OTHER Trip Report 12/15/2015

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Pico de Orizaba - 18500
Date Posted	12/15/2015
Date Climbed	11/24/2015
Author	BirdMan

Pico de Orizaba: Getting There
As 2015 began I was just four 14ers away from finishing up all 58! So, I was already thinking about the "what next" question when my friend Jared and I started kicking around the idea of going for the 3rd highest peak in North America, the 18,500' volcano named Pico de Orizaba, aka Citlaltépetl. It didn't hurt that he thought his brother Jason would also be interested in going and, oh yeah, did I mention they're both fluent in Spanish! Knowing that we'd have no issues with the language, all I had to do was convince my ace climbing partner Steve to join us so we'd be sure to have no issues when we were actually on the mountain. Luckily, that wasn't too much of a hard sell - he just had to agree to meet his wife and girls in Cancun after we'd had our fun. So, with Steve on-board our gang of four had come together. It felt like such a strong team and with Jared handling pretty much all of the logistics everything was really coming together. What could possibly go wrong? Right...? Having boarded the Saturday afternoon United flight from Denver to Puebla, Steve captured the below pic of my backpack falling off conveyer belt. Uh, shoot... Could that be a sign of things to come? We flew through Houston and I couldn't resist posing as my favorite president - kidding! So, we made it to Puebla, Mexico in good spirits and I jokingly commented on how easy it would be to clear customs without any luggage. Careful what you ask for... As the baggage handlers brought out all the bags it became apparent my backpack was not among them. Maybe those Bush jokes in Houston had angered the Gods. Uh, Houston? We definitely have a problem... without all my gear how would I get up the mountain?!? As we made the necessary claim on my lost bag I hoped I wouldn't have to find out. Note: If you travel with any of your climbing gear in your carry-on bag, do yourself a favor and make sure you at least have your boots. That way if your bag gets lost at least you're not trying to get used to a new set of boots for your climb! I was glad I had followed this advice myself! We left the airport, me a bit lighter without my gear, and took a taxi to our hotel for the night. The next morning we caught a bus out of Puebla bound for the small town of Tlachichuca (pop. ~7,000). Volcanoes, volcanoes, everywhere! Mexican street scene on the bus ride to Tlachichuca. The Canchola's hotel was like an oasis in Tlachichuca. It was great to be at the jumping off point for the mountain. We were finally so close! We began to be surrounded by other climbers returning from their summit bids and were getting first hand information on the conditions. But some of the reports were frankly a little depressing. A group of 3 climbers arrived in drenched gear indicating that they didn't get to the summit due to rain. Uh, rain...? That was something none of us had expected or planned for. Snow and strong wind for sure, but rain? First I didn't have my gear with me and now that we were down here and there was significant rain on the mountain? I can't speak for my 3 partners but my mood at this point was definitely starting to sour. I was honestly starting to think we'd have something like a 30% chance of getting to the summit. Ugh... We had incurred the expense of going down to Mexico and were away from family over the Thanksgiving Holiday only to not get to the summit? Dark times indeed... But one of the many reasons you have travel companions is to appreciate their different viewpoints. It was about this time one of the group said that the following day we would have to just head up to the mountain and "put ourselves in a chance to get lucky and hope for the best". Another example of mountaineering wisdom which equally applies to life itself. Classic. As Sunday afternoon wore on the clouds came and went. On the roof of the hotel we were able to get our first glimpses of the mountain. As quick as Orizaba revealed itself it would again disappear into the clouds. I was anxious to get up to the trailhead to see what the conditions were firsthand, but also afraid of what it would be like up there. Our first look. Holy smokes, that's a big steep thing! Having no gear other than my boots, socks, hats and gloves the Cancholas assured me they could outfit me with everything I needed. My list of what I needed was long and since we were set to head up to the mountain the following morning I was a little desperate to confirm they truly had gear I could use and to see what quality it would be. I suppose I didn't feel like I would truly be able to climb the mountain until I again had a full set of gear in my possession and had a feel for what I was going to be using. My anxiety may have made me ask our hosts a little too often when I would be getting a look at the gear they had. I didn't want to be a pest but I was uneasy in a way that only getting my hands on my gear would resolve. Once the gear was forthcoming my mood improved significantly. Here I am fully outfitted and finally starting to feel better about things. Citlaltépetl here we come! Around 10 am the next morning after another great meal at the hotel it was time to pack up and take the 2 hour drive up the rough road to the Grand Piedra hut at roughly 14,000'. Getting a look at the mountain under the sun and clear skies did us all a world of good. Getting closer. We arrived at the hut a little after noon, but where did our clear skies go? We scrambled to get our tents up and get organized as quick as we could in case the afternoon clouds turned to rain. Once the campsites were established it was time to go for our planned acclimatization hike up to ~16,000' and into the Labyrinth. Aptly named, this section of the route is a bit of a maze - a confusing combination of many different routes, cairns and markers resulting in the most accidents on the mountain. Leaving camp, the aqueduct is initially paved but ends quickly. Higher up - the Jamapa Glacier and the summit! Spirits were high as we started out - each of us quickly reaching the highest points we'd ever hiked to. Approaching the Labyrinth. The afternoon clouds continued to hang around. As we got higher the elevation began taking it's toll. We were all feeling slight headaches at ~16,000'. We learned later that Jason was feeling the worst, throwing up before dinner and generally feeling nauseous most of the night. A last look at the glacier and the summit, it was time to turn-around and head down for the day. Getting back to camp. Having accomplished our goals of establishing camp and completing our acclimatization hike we now had the time to explore our surroundings before an early dinner. A few shots of the hut shrouded in mist. A look inside - be it ever so humble... Thoughts of those who had come before us. The rest of the accommodations left a bit to be desired! We cooked our dinner enjoying the relative warmth of the hut and the camaraderie of the few fellow climbers there were. We finished dinner around 6:00 pm and hit the sack around 6:30 pm. An unbelievably early bedtime but with a 2:00 am wake-up call it seemed like the right thing to do. A last look down into the valley as the clouds seemed to pour down from the higher elevation. Moonrise over our tent as we hoped to be able to get some rest to be ready for our summit day! Pico de Orizaba: Summit Day and Heading Home Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Pico de Orizaba: Getting There

