Non-Ecuador (i.e. Mexico) and volcanoes

Due to reasons mentioned here this trip has unfortunately also been cancelled.

So... Nature is a brutal mistress and apparently she has been in one of her moods again. Cotopaxi has within the last 48 hours been erupting making it impossible to get near it, and a state of emergency has also been declared in the vicinity. So I received a mail from the travel company saying that due to this they were forced to cancel the trip. Instead they would move us to another trip, same time and similar in altitude and location, but away from all the excitement.

What is it with me and natural disasters in places I am going to?

18^th – 19^th of November

Fly to Mexico City via Amsterdam. An advantage here over the trip to Ecuador is that we don’t leave until noon (no more checking in at 0400 in the morning!). Arriving we spend a day in the city.

20^th of November

We will leave Mexico City and drive out to see Teotihuacán 50km NE of the city. Spend some time looking (and climbing) the pyramids, walking Avenida de los Muertos and being hassled by hagglers. After the visit we leave and drive app. 110km and spend the night at the Toluca hut at 3250m.

21^st of November

Today we will climb the Toluca volcano which is 4640m tall, Mexico’s 4^th highest mountain. The path to the summit (crater edge) will be done by following a path so the technical level will be limited. Coming down again we will drive to the Amecameca village at around 2300m where we spend the night.

22^nd of November

The next goal of the trip is the Iztaccihuatl volcano, Mexico’s 3^rd highest mountain. We will drive to the Alzomoni hut at 3900m via the small village La Joya. In the afternoon after arriving at the hut we will do a small 3-hour walk to a small peak between the hut and Izta giving us a view of the surrounding moutains.

23^rd of November

Today we will be moving our camp up to the Ayoloco hut at 4725m. This day seems to be the most challenging day on the trip due to the hut being exposed to the wind and we have to carry all our gear ourselves during the ascent.  The views from here are beautiful and apparently the sunsets are supposed to be something special.

24^th of November

A 10 hour walk today where we climb and summit Iztaccihuatl (hopefully) at 5230m. From the summit you should among other things be able to see Mexico City and surrounding areas. There are a few different routes we can take depending on the strength of the group but in the end it won’t change much time-wise. Coming down again we drive to Puebla City.

25^th of November

Rest day in Puebla City.

26^th of November

We’ll drive app. 150km to Tlachichuca where we’ll swap over to 4-wheel drives and continue on to the Piedra Grande hut at 4260m on the northern side of Pico Orizaba, our final goal. The volcano is the tallest point in Mexico, and 3^rd tallest on the North American continent (only surpassed by Denali and Mt. Logan).

27^th of November

A short 3 hour walk today in conditions that could be dry and rocky, or there can be snow, or even ice. We will ascent to 4700m to the final camp on a plateau with a beautiful view of the volcano.

28^th of November

Starting the summit attempt before dawn to spend as much time on the snow before the sun worsens the conditions. We will be following the Jamapa glacier with an average incline of 35° which means we will be roped together on the entire walk. Reaching the summit at 5746m we will be able to see the Mexican Gulf to the east and the central plateau to the West. Coming down again we will drive back to Tlachichuca where we spend the night. The day is estimated to 10-12 hours so not much longer than when climbing Iztaccihuatl, but the temps will according to the description be very low.

29^th of November

Transfer back to Mexico City

30^th of November – 1^st of December

Flight back to Copenhagen via Paris. Late departure from Mexico so no need to get up early.