Bienvenidos a Mexico!
Everyone has safely arrived with all of their bags, and we met up to do a gear check before heading to a delicious first dinner of traditional Mexican tacos, tortas, volcanes, and more! The team is looking forward to getting some rest before we really kick things off tomorrow and head out of Mexico City.
We will keep you updated as we go!
Ari and team
Team Molé Mayhem celebrating up high!
After getting up at 2am, hours of climbing in the dark before being treated to a beautiful sunrise and mountain shadow, we have stood on the summit of Pico de Orizaba! (Not everyone in photo attached as rope teams summitted at different times). 3rd highest peak in North America, we were briefly the highest people on our continent as the other 2 peaks aren’t climbed in the winter season. It was a big effort from the team and everyone is tired but very excited with the accomplishment! All back down safely, we had a celebratory dinner and wine. Today we also got to stop and see Teotihuacan, a city of ruins that include the 3rd largest pyramid in the world, on our way back to Mexico City. Tonight we wrap up a great trip with a final meal together before folks start departing back home. Thanks for following along!
Ari
Acclimatization and Skills at Orizaba Base Camp
Team Molé Mayhem Summits Sierra Negra!
Today the group had a great breakfast then drove around to Sierra Negra. We all stood on top at ~15,300ft and everyone was feeling good! Back down to a delicious lunch before heading up to Orizaba basecamp at 14k ft where we will spend the next 2 nights. The team is excited to finally get onto the mountain we’ve been looking at, and be that much closer to standing on the top of Mexico!
Thanks for following along!
Lots of learning for Team Molé Mayhem!
Today we had a nice slow morning, followed by a walking tour of Puebla that included the oldest library in the Americas, and a few very ornate and beautiful cathedrals. After lunch with a great view of the largest cathedral we headed out of town and have now arrived at Zoapan, our lodging for the night. The team enjoyed sunset rooftop views of Orizaba and is ready for a full day tomorrow! We have also voted on a team name, and after an entertaining event involving at least 10 spoons and many types of the traditional Mexican dish called molé, we are now team Molé Mayhem!
We will check in via satellite phone from Orizaba basecamp at 14,000ft tomorrow evening!
Ari
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’.
