Trip Reports

Mexican Volcanoes 3 - 18 Nov '06

Reaching the crater rim on Orizaba
Trip Report

Written by Leader Tim Blakemore, January 2007

Within this cosmopolitan bunch we had representations from England, Scotland, United States, Germany, Denmark and Yorkshire, a common enough occurrence on Jagged Globe expeditions, indeed one of the reasons they are interesting to lead, and take part in.

The team met at London Heathrow and the twelve hour flight was without incident, though the passing of the Greenland Ice Cap was a highlight, seeing icebergs breaking off and setting out to sea. We were met in Mexico City by Amparo, Hector´s (our in country agent) sister, who took us to the opulence of the Maria Christina Hotel. A short while to freshen up then we were out to the first of our gourmet experiences (a pattern was to emerge) which involved the inevitable Corona, Tequila and refried beans, all in excess.

The next day was a visit to the Teotihuacan Pyramids. It´s easy to be blasé about this tourist area but they are an incredible sight and seem almost otherworldly, and to some extent they are. The Aztecs who discovered them after they had been deserted for centuries believed they had been built by a race of Gods. The day also involved a further gourmet experience in a cave! And a nocturnal venture into the tourist area to sample the legendary steaks of Mexico.

You can only eat so much however (and we were to dicover how much) so the team set off for the first objective of the expedition: Nevada de Toluca (4,691m). The next few days were spent acclimatising on both peaks of this interesting extinct volcano, and the entire team succeeded in summiting the main peak, a great start! We descended to the town of Toluca to rest weary limbs and restock on refried beans, steak and Corona.

The following day is spent visiting the Botanical Gardens in Toluca (art lovers will appreciate the stained glass in the building) then lunch (i.e. more than you can eat) in Mexico City's Chapultapec Park and finally on to a relaxing Hacienda in Amecameca. And finally more food (mountains of Paella) in a local restaurant.

The team were by now itching to get to the high camp of Izta (5,260m) to burn all those calories we had accrued. We decided to attempt the Glacier de Ayoloco route to the summit, a beautiful line involving climbing snow slopes at around Scottish Grade 1. The whole team were moving really well, though we all found the carry of our personal equipment tough at this altitude. On summit day we all left before dawn and set off in our various teams with the local guides. Sadly Bill just "ran out of gas" and had to return from about one hour from the summit with a local guide. The remainder however enjoyed vistas that rival anywhere I have climbed and made the summit in a respectable three and a half hours. We all returned to the Hacienca for rest, refried beans and a day off in Amecameca, where we enjoyed an "all you can eat buffet". Alfredo (one of our local guides) was clearly disappointed in our lack of gusto (we only returned to the table three or four times) and advised that if we drank less to begin with we would have more room for food!

Well rested, the team then headed for the final, and ultimate objective: Orizaba (5,700m). This is North America’s 3rd highest peak and a great objective involving sustained glacier climbing at around Scottish grade 1 at altitude. We staggered the ascent, sleeping at the Pierre Grande Hut (4,230m), then establishing a high camp at around 4,900m. This altitude profile is really important and one of the reasons Jagged Globe continues to reap the excellent results it does in terms of numbers on summits. We all met other western climbers who were attempting the peak in a much faster profile and they all (bar the odd lucky one) seemed doomed to fail at best, and to be victims of AMS at worst. The evening before our summit attempt we saw our first bad weather (Mexico is blessed with stable weather at this time of year) and everyone must have been lying in their tents wondering about the next day?

We needn’t have worried as next day dawned clear and saw the whole team roped up in their respective teams (we had a total of 6 guides on the mountain, another ingredient in the success of these expeditions). We all made fantastic progress with ideal conditions on the glacier and I have never been on a trip where I was so certain of everyone making it. Bill seemed to have refuelled and was rocketing away and Pia (who said she was testing her legs after an accident) became the Bionic Women. So, within 3 or 4 hours the whole team had summited our ultimate objective: Orizaba and enjoyed the views across this amazing country.

After another character building 4 x 4 descent to the small village of Tlatichuca we were on our way back to Mexico City ahead of itinerary and looking forward to seeing the sights of this vibrant latin capital. The next two days were spent enjoying the art, culture, gastronomy and vibe of Mexico City. I for one am looking forward to returning.

Tim Blakemore, expedition leader« Previous report | »

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