Entries from Mexico
January 15, 2024
Posted by: Mike King, Joe Hoch
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 10,000'
Yesterday the Mexico Volcanos team left our luxury accommodation at Hotel Geneve in Zona Rosa, Mexico City and headed to Volcan La Malinche to stretch the legs and get used to higher elevations.
We made great time through pine forests and cool air from 10,000ft to roughly 13,800ft before we were turned by the Policia de Montaña. Largely to protect the many locals in jeans and street shoes, their 2pm turn around was strict and they were not impressed by our fancy technical outerwear and backpacks.
Our conciliation price was an amazing view of our next goal, 17,103’ Volcan Iztaccíhuatl (Ixta), and later a muy grande BBQ feast at our cabañas. Off to Ixta!
RMI Guide Joe Hoch
Sign Up For Mexico's Volcanoes January 13, 2024 Emails
This is Mike checking in for our Mexico Volcanoes team. All our climbers arrived over the last two days with bags in tow. We had a quick team meeting last night and a good dinner. Today we are enroute for our acclimatization hike on La Malinche. This dormant volcano has a dense pine forest that covers the lower slopes. The route gets above tree line after a few hours and ascends to a ridge that weaves its way to a nice summit. The air is clear here now so we are getting some good views of Ixta & Popo on our exit from Mexico City. Our hike today is approximately 9000' of gain/loss so we'll keep our fingers crossed for good weather. We will sleep at 10,000' in a former Olympic training facility....from the 1968. We won't have service at our cabins. I'll check in tomorrow while enroute to Ixta. The group is excited to get going.
Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
Sign Up For Mexico's Volcanoes January 13, 2024 Emails
Thanks everyone for following along and once again, a shout out to Farmer Dave for all the encouragement!
Climbing Orizaba is never easy. We ended up having a great weather day and route conditions were also favorable. But it still felt like a hard push after the long week of being rained off of big mountains and spending hours drying gear. The team can take pride in their perseverance and their summit of Pico de Orizaba, the third highest peak in North America.
Last night we celebrated in Tlachichuca at the Servimont hostel, where there is always a nice meal and cold drinks. Most people were in bed by 8pm, it was quite the party. Now we are on one final bus ride, to the airport this time, and will return to normal life tomorrow. The muddy, dusty gear we are bringing home will remind us of the good times we had in Mexico.
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
October 14, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 18,491'
Saturday, October 14, 2023 7:11 am PDT
Summit Orizaba. High clouds, cool, light breeze. Nice day!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team
Way to Go Dustin and Team!! Great Job !!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 10/15/2023 at 3:50 am
You did it!! Congratulations!
Know you are all stoked it worked out! Well done!
Posted by: Judy collins on 10/14/2023 at 5:17 pm
October 13, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 14,000'
Alright, we are rested and have pressed the reset button. A rest day in Puebla is always well deserved for a group that has been tromping around in the mountains and enduring long bus rides. Rest day activities included all the standard stuff: museums, sampling local coffees, the bouldering gym, walking around the historic city center and a nice team dinner.
We are now on the bus, headed for Tlachichuca and it's a nice morning. Everyone is hopeful that the weather will be better than on Ixta, where we were slammed by rain and wind associated with the category 2 Hurricane Lidia, the eye of which passed just to our north. That was certainly an experience. We're looking for something less dramatic on Orizaba. Stay tuned for an update tomorrow afternoon!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
Hey Dustin! I hope you have the weather I had on Orizaba….Perfect!! I hope you all get to see the shadow of Orizaba in the valley below!!
All the best!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 10/13/2023 at 1:29 pm
October 12, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 15,430'
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 - 6:10 pm PT
Well, that was a thorough soaking. On night one of Ixta we camped at the trailhead. It rained all night without a break. In the morning it was still raining, but showing signs of clearing so we packed up and headed towards high camp. About an hour in to our hike, the sun came out, revealing our surroundings. We were treated to views of Ixta proper and Popo with a dusting of snow. However, around 5pm the clouds rolled back in and it rained hard again.
It rained throughout the night, a very cold rain. When I woke up to check the weather on a few occasions I was pelted by sideways sleet. Oh right, it was quite windy as well. Sustained moderate winds and precipitation throughout the night thwarted any chance of making a summit attempt. But we can chalk the whole experience up to more acclimatization and for some members of the team, 15400' was a new altitude record or sleeping altitude record.
This morning we descended from high camp, following the direction of a new dog friend. If not already soaked from the night prior, this hike ensured everyone was completely wet. Needless to say, we are all looking forward to some good meals and rest in Puebla tonight and tomorrow. We are keeping our optimism alive for Orizaba and are honestly feeling prepared. Hopefully this weather pattern clears out before Saturday.
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
Great update and photos :). I hope the weather treats you right for Orizaba! Have fun B!
Posted by: Heather Collins on 10/12/2023 at 9:34 am
October 10, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 15,430'
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 3:17pm
This is Dustin and Team checking in from high camp on Ixta. It rained constantly last night and we almost pulled the plug on climbing Ixta. However, we started uphill into the rain this morning and eventually ended up in the sun. We're now at high camp and the weather still looks iffy in the distance, but if we can thread the needle again we at least have some chance!
Wish us luck!
All the Best Dustin!!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 10/12/2023 at 5:32 am
October 9, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 14,440'
Yesterday we hiked almost all the way up La Malinche. At 14,440 feet, just a few minutes from the top, the park security emerged from the cloud to inform us that the mountain was closed due to the threat of lightning. My own assessment of the lightning risk was lower than his, but this guy didn’t seem in the mood to discuss and I wasn’t going to bring my rudimentary Spanish skills and a trekking pole to a gun fight. Oh well.
On the way down, we got thoroughly soaked and were happy to hop in the showers at the La Malintzi Resort before eating a hot meal and getting to bed early.
At the moment, we are in route to La Joyita, the trailhead for Ixtaccihuatl. We will spend the night there and head to high camp tomorrow.
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
Hey Dustin! All the Best to you and your team!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 10/10/2023 at 3:26 am
October 8, 2023
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 7,300'
¡Hola!
Yesterday the entire team arrived for the first RMI trip to the Mexico Volcanoes for this season. We have all bags in tow and are now on our way to La Malinche for some acclimatization. Today is mostly cloudy, so we will see what the mountain gives us, but more importantly we are getting out to move the legs and exercise the lungs. Check back tomorrow for details on how our day went!
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
A summit success early this morning on Pico de Orizaba! Most of our team stood at 18,491 feet a little after sunrise, soaking in the views after a tough climb at high altitude.
It was a long last day in the mountains, but spirits were high as we descended to Tlachichuca where we enjoyed the comforts of the small town.
Our final night together as a team was spent sharing stories from the mountain and appreciating the trip, from the dust to the sunrises, the team is grateful for good weather and safe passage in the mountains.
Thanks for following along with the team on our adventures through Mexico and our climbs of the mighty volcanoes.
RMI Guide Abby Westling
Hey Dustin! Way to go getting your Team to the Top!!! Brought back Awesome memories!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 10/15/2023 at 10:33 am
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