Mexico - Orizaba summit by biology majors

Nuff said. Only people who summited were guides and Biology majors. Pre dent, pre med, and pre vet.

Mexico - Pico de Orizaba

I have never been a huge fan of Jeep until this trip. We drove up to the Orizaba base camp in Wagoneers. I personally think they are awesome, and I really want one. 

There are two huts, a small one and a large one. We all split up between the two huts and a couple of tents. As soon as we arrived we began to hear bad news. One guide had just arrived after not summiting. He said the ice was too hard. Another group had just left with tons more ice gear than we had. Furthermore, a tent was sitting there, missing its owners for the second day now. All departing groups were now preparing for possible rescue. At this point we all knew it would be a body recovery if anything. Exposure would kill anyone on this mountain overnight. The tent contained sleeping bags so everyone assumed the worst. 

We dialed back our plans and let go of our hopes for the summit. It was decided that we would leave early in the morning and play on the glacier rather than leave at 10pm and attempt a summit. 

The three guides, Doug, Joe, and Marty headed up to the glacier for high camp. I joined them. As we hiked we met several people descending who had summited with no problem, with minimal gear. As we learned more and more about the conditions, our hopes for the summit returned. We decided to stick with our original plan, except leaving at 11pm instead of 10. Marty and I saw the entrance to the labyrinth. Doug and Joe began to flag a path through this confusing rock jumble with survey flags we had marked with reflective tape. Marty and I turned back down hill to prepare the group for a start in a few hours. It had begun to snow, and our elevation was wrapped in cloud. I could hardly see 50 feet in front of me. I hoped the visibility would be better later tonight as I lead a group alone up this route. When we returned, everyone was in bed. I went around and woke everyone up and explained the plans. Then I went to bed myself and ate some nuts and dried fruit. I had a feeling the next 24 hours had a lot in store. 

I couldn't rest. I tossed and turned in my sleeping bag. I didn't sleep, but I had nightmares nonetheless. The voice of the guide who turned back haunted me. "Don't die on Orizaba, die on something like K2." I could hear my heart pound against the wooden platform I lay on inside the hut. The wind howled and snow beat against the tin sides of the hut. Then I dreamed that our guide Joe died. It was too much. I frantically clawed my way out of my sleeping bag to fresh air, away from the stuffy fright and guilt. Then I began to calm down. I didn't think that God played the guilt card like that. I wondered if the devil was trying to discourage me, frighten me, and mess up whatever awesome things God had in store. He tipped his hand when he made me feel guilty for something that hadn't even happened. I asked for mustard seed faith by which to experience this mountain. The wind could blow, the snow could fall, we could turn back from the summit without reaching it, but God was going to be there the whole way. 

I still didn't sleep. Haro went to the bathroom and when he opened the door I could see that fog had set in extremely thick. When other people left for the bathroom I worried about them getting lost. A sleeping bag would rustle. Someone would check their watch. A mouse would chew on my food. I eventually moved my food up next to my face. Eventually my alarm went off. 9:55pm. Every fiber of my being wanted to call off the summit. I didn't want to go. But I rolled out of bed and started waking people up. I stepped out to pee and was met by a crystal clear sky with bright stars. The wind had died down. The ground was not icy or snowy. The weather was perfect except for a strong wind. But I knew the wind was probably keeping the sky clear. 

We gathered everyone together in the small hut and briefed for our hike. Aaron, Pablo, and I headed out first. My motivation was still low and it was very adult of me to trudge straight up the steep scree slope. I worried about finding the route and wasting time. Eventually we made it to the labyrinth and my spirits lifted as we spotted flags with reflective tape placed by Joe and Doug the night before. The hike all of the sudden became a game, jumping from flag to flag, counting each one. 

I stayed in radio contact with Marty and the group below, on the hour. We eventually ran out of flags, and turned our noses up hill to find the glacier. Fog had been intermittently blowing over, but now we were socked in thick. We couldn't make radio contact with Doug and Joe, but it was 2am and we had a scheduled contact at 2:30. I reasoned we would shoot for the glacier and wait for our 2:30 contact to get directions to Doug and Joe's tent. Then we saw headlamps. We started running, and found Doug and Joe on their bathroom break. They weren't expecting us until 3:30 or 4am. We crawled in their tent at 16,700 feet, 3 hours after leaving base camp at 13,900 feet, 1.3 miles horizontally away.

