Summit Success on Iztaccihuatl (17,158′)

Greetings from Puebla, Mexico.  Our group reached the summit of Iztaccihuatl yesterday.  The weather was clear with a slight breeze.  Overall it made for excellent conditions for climbing.

After arriving in Mexico City on November 6 we have spent the last couple of days acclimatizing to the high altitude we will soon be climbing in.  Iztaccihuatl is an Aztec name that means “sleeping lady”.  When viewed from the town below, Amecameca, it looks like a lady lying on her back.  Our route is called “The Knees Route” and basically traverses along the ridge line of the mountain from the knees to its summit which is the chest.

Today we will travel to the town of Tlachichuca at the base of Orizaba.  We plan to spend the day in preparation for climbing the third highest mountain in North America at 18,410′.

Here are a few highlights from our climb:

Iztaccihuatl from the trailhead at La Joya. Our route traverses from the right side to the left. The group from left to right: Kurt Wedberg, Scott McCay, James Duke, Matthew Harris, Mike "Tater" Tate, and Miriam Diaz.

The team high on Iztaccihuatl pauses for a photo as the sun begins to reveal the first signs of morning in the distance.

The team high on Iztaccihuatl at 6:45 AM en route to the summit.

Reaching the summit of a big peak is always an emotional experience.

A happy group on the summit of Iztaccihuatl (17,158')

Packed and ready for Mexico’s Volcanoes

November marks our annual trip to climb Mexico’s Volcanoes.  Our objective will be to climb two volcanoes in this beautiful country:  Iztaccihuatl (17,158′) and El Pico de Orizaba (18,410′).  We will fly to Mexico City tomorrow then on Saturday drive a couple hours outside of Mexico City to Popo/Ixta National Park where we plan to spend a little time acclimatizing before making our summit attempt on “Ixta”.  Later next week we will travel south and east to Orizaba.

We will try to send updates when we can.  Check back or sign up for our blog to receive news and updates!

Packing for Mexico's Volcanoes