Team Scouts the Route on Orizaba
Please note that the call drops abruptly. The team is doing well and is resting before their summit push!
Mexico Volcanoes: Rest Day in Puebla
The team rested up in Puebla today- we slept in and had a very leisurely breakfast in the courtyard of our hotel. We went on a walking tour through Puebla lead by Arnoldo, who showed the group some historically significant places including the oldest library in the Americas and the first theater in the Americas. Puebla has a vibrant, colorful city center of colonial architecture and cobblestone streets. We had lunch on the city square overlooking the main cathedral and then hit the road for Zoapan, where we will celebrate New Year’s Eve at Orizaba Mountain Guides’ compound and prepare ourselves for our next mountain objectives. We wish you all a very happy last night of the year!
Hannah
The team summits Sierra Negra and heads to Orizaba BC
Mexico Volcanoes- Team summits La Malinche
Hi all,
Today the team climbed La Malinche, (14,501’) which is usually a dirt trail through forest into the alpine, but today we had very unusual, icy conditions. Our Mexican guide, Chito said he’s climbed this mountain many many times and has never needed crampons to climb it, but today was a first! Strong winds and cold temps overnight made the mountain very icy above treeline and the team ended up having a full value mountaineering experience. We climbed the upper mountain in our boots and crampons, and large portions of it in our parkas. The tall grasses, rocks and thistles were all covered in thick rime and we had about 100’ of visibility for the majority of the climb until finally being rewarded with a few moments of clarity on the summit that allowed us to see nearby volcanoes Popo, Ixta, and Orizaba. The team absolutely crushed!
After climbing we came down to Puebla at 7000’ to eat traditional mole dishes for dinner and get a good night of sleep in our very comfortable hotel. We’re psyched for the adventure we had today and looking forward to more as we set our sights towards Orizaba.
Hannah
The Team Prepares to Climb La Malinche
This was my first international experience with AAI and i enjoyed it tremendously. The coordination between the Mexican support teams and AAI was literally flawless. There were no noticeable ‘hiccups’.