As 2015 began I was just four 14ers away from finishing up all 58! So, I was already thinking about the "what next" question when my friend Jared and I started kicking around the idea of going for the 3rd highest peak in North America, the 18,500' volcano named Pico de Orizaba, aka Citlaltépetl.

It didn't hurt that he thought his brother Jason would also be interested in going and, oh yeah, did I mention they're both fluent in Spanish! Knowing that we'd have no issues with the language, all I had to do was convince my ace climbing partner Steve to join us so we'd be sure to have no issues when we were actually on the mountain. Luckily, that wasn't too much of a hard sell - he just had to agree to meet his wife and girls in Cancun after we'd had our fun. So, with Steve on-board our gang of four had come together.

It felt like such a strong team and with Jared handling pretty much all of the logistics everything was really coming together. What could possibly go wrong?

Right...?

Having boarded the Saturday afternoon United flight from Denver to Puebla, Steve captured the below pic of my backpack falling off conveyer belt. Uh, shoot... Could that be a sign of things to come?

We flew through Houston and I couldn't resist posing as my favorite president - kidding!

So, we made it to Puebla, Mexico in good spirits and I jokingly commented on how easy it would be to clear customs without any luggage. Careful what you ask for... As the baggage handlers brought out all the bags it became apparent my backpack was not among them. Maybe those Bush jokes in Houston had angered the Gods. Uh, Houston? We definitely have a problem... without all my gear how would I get up the mountain?!?

As we made the necessary claim on my lost bag I hoped I wouldn't have to find out.

Note: If you travel with any of your climbing gear in your carry-on bag, do yourself a favor and make sure you at least have your boots. That way if your bag gets lost at least you're not trying to get used to a new set of boots for your climb! I was glad I had followed this advice myself!

We left the airport, me a bit lighter without my gear, and took a taxi to our hotel for the night. The next morning we caught a bus out of Puebla bound for the small town of Tlachichuca (pop. ~7,000).

Volcanoes, volcanoes, everywhere!

