Entries from Mexico
March 1, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 15,400'
The clear, beautiful skies made for a cool and frosty night down at Ixtaccihuatl Basecamp. The team woke up to flakes of snow hitting our face, courtesy of the moisture from our breath. We ate our breakfast, packed our bags and were on our way.
The sun was strong, but a cool wind kept our temperature regulated quite perfectly as the team worked their way up. Our months of hard work and preparation paid off as the team was strong as ever. Making the move from 13,000ft to 15,400ft is no small feat, especially with the heavy loads of the day. We made short work of it though, getting to our high camp in around four hours flat. Now we need to move into camp, relax for a bit, and talk logistics for the day ahead. I’m proud of the way the team performed today and it makes me as hopeful as ever for our summit day tomorrow.
RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli
February 28, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 13,000'
After an early morning and quick breakfast the team was off again. Our first stop, Amecameca, to grab food, water, and of course the street food.
When we get to the entrance of the national park, we generally like to walk the rest of the way. It’s a bumpy, unpleasant road to get to La Joyalita and it’s nice to stretch our legs after a long day of driving. Perfect weather once again with the only clouds being the ones in the valley below us. The business starts here though as we prepare for our climb of Ixta with a thorough gear check, packing demo, and refresher on tent setup. We’ll eat a hearty dinner and try to sleep as best we can at 13,000 ft. We start our first big climb tomorrow and the team is excited and ready for the challenge.
Wish us luck!
February 27, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 10,000'
Yesterday all members of the RMI Mexico team arrived safely in Mexico City. With a quick team meeting to cap off the night, we were off to bed to sleep off the long day of travel.
La Malinche is the first objective of the trip, an acclimatization hike that takes us up to 14,501 ft. We couldn’t have picked a better day for it. Warm, nearly windless weather greeted us at the base and followed us all the way to the summit of the peak. For many of us it was our high point! We spent a good 30 minutes up high taking in the views, petting the dogs that would mosey our way, and eating our favorite snacks (maybe that’s why the dogs came over). Before long it was time to head down, we had carne asada to get to. A safe and uneventful descent followed, just the way we like it, and the team enjoyed some relaxation before our delicious dinner. Now it’s time to rest up for the next leg of the journey. We head to Ixta Basecamp tomorrow!
February 19, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 18,491'
We met yet another stray dog friend today- oh wait, that’s not what this blog about! We are incredibly happy and proud to say that every single team member stood on top of North America’s 3rd highest peak, Pico de Orizaba, today! What a day it was too! We awoke for our alpine start to find that the sky was clear, the wind light, and the temperatures still warm from the previous day. The route takes us up an old aqueduct, then up a rocky slope for a couple of hours until you reach a feature called the labyrinth, aptly named. That is when the weather started to turn from warm and windless to bitter and howling. Up we went, navigating the labyrinth with all its ice, mud, and rock and to the base of the of the Jamapa Glacier. A team member described the glacier as “walking up a descending escalator”, never ending and relentless. On we pushed, with perseverance stretched to its limit we crested the caldera ridge and on to the true summit where we met back up with our 2 other rope teams and embraced.
We are back down now, safe and sound, about to jump in our showers and wash up before dinner, our last one as a team. Seems surreal for it to be over so soon, but we look forward to seeing everyone in the mountains again. This is the Mexico climbing team signing off.
Except there is the picture of our dog friend walking us down to Base.
RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling and Team
February 18, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Oh, what a difference 24 hours makes!
Last night the team was at dinner enjoying mole, drinking beer, and recalling our climb on Ixta.
Tonight, we find ourselves at the Refugio below Orizaba repacking our bags and preparing for an alpine start. Tomorrow looks promising for us. The weather is good, the team is strong and reports say that the route is in good condition.
With any luck we look forward to reporting in tomorrow morning from the summit!
RMI Guides Dominic, Abby, and Team
Headed for some altitude!! God Speed you amazing climbers, have a fabulous and safe ascent …. Love you Beunings …..