We huddled for warmth while Joe and Doug had breakfast, then we began our trek up the glacier part of the mountain. We spent a lot of time adjusting crampons and learning to walk with them. Then we headed up hill. Crampons are a very new experience for me. I had to readjust mine several times. This was a real pain because the pair I was using was ancient, and did not have an ergonomic adjustment.

We hiked up hill forever, and the hill kept getting steeper. Soon I was being extremely careful not to fall off the mountain. It seemed like I could fall a long way, but I really couldn't tell at 5am in the fog. Then the sun rose, and I realized that I really could fall a long way. As the slope of the mountain approached 35 degrees, we roped ourselves together and began to use ice axes. The sunrise was beautiful in a way I have never experienced before. We suffered as we climbed. This was an almost vertical climb to 18,500 feet. The air was thin, and although I wasn't nauseated or having a headache, too much exertion caused light headedness and loss of muscle control. These were conditions where stumbling, or triping could be fatal. The key to working at altitude is to work slowly, and allow time for the body to replenish O2 and remove wastes. After what seemed like forever, we stumbled to the rim of the volcano. The cauldron was a light tan color and smelled like sulfur. We hiked along the rim to the highest point, the real summit. It took a conscious effort on my part to not fall in. I almost did fall in while taking a picture. It seems that my body needs lots of oxygen to survive.

The hike down the glacier was the worst. Again we were roped together. After the first couple hundred feet of decent, my knees were killing me. Still had to hike down 2000 feet on this sheet of ice. By the time I had descended over 4000 feet to base camp, my feet hurt so bad I could hardly walk. Mountaineering boots are not built to be comfortable. We passed most of the rest of the group practicing glacier travel at the base of the glacier. I think it's really cool that most of our group got up above 16k feet. Some people are bitter that they didn't summit, but I don't think they realize how much they actually accomplished.

We all decended to base camp and rode back to the hotel. Now we are cleaning gear and getting ready for supper and Sabbath. 

Mexico - Rest day

It is 8:30 am on Thursday morning. I'm sitting on the roof of the Summit Orizaba hotel. Pico de Orizaba is visible in the morning haze. I have less than 24 hours to be on the summit, 10k feet above me. No pressure.

We arrived at the hotel around 11:30 Tuesday night after descending from Ixta. Wednesday we spent resting, repacking gear, resting, eating, and resting.

Each day of this trip has had two students as "leaders of the day." Haro and I are the leaders for Friday's summit attempt. We sat in meetings with the guides for several hours on Wednesday, determining how to help everyone maximize their experience on the mountain. This included taking care of the hikers that will not make the summit, and allowing everyone with the potential to summit have an opportunity. Haro and I will take the reins as leaders from Gus and Tyler around 3pm this afternoon. We will get everyone horizontal, and then roust them out early enough for a 10pm start.

When we arrive on the mountain today everyone will set up camp and cook lunch/supper. I and two guides, Doug and Joe, will scout the route to the labyrinth. This should be 1000 foot elevation gain on relatively easy trail. The labyrinth is a maze of rocks and craigs for another 1000 foot of gain. After seeing the entrance to the labyrinth, I will turn back to camp. Doug and Joe will continue to the base of the Jamba glacier and camp there for the night. I will expect to see them again before 3am as I lead the "fast group" to the summit. With both guides we will traverse the glacier, climb to a ridge, and hike the ridge to the summit. The last 500 to 1000 feet is ice surface at a 35 degree slope.

After enjoying the 18,400 foot summit, we will return to the glacier, hopefully passing another summit group led by Marty, the third guide. Once on the glacier we will be training the rest of the group on the glacier skills we have just learned.

