation of 16,500 feet. At this point the winds started to increase as well as the rate of precipitation, so we decided to head back down. By the time we reached the final saddle before camp, the winds were nearing 40 mph and the snow was blanketing everything in sight. We were happy we turned back as soon as we did and everyone welcomed a dry tent and a hot drink. Now we are off to Puebla for some much earned rest before we go to climb Orizaba!
Enjoy some pictures from the last few days.
RMI Guide JT Schmitt & Team
October 15, 2019
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Grayson Swingle
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 15,500'
Hello from Ixta high camp!
We woke up this morning at the Altzomoni Hut to a crisp and clear morning. The moon, out in all its glory, was suspended just above Pico de Orizaba, far in the distance, and Popo was periodically producing puffs of smoke, creating an incredible view for us to begin our day with. Although it was a sight to behold, we had little time to sit and watch, because we had a high camp to get to!
Everyone made it up to approximately 15,500 feet in great style! The day proved to have as beautiful weather as the morning provided, and we enjoyed the blue skies the whole way up to high camp. The loads were a bit heavy, and the air a bit thin, but that was no issue for this team.
Now we are all relaxing in our tents and in true Mexican style enjoying a little siesta before dinner. In the morning we plan on waking up and climbing to the summit of Ixta!
Hasta luego!
RMI Guides JT Schmitt & Grayson Swingle
On The Map
October 14, 2019
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Grayson Swingle
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 13,100'
It has been another beautiful sunny day here in Mexico! Today the team moved from La Malinche through the town of Amecameca to the base of Ixta at 13,000 feet. Here, we did a final gear check and packed our bags to begin our two day journey up Ixta. The volcano next to Ixta, Popo, has been giving us quite a show today with big plumes of ash and gas coming from its crater.
Tonight our local logistics manager, Rehulio, is cooking us a Mexican feast as clouds begin to roll in on our perch! Rehulio does tons of work behind the scenes to make this trip run smoothly along with his porters and guides who help us along the way. Big shout out to them!
The plan for tomorrow is to ascend to our high camp on Ixta at 15,500 feet. It’s going to be a big day! Wish us luck for good weather for climbing to the summit!
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
On The Map
Great going, guys! Keep it up, up, up. (:-)
Posted by: E J Fisher on 10/16/2019 at 11:42 am
Have a great couple days on ixta enjoy the beauty within and around.
Posted by: Joe on 10/15/2019 at 2:02 pm
October 13, 2019
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Grayson Swingle
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 10,000'
Sunday, October 13, 2019 - 3:07 pm PT
Hey everyone, our Mexico Volcanoes Expedition is off to a great start! This morning we left the busy streets of Mexico City for the mountains. We arrived to La Malinche, the former training ground for the Mexican Olympic team. Here we went for our first hike to prepare our bodies for higher elevations to come. The team made it to about 13,000 feet! Tonight we will stay in quiet cabins at 10,000 with great views of the Mexican countryside.
Tomorrow we will head to the base of Ixta, our fist big peak! So far the team is having a great time enjoying the food, scenery and culture that Mexico has to offer! Thanks for tuning in and we will check in mañana!
RMI Guide JT Schmitt
October 13, 2019
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Grayson Swingle
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 7,300'
This is the Mexico's Volcanoes Expedition checking in from the beautiful Zona Rosa in Mexico City. All climbers have arrived safely to our hotel, along with all of our baggage. After a delicious meal of authentic Mexican food, we are about to get some sleep to prepare for our early start to La Malinche tomorrow. Stay tuned for more dispatches once we reach the mountains.
RMI Guide JT Schmitt
March 9, 2019
Posted by: Eric Frank, Jenny Konway
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 18,491'
Hello, this is Eric Frank calling from the summit of Orizaba. I'm up here with the team and this completes three of three summits for us this week. It's been a pretty incredible time of climbing. We summitted La Malinche, then we summited Ixta and now we are standing on top of Orizaba. Everyone is stoked. We are going to spend a few more minutes enjoying the thin air and then we're going to start heading down. So we'll call to check-in once we are down. We look forward to seeing everyone soon.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
RMI Guide Eric Frank calls from the summit of Orizaba, Mexico.
On The Map
I am beyond thrilled for you Dave, and the team! Sending great vibes for your descent of Orizaba! Enjoy!!
*L
Posted by: Lori Macaluso on 3/9/2019 at 11:24 am
March 8, 2019
Posted by: Eric Frank, Jenny Konway
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 14,000'
RMI Guide Eric Frank checked in from 14,000, High Camp, on Pico de Orizaba. The team arrived at the hut today and will try to get a few hours of sleep tonight before their early alpine start. If weather and conditions allow they will check in tomorrow from the summit of Pico de Orizaba.
We wish them luck and a safe climb!
On The Map
After our summit of Ixta, the team made the journey to the quaint Mexican town of Puebla. We spent today relaxing and soaking up the amenities of the city. The activities ranged from visiting the local artist quarter, seeing the town's oldest library, buying hand made pottery from local artists and catching an afternoon siesta to dodge the heat. We reconvened for dinner at one of the town's favorite restaurants and followed up our meal with some of the best ice cream Mexico has to offer. Currently the team is tucked in for the night, ready for another good night of sleep and looking forward to the final climb of the trip.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
March 6, 2019
Posted by: Eric Frank, Jenny Konway
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 17,340'
What a jam packed 24 hours it has been! After a fitful night of rest at the Altzomoni Hut, the team packed up and made the climb up to our high camp at 15,300ft. Our packs weighed between 35-40 lbs and that always makes the terrain much more challenging. Regardless, the team climbed well and we were lounging in our tents by mid afternoon. Around 4 pm we roused everyone from their siestas and gathered together in the "Refugio Los Cien" to have some soup and quesadillas.
Not long after we finished eating, the first ping began. It sounded like a child was throwing small handfuls of gravel at the side of the refugio, but then the sound intensified. In a few minutes we were engulfed in a hail storm that lasted an hour. Pellets of ice, ranging from the size of a pencil eraser to a grape, covered the ground. Slowly the hail turned into snow and we all hustled out to our tents. Over the next three hours the storm turned into an epic thunder and lighting event, making us wonder if the climb would even be possible.
At 2 am this morning when the first alarm went off, everything had changed. The skies were clear, the weather warm, the wind was gone and only a few inches of snow on the ground remained to remind us of the previous evening.
The climb was flawless. I would say textbook, but it was better then textbook. We summited at 7:45 am under blue skies with small puffs of smoke from a local volcano to keep us company.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
On The Map
Happy to hear this trip is going great for everyone! Dave Kestel your Rainier gang is proud of this accomplishment! Can’t wait for you to talk our ears off about it!
Posted by: Jodi Kirincich on 3/7/2019 at 1:30 pm
WOW! What a beautiful sight, especially with someone I know in it! (:-)
Posted by: E J Fisher on 10/16/2019 at 11:47 am
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