Posted by: Deb Anderson on 2/18/2022 at 1:23 pm
February 17, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 7,000'
Today the team enjoyed a well deserved rest day in the beautiful city of Puebla. After enjoying breakfast together at the hotel, we all went our separate ways and wandered the city streets, taking in the views and enjoying everything from fresh squeezed juices to fried grasshoppers. At 7pm, we met up at one of our favorite restaurants for a team dinner, where we tasted some of Mexico's finest moles, a sauce unique to this area. We followed this up with a quick trip to the ice cream stand, just down the street, then headed to our hotel's rooftop patio to take in the evening views. We're headed off bright and early tomorrow morning to start our move to basecamp for our Orizaba climb. Everyone is excited and ready for the next leg of the trip.
Good luck on your next climb. We’re sending love and light to you all. Nice bib Alex
Posted by: Deb Anderson on 2/18/2022 at 6:12 am
February 16, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 17, 340"
Patience was the name of the game for Ixta. The team awoke multiple times during the night to find various conditions. First snow, then total whiteout, then a menacing cloud cap over the upper mountain. Knowing the patterns of the local mountains we decided to take the cloud cap as our opportunity to climb and we’re rewarded. As we climbed, the cloud dissipated, and team was able to keep ascending under the full moon and cool temps. We reached the summit at 7:50 AM with views of the surrounding peaks and the route we had just ascended. No time to waste though, it was time to descend. We knew of the incoming weather and descended without incident to the parking lot.
Off to Puebla we went to enjoy our much-deserved showers, tacos, and real beds. Great effort by all the team members and we look forward to exploring Puebla tomorrow.
RMI Guides Dominic, Abby and Team
Congratulation on the summit, Abby you are a badass. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Uncle Chewy on 2/17/2022 at 7:32 pm
Congrats team! So psyched for you guys and gals, especially my Z! Enjoy your rest, next stop - summit #2!
Posted by: Jessica Purcell on 2/17/2022 at 1:12 pm
February 15, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 15,400'
The team awoke early this morning to frost encasing the tents. As we broke the icey zippers and looked out we saw what the crisp morning had brought. Sprawling views of Ixtaccihuatl, a smoking Popocatepetl, and the valley below. To let the frost melt, we hit the pause button and enjoyed our delicious breakfast/coffee before we donned our heavy packs and hit the trail. Unfortunately, the weather decided to change its tune too. We battled the cold wind and whirling clouds as the team pushed on. With a quicker clip than usual, we were all business and made great time getting up to our high camp at 15,400 ft, many of the teams high points. Now we’re bundled up, eating quesadillas, and planning for the climb ahead. Hoping for good weather for tomorrow. Wish us luck!!!
Go Mom and Dad! You guys got this! Love and miss you!
Posted by: Ella Beuning on 2/16/2022 at 11:08 am
Rooting for you all today - and rooting for great weather! Have so much fun!!
Posted by: Jessica Purcell on 2/16/2022 at 8:49 am
February 14, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 13,000'
The team has arrived at La Joya, our Basecamp for our climb of Ixta. We had a busy day of traveling, leaving Malinche to do some last minute shopping in Amecameca. Enjoying the warm Mexican sun, we walked around the markets and ate delicious street food before shipping off to our destination. It was right back to work though as we tuned up, packed and sorted our gear for the coming days. It's cool, breezy and cloudy here at Basecamp, but no rain so we are thankful!
The team is in high spirits and we are excited for the climb. Good night to everyone at home.
Lets go, team! Psyched for you and living vicariously through you back up here in the urban jungle :-)!
Posted by: Jessica Purcell on 2/15/2022 at 8:30 am
Go Team Go! Rooting for you!
Posted by: Ashley Voyles on 2/15/2022 at 5:57 am
February 13, 2022
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 10,000'
The team awoke bright and early today to eat a quick breakfast and start heading to La Malinche, our first objective of the trip. We were treated with sprawling views of the Mexican countryside as well as our first main objective, Ixtaccihuatl. We were thankful to stretch our leg and lungs as we hiked through the forest of Malinche, a welcome change from the urban jungle of Mexico City. Unfortunately, that’s where our hike ended, just below 13,000 ft, due to incoming weather. Though we didn’t reach our objective, we did get to our highest elevation of the trip so far, hiked with stray dogs that we named Beavus, Butthead, and Hank and ate a delicious carne asada for dinner. Now we rest and get ready to head to Ixta basecamp tomorrow.
Congratulations, Team! What an incredible trip! So very proud. The smiles on the summit say everything… AND BONUS DOGS?!? Amazing.
Posted by: Raeanna Anglen on 2/20/2022 at 6:35 am
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