Almost anything can jeopardize our hike. This mountain is relatively close to the gulf and consequently gets a lot of bad weather. We are taking lots of precautions. So many I don't have time to describe them all here. As the start time gets closer, I realize how many things can go wrong. I'm praying for good weather, good decisions, and relying on a family atmosphere that we have built as a group over the last week in country.

I really like Mexico. The people are super friendly. The food is good. The country is interesting. Yesterday several of us got amazing sandwiches from a local hole-in-the-wall. One of my favorite things to do is get local food in a local setting. 

Mexico - Mount Popo Volcano

As legend has it, the great warrior Popo wanted to marry the beautiful princess Ixta. Her father told him if he was successful in the war that he could marry his daughter. So off to war Popo went. But it was a long war and it was three years before he returned. In those three years a scoundrel came and convinced Ixta's father that Popo had been killed in battle. Ixta was married against her will. When Popo came back alive and successful Ixta felt guilty for marrying the other guy, so she committed suicide. When Popo found out she was dead, he killed himself too. The mountain Ixta supposedly lookes like a woman on her back. Popo is a few miles away. His anger and sadness is still evident in his periodic eruptions. 

Mexico - Ixta steep climbs

Joe and I descending the steep parts of the summit climb through a sulfury haze. 

Mexico - Ixta climb route

Yellow = base camp to high camp

Blue = high camp to summit attempt 

Black circle = summit 

Black arrow = steep scary climb 

Mexico - Rest day before Orizaba summit attempt

It is 8:30 am on Thursday morning. I'm sitting on the roof of the Summit Orizaba hotel. Pico de Orizaba is visible in the morning haze. I have less than 24 hours to be on the summit, 10k feet above me. No pressure.

We arrived at the hotel around 11:30 Tuesday night after descending from Ixta. Wednesday we spent resting, repacking gear, resting, eating, and resting.

Each day of this trip has had two students as "leaders of the day." Haro and I are the leaders for Friday's summit attempt. We sat in meetings with the guides for several hours on Wednesday, determining how to help everyone maximize their experience on the mountain. This included taking care of the hikers that will not make the summit, and allowing everyone with the potential to summit have an opportunity. Haro and I will take the reins as leaders from Gus and Tyler around 3pm this afternoon. We will get everyone horizontal, and then roust them out early enough for a 10pm start.

When we arrive on the mountain today everyone will set up camp and cook lunch/supper. I and two guides, Doug and Joe, will scout the route to the labyrinth. This should be 1000 foot elevation gain on relatively easy trail. The labyrinth is a maze of rocks and craigs for another 1000 foot of gain. After seeing the entrance to the labyrinth, I will turn back to camp. Doug and Joe will continue to the base of the Jamba glacier and camp there for the night. I will expect to see them again before 3am as I lead the "fast group" to the summit. With both guides we will traverse the glacier, climb to a ridge, and hike the ridge to the summit. The last 500 to 1000 feet is ice surface at a 35 degree slope.

After enjoying the 18,400 foot summit, we will return to the glacier, hopefully passing another summit group led by Marty, the third guide. Once on the glacier we will be training the rest of the group on the glacier skills we have just learned.

Almost anything can jeopardize our hike. This mountain is relatively close to the gulf and consequently gets a lot of bad weather. We are taking lots of precautions. So many I don't have time to describe them all here. As the start time gets closer, I realize how many things can go wrong. I'm praying for good weather, good decisions, and relying on a family atmosphere that we have built as a group over the last week in country.

I really like Mexico. The people are super friendly. The food is good. The country is interesting. Yesterday several of us got amazing sandwiches from a local hole-in-the-wall. One of my favorite things to do is get local food in a local setting. 

Mexico - Mount Popo eruptions

Mexico - Ixta Summit

Alarms began going off at 2am. Slowly, our group woke up and finished last minute preparations to summit Ixta. We walked out of camp at 3:15 am. The hike immediately became a drudge. I was not super keen about hiking up hill at 15k feet at 3 am. The half moon was fairly bright, so I kept my head lamp on low, at least while we were on obvious trail. We carried water, harnesses, crampons, and gear to rope ourselves together for glacier travel.