Mexican street scene on the bus ride to Tlachichuca.

The Canchola's hotel was like an oasis in Tlachichuca. It was great to be at the jumping off point for the mountain. We were finally so close! We began to be surrounded by other climbers returning from their summit bids and were getting first hand information on the conditions.

But some of the reports were frankly a little depressing. A group of 3 climbers arrived in drenched gear indicating that they didn't get to the summit due to rain. Uh, rain...? That was something none of us had expected or planned for. Snow and strong wind for sure, but rain?

First I didn't have my gear with me and now that we were down here and there was significant rain on the mountain? I can't speak for my 3 partners but my mood at this point was definitely starting to sour. I was honestly starting to think we'd have something like a 30% chance of getting to the summit. Ugh... We had incurred the expense of going down to Mexico and were away from family over the Thanksgiving Holiday only to not get to the summit? Dark times indeed...

But one of the many reasons you have travel companions is to appreciate their different viewpoints. It was about this time one of the group said that the following day we would have to just head up to the mountain and "put ourselves in a chance to get lucky and hope for the best". Another example of mountaineering wisdom which equally applies to life itself. Classic.

As Sunday afternoon wore on the clouds came and went. On the roof of the hotel we were able to get our first glimpses of the mountain. As quick as Orizaba revealed itself it would again disappear into the clouds. I was anxious to get up to the trailhead to see what the conditions were firsthand, but also afraid of what it would be like up there.

Our first look. Holy smokes, that's a big steep thing!

Having no gear other than my boots, socks, hats and gloves the Cancholas assured me they could outfit me with everything I needed. My list of what I needed was long and since we were set to head up to the mountain the following morning I was a little desperate to confirm they truly had gear I could use and to see what quality it would be. I suppose I didn't feel like I would truly be able to climb the mountain until I again had a full set of gear in my possession and had a feel for what I was going to be using.

My anxiety may have made me ask our hosts a little too often when I would be getting a look at the gear they had. I didn't want to be a pest but I was uneasy in a way that only getting my hands on my gear would resolve. Once the gear was forthcoming my mood improved significantly.

Here I am fully outfitted and finally starting to feel better about things. Citlaltépetl here we come!

Around 10 am the next morning after another great meal at the hotel it was time to pack up and take the 2 hour drive up the rough road to the Grand Piedra hut at roughly 14,000'.

Getting a look at the mountain under the sun and clear skies did us all a world of good.

Getting closer.

We arrived at the hut a little after noon, but where did our clear skies go? We scrambled to get our tents up and get organized as quick as we could in case the afternoon clouds turned to rain.

Once the campsites were established it was time to go for our planned acclimatization hike up to ~16,000' and into the Labyrinth. Aptly named, this section of the route is a bit of a maze - a confusing combination of many different routes, cairns and markers resulting in the most accidents on the mountain.

Leaving camp, the aqueduct is initially paved but ends quickly. Higher up - the Jamapa Glacier and the summit!

Spirits were high as we started out - each of us quickly reaching the highest points we'd ever hiked to.

Approaching the Labyrinth.

The afternoon clouds continued to hang around.

As we got higher the elevation began taking it's toll. We were all feeling slight headaches at ~16,000'. We learned later that Jason was feeling the worst, throwing up before dinner and generally feeling nauseous most of the night.

A last look at the glacier and the summit, it was time to turn-around and head down for the day.

Getting back to camp.

Having accomplished our goals of establishing camp and completing our acclimatization hike we now had the time to explore our surroundings before an early dinner.

A few shots of the hut shrouded in mist.

A look inside - be it ever so humble...

Thoughts of those who had come before us.

The rest of the accommodations left a bit to be desired!

We cooked our dinner enjoying the relative warmth of the hut and the camaraderie of the few fellow climbers there were. We finished dinner around 6:00 pm and hit the sack around 6:30 pm. An unbelievably early bedtime but with a 2:00 am wake-up call it seemed like the right thing to do.

A last look down into the valley as the clouds seemed to pour down from the higher elevation.

Moonrise over our tent as we hoped to be able to get some rest to be ready for our summit day!

Pico de Orizaba: Summit Day and Heading Home

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

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