I’ll start off by saying that this trip was full of surprises. The first one was being that my climbing buddy was the one who luckily roped me into the trip. When he said if I wanted to climb some volcanoes, I was simply like sure. I had done plenty of climbing before. It would be fun and it was something new. We went in February of 2026 . We had about 6 months of prep time and to my misfortune my job decided to change me to night shift, which heavily affected several things.
As time and the trip had gotten closer I realized that we would be climbing 3 volcanoes and the highest one being Pico De Orizba with a elevation of roughly 18,461 Ft above sea level. I had also only climbed Mount Rainer which was roughly 14,410 feet above sea level and that was a few years ago. Luckily Tenacity and driven spite can help accomplish major feats. Most of the time it is also proper mindset
We will skip all of the packing and gear that I had to get and forgot that I had even had. The gears and downsides of gear acquisition. I have many pieces of gear that have no become sentimental. Some pieces of clothing nearly 15 years old
Day 1
So Day one involved me driving down to Bangor Airport in Maine, of course in the middle of a snow storm trying to find parking after some last minute packing thinking I had plenty of time. As most of the spots had been plowed in. I was able to finally find a spot and rushed to get through security, check my bag and sit down at the gate to finally relax.
Skyline of NYC seen from the gate after making it to Newark
It was a decent amount of flight time and I believe I had 2 transfers, one to Newark and the other one was Houston Texas. After all of the travel I finally ended up in Mexico City. Most of the flight time was quiet, not too many crying kids like my last trip. I finally landed. After getting through customs and my gear, I somehow got a taxi and then got dropped off near my hotel and walked the remaining 2 blocks.
I met up with my buddy David in Mexico and when going up the stairs that is when it hit me that I was around 7k feet. We went and grabbed some food at a local restaurant where they had delicious tortilla soup that was served very well. We headed back to the hotel and passed out as Day 2 would be busy.
Day 2
Day 2 went quick. We quickly got food and then caught a bus to Puebla where our guide for the remainder of the trip would meet us. After the 2 hour bus ride we arrived a Puebla Bus terminal where we met Oscar our guide, loaded up and headed to a local campground in Malinche National Park which would be our first climb of the trip. La Malinche is an active volcano that is roughly 14,436 feet above sea level. We would be camping around 10,000 Feet. Another new thing for me.
Waiting at the bus station
After checking into the campground, we did a gear check, had food and then went to bed to get up early around midnight to start the climb. It was more of laying down horizontal and trying to sleep and to some extent just laying flat with eyes open.
Day 3. A nice alpine start
Midnight/early am had come fast and we started our trek illuminated by headlamps. We were fortunate to have a support crew of local dogs that decided to follow us all the way to to the summit.
The path was relaxing, up hill through meadows of green, leading to alpine terrain with views all around. We had caught the sunrise on the way up with just one lone dog that was still following up.
Up close to the the summit the views got better and clearer. The lights from nearby cities were now illuminated by sunlight as they faded away When we reached the top I was astonished by the 360 views and level of visibility. We were also able to see Pico De Orizba in the distance clear as day.. After taking in the views, petting the dogs we headed back down to the campground running into more dogs and people on the way down. I forgot how different areas can look when they chance from darkness to day. This time after leaving the campground we would head back into Puebla where we would check into the air b and b that we would be staying in for the rest of the trip.
We passed tons of groups and just people enjoying the outdoors on the way down.
The drive back was enjoyable, Its also humbling and important to be exposed to other cultures and ways of life. We checked into the air B and B and I was surprised by the view of Popocatépetl which remains a very much active volcano. We both passed out after ordering some local food. In the middle of the night I was woken up by the ferris wheel that lit up in the middle of the city which was quite the view.
Day 4 Rest day and Chocula
I woke up up extremely sore and would later find out that I strained both of my quads. Though on the plus side I was becoming more acclimated to the altitude and barely above sea level that I was used to in Maine.
We ventured out to Chocula checking out the local attractions including religious structures, local festivities, and even some ruins, and of course local food which was delicious. Again google translate was very helpful with interactions.
After some more local exploration and tourism we heading back to the hotel.
Day 5
The next day we would be heading towards Iztaccíhuatl which is the 3rd largest volcanoe in Mexico.
Another long car ride through various small towns led us to the park entrance where we waited for the next guide. Soon followed a bumpy ride to the trail head where we would set up camp before setting out early am for an early alpine hike. At this time I was pretty sure I injured or overused a quad. I made the hard decision to stay low and not make the attempt to attempt to summit for fear of further injury or putting the other climbing party members at risk. The trail head was hustling and bustling with climbers heading up and heading down. We found a spot to set up our tents.
After a quick meal and again laying horizontal but not sleeping at roughly 13k elevation. Again this was all new for me and took awhile and mental checks to make sure that I had effective breathing. It was also interesting to see how high my hr was while adapting to the elevation change. But by this time I was finally getting dialed in. My gear was good, no blisters or full