Soon the trail disappeared. We stood at the bottom of a massive rock slide. People had obviously been traveling up and down it, so we began to climb it ourselves. You can never tell how big a hill is until you have climbed it. This hill did not have a top. It went forever and ever. Soon we were out of the slide area and climbing steep rock faces. I passed Joe and turned my headlamp brighter and picked our route up the treacherous face. At one point I wondered if I would even climb this in the daylight at sea level. Soon I passed a cross. It had a plaque in memory of some climber, dated February 2018. "Great," I thought, "I'm climbing where someone else died a few weeks ago." But my lightheaded and hypoxic mind drove me onward.

The sun began to rise as we crested the hill. We stopped and admired the sunrise, and watched the volcano belch. Looking down was almost dizzying. I've climbed steep mountains, but I've never climbed them this high. One slip and I would fall literally thousands of feet. I had a pretty stiff headache when I woke up. I downed a liter of water and took one Tylenol before the hike, and now at altitude my headache was wearing off. We walked some ridges up and down until we found the glacier. Right across the glacier was the summit. Joe and I stood at the edge of the glacier, almost 17k feet high, and surveyed the route to the now visible summit. He and I were the first ones there by several minutes, and we knew we could quickly cross the glacier and summit efficiently. But we had a group of 12 behind us that we were supposed to stick with.

A note on sticking with groups. We started with three groups. A fast group, a slow group, and a group that most likely would not be able to summit. That last group grew by a few members from the slow group voluntarily, and one involuntary. Doug made one person go back because they were stumbling and going really slow. Typical of acute mountain sickness. They were tough though, they wanted to continue. The slow group and fast group, smaller now, kinda of merged. This was the group Joe and I waited for as we drooled at the summit.

Everyone soon caught up and we began to discuss our options. We had reached our turnaround time and technically needed to head back to stay on schedule. We had a hotel reservation this night, and half of our group waiting lower on the mountain. We talked about finishing the summit anyway, and adjusting our schedule, likely staying one more night on the mountain. I really wanted to summit, and I half expected Joe to bolt for it any moment. But I was thinking of our next mountain, and the rest of the group below. I knew a lot of people would be disappointed if we didn't make the hotel tonight. It was also getting obvious that we were very tired and in need of some low altitude, comfortable rest. I suggested we turn around. The rest of the guys supported me for the above reasons. I think Doug was disappointed. I know Joe was. But this trip was never about mountains for me. I thought this was the best option for the group. Reluctantly, I turned away and began the trek down.

The trip down was scary. There was almost no room for errors. I focused hard on foot holds and hand holds and moving slowly enough to have enough oxygen to think and make decisions. Joe and I quickly bailed off the mountain. The rest of the group came slower, and some used ropes. On the way down the volcano exploded even more, darkening the sky. The wind blasted our faces with ash, and we smelled a strong sulfur smell. It was awesome. Ever since I first saw the volcano I wanted to see it blow from up on the mountain. 

Back at camp I packed my pack for the trip down and relaxed in our tent waiting for the rest of the group to descend. It snowed off and on. Eventually we packed up our tent and headed down the mountain. My knees were tired. My legs were tired. My lungs were tired. When I reached the parking lot I had decended four thousand feet in one day, plus ascending two thousand. It snowed and rained and hailed and thundered as the rest of the group came down the mountain. I was already down, nursing my stomach ache in the little shelter where I bought a quesadilla two days ago.

We finally loaded everything into vans and headed for our hotel called Summit Orizaba. We stopped at a mall in Puebla to get food. I really need to learn Spanish better. I can speak it just fine, I just don't know the words I used to know.

Our new plan is to rest for two days, staying at the Summit Orizaba hotel, then attempt to summit Orizaba on Friday morning. We would probably camp at the trail head around 14 k feet on Thursday night and leave for the summit around midnight. 

Mexico - Ixta Base Camp

After restocking at Walmart, we set out for Ixta. Much of the drive was through beautiful Mexican countryside, and the last bit was on rough sandy mountain roads. 

Mount Poco is a mountain right next to Ixta. It is an active volcano so no one climbs it. We got to see it belching steam hundreds of feet into the air. The locals say it is visibly active sometimes once a month, sometimes once a year. I felt pretty lucky to see it blow today.

At the entrance to the national park we obtained permits and learned that only 5 people have died on this mountain in the last two months. They asked us to keep the casualties under seven...

The base camp is a sandy parking lot. Lots of groups were leaving as we arrived. There is a little shack where a lady sells some food. Lots of us bought some really good quesadillas from her.

After setting up camp, eating supper, and having worship, a bunch of us set out to carry a load of water further up the mountain. We hoped to acclimatize more and make the transition to high camp tomorrow easier. The sunset was awesome. It literally invoked awe. I personally hauled 8 liters of water and 3 ropes up to 14k feet before returning to base camp at 13k. Our whole group hauled 70 liters of water. We kinda got carried away and didn't leave enough water at base camp for breakfast. I had a little bit of a headache on the hike tonight, and I thought I may take some Tylenol before bed. By the time we got back to base camp I felt fine and went directly to bed.

Mexico - Ixta High Camp

Mexico - Ixta High Camp

We broke camp before daybreak and prepared to move to high camp. Once again, Joe, Aaron, Pablo and myself headed out first. It was a beautiful bluebird day. We stopped at the cash of water and gear and I picked up more water to add to my already heavy pack. We rested here for a few minutes with a wonderful view of the active volcano. Soon we crested the first saddle and the trail dropped to the Eastern side of the ridge in full sun. The tail became steeper. Lizards sunned themselves on rocks. 

It was a hard hike to high camp, near 15k feet. Once we arrived we rested, ate, and stowed gear. I saw, and heard an airliner fly overhead. Never heard an airliner before. I thought, "shoot, we must be pretty high." In a bowl below our saddle ridge camp, there were cows grazing. They must have been at least 14k feet high on the mountain. That was pretty shocking. 

Soon we headed back down. Between the four of us there was still 70 liters of water to pack from our cash at 14 k feet. We passed the rest of the group here and there as we headed down the trail. It didn't take long to reach the cash. We napped in the sun and dried out our feet before loading up the water and trudging up hill once more. Halfway back to camp, after the steepest and roughest section of trail, several guys met us and split our loads for the rest of the way back to camp. 

When we got back to camp I had a splitting headache. The first time I was at that altitude today I had felt great. I drank a bunch of water. A couple hours later I took a Tylenol. It seemed like hours, but eventually my headache went away. 

We went to bed early and prepared for an early start to attempt the summit the next day. 

Mexico - Ixta Base Camp Quesadillas

I had the most wonderful culinary experience at the base camp of Ixta. A little Mexican lady made quesadillas in a little brick shack, scantily clad in warped pieces of tin. After a little help from Pablo in reading the menu, I ordered two quesadillas myself, in Spanish. Fresh blue corn tortillas cradled potatoes, cheese, and cactus. The first bite was definitely a cultural experience, due to the cactus. By the end of my meal I was ready for more. I want to get some cactus at home and learn how to prepare it. If you like raw okra, I'm sure you would love lightly sauted cactus. 

Mexico - stove guy

I have long dreamed of owning an MSR Whisperlight international camp stove. This trip has given me the opportunity to learn this stove inside an out. I had never used one before this trip, but shortly after I first laid hands on a stove, I apparently became the resident expert. So far I've cleaned jets, cleaned and lubed o-rings, and troubleshot almost every aspect of this stove. It's a pretty cool stove. I'm not sure if I want one any more. I might. Now I have a lot more perspective to use when shopping for stoves. 

Mexico - La Malinche summit pictures 3

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Luke Scott" <captnluke@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 4, 2018 10:27 AM
Subject: Mexico - La Malinche summit pictures 3
To: "Shutter Click Moments" <captnluke.pics@blogger.com>
Cc:

Mexico - La Malinche summit pictures 2

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Luke Scott" <captnluke@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 4, 2018 10:26 AM
Subject: Mexico - La Malinche summit pictures 2
To: "Shutter Click Moments" <captnluke.pics@blogger.com>
Cc:

Mexico - La Malinche summit pictures 1

Mexico - La Malinche

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Luke Scott" <captnluke@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 4, 2018 10:15 AM
Subject: Mexico - La Malinche
To: "Shutter Click Moments" <captnluke.pics@blogger.com>
Cc:

After the pyramids on Friday, we stopped at Walmart and stocked up for the next several days.

We arrived at a resort at 10k feet on La Malinche after dark. The original plan was to tent camp, but we ended up in cabins instead. This reduced some stress and increased the comfort. The girls were assigned the evening meal this day, and we all eagerly awaited their creations. It was worth the wait.

A hot shower and a good 8 hours of sleep was a welcome preparation for the hike on Sabbath. I anticipated a meandering walk up the hill. The summit is only 2,000 feet above the resort, I thought. Then I saw it. The monstrosity towered above us, very near, and very high. It was not going to be a walk in the park. Rumors circulated of hikers leaving early in the morning carrying oxygen bottles. No bother, it would all be conquered in stride. I waited for breakfast, wandering around the grounds and savoring the tantalizing and familiar scent of high desert coniferous forest. La Malinche breathed. The needles of towering pines served as her alveoli, her slopes her lungs, the smog saturated, people packed, valley below receiving the life giving air. These sounds reached deep inside me and slowly turned an unidentified knob in the right direction.

We started hiking around 10k feet. Every step required more energy than I thought it should. The trail did not meander. It drove straight up the mountain. No switchbacks, no flat spots, just a steep sandy path through the woods. As we went further the path became steeper. I was definitely feeling the altitude now. The group quickly split into packs traveling various speeds. Joe, one of our guides, Pablo, Aaron and myself established the lead and held it unchallenged. Joe is a cool guy, and at 50 something he was handing our asses to us on this hike. The whole time he would say stuff like, "thanks for letting me keep up." We were panting too hard to respond most of the time. 

The original plan was to meet at tree line, about halfway up the mountain. It soon became evident that waiting around for everyone was going to make summiting impossible for anyone. After enough of the group caught up to communicate with, the four of us in front attempted the summit. It looked so close. In reality it wasn't far away. At a lower altitude I could have ran most of the way up. But today each step required extreme motivation. Most of this section of the hike was scree field. Every 2 steps forward slid back 1 step. I began to get a headache. I began picking 20 foot sections of trail and conquering each section individually, without thinking of the mountain as a whole. After the scree field was a boulder climb, and then the summit. It was amazing to be this high. I definitely had a headache now, and I was borderline nauseated. We took pictures, rested, and then headed back down. We were already racing daylight. I felt like a wimp, succumbing to the altitude. But I soon I felt justified as the guys with cell service found out that this mountain was taller than any in the contiguous United States. I  here to say that the air is pretty thin at 14,600 feet, at least for this Florida boy. 

On the way back down we passed another cohort of our group making an attempt for the summit. They would make it, but they would be hiking off the mountain in the dark. A third part of our group had turned around at the tree line, a respectable 12,500 feet of elevation. My headache got worse as we descended. Every jolting step bashed my brain against its cage. By the time we were back at camp I felt like my head was going to split open.

 Back at camp we began to set everyone's tents up and start cooking supper. I could hardly move. I had already had 5 liters of water, but I quickly loaded a liter of water with electrolytes and down it. After half an hour the water took an edge off of my headache, and I continued to push through the pain as we set up camp for the rest of the group. The altitude sickness was kind of scary. I worried if I would be able to sleep. I wondered if I had compromised my aclimitization, jeopardizing future summits. I wished I had read the high altitude chapter in my Wilderness Medicine textbook. 

The rest of the evening was uneventful, uncomfortable, and not really worth mentioning. Suffice it to say that we went to bed way passed my bedtime. I slept well though, even though I was up to go to the bathroom twice in the night. I guess that's what you get for drinking 7 liters of water in a day. Each time I was up in the night, my headache was a little better. By the morning, I felt pretty good, with just a residual frontal discomfort. 

Mexico - Pyramids

The Pyramid of the Sun (bigger)  and the Pyramid of the Moon (smaller)  rose solidly out of the dry ground and into the hazy atmosphere. Pablo and I raced to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. I haven't felt so anemic since I don't know when. Starting at 8k feet and running 200 feet straight up really sent my lungs for a loop.

Mexico - first morning

Slept super well with all the fresh air. I did get cold because this bum kept stealing the sheets... I'd steal a little back and sleep some more. 

Mexico - Tire repair

How much does it cost to get a tire fixed in Mexico? 3 dollars. 20 minutes and 50 pesos gave us the opportunity to watch some professional tire changers at work.

I was amazed at the dexterity with which these guys found the leak, broke the bead, removed the tire, prepared the patch, and reinstalled the tire and wheel. They made it look easy. I know from experience that it is not easy. They even took care to avoid scratching our nice alloy wheels. Very impressed. 

Mexico - Grand plan

This morning we plan to explore the Pyramid of the sun. To get there we drive north east out of Mexico city.

Tonight we camp at the base of La Malinche (middle star on map). Sabbath we summit this smaller peak. 

Next is La Iztaccihuakle, Ixta for short, which is over 17k feet tall (western star in map). 

Orizaba is next (eastern star on map) at over 18k feet. 

Mexico - first day pictures

Mexico - Vamanos!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Luke Scott" <captnluke@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 1, 2018 10:29 PM
Subject: Mexico - Vamanos!
To: "Shutter Click Moments" <captnluke.pics@blogger.com>
Cc:

I quit writing papers at 11pm, and set my alarm for 4:30am. I was still behind in school, but I needed sleep before starting this trip.

Final gear checks were completed in the morning and we set off for the airport. Traffic on I75 coming into Atlanta from the north was very heavy, and we worried we would miss our flight. We arrived at our gate and boarded our Southwest flight for Houston just in time.

We arrived in Mexico City without incident. The airplane came down through a broken ceiling at 2500 feet. Underneath the clouds lay the sprawling city. Miles and miles of urban streets and buildings were enveloped in smog. The air didn't even look breathable. After clearing customs and exchanging American cash for local Pesos, the leaders and Spanish speakers in our group set out to rent vehicles. The rest of us stayed in the airport with our bags. I fell asleep in the pile of luggage. Three hours and one 13 peso ice cream cone later, our vehicles arrived. Loaded to the gills with bags of gear, we raced through the evening traffic.

Our apartment is awesome. It is a multi-story labyrinth laced together with thin metal spiral staircases. There is a small rooftop area with comfy chairs overlooking the city. This house is literally bigger vertically than horizontally. Some guys and I laid claim to the the highest bedroom, a cubby hole like room just beneath the roof sitting area. With windows on three sides we expected plenty of flowing air. The air is almost tactical. An indescribable slurry of scents wafts eternally through the pollution laden air.

For grub we walked down the narrow streets to a taco place. We were told by a local that this particular taco place was legit local food. It was so legit that they didn't have anything vegetarian. Across the block we found another street side vendor making quesadillas. These are nothing like quesadillas in the US. Cheese is not a staple here, but a light garnish. Fresh corn tortillas are filled with meat or potatoes and folded before being deep fried to a golden brown and sprinkled with cheese. Some of us also ventured to a corner bakery selling all kinds of pastries.

We are off the street now, sitting together and discussing our plans. I'm super tired, and ready to hit the hay. 

Tomorrow we tour the Teotihuacan pyramids and then camp at La Malinche. Sabbath we plan to summit La Malinche. 

Mexico - supper first night

Expedition - Summit Orizaba

I'm supposed to come up with 10 meals for myself on this trip. So I did.

Each meal consists of:

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup pecans

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup almonds

1 Tbs hazelnuts

2 Tbs mixed dried fruit

1 Tbs dark chocolate covered cranberries

5 days have extra Mango, 5 days have extra Peaches

That should be around 1500 calories. But each meal also has a support package with 1 snickers bar, 1 fruity granola bar, and 2 flax sticks from Clarks Bakery.

Check the blog ShutterClickMoments@blogspot.com for updates and pictures of mountaineering in Mexico this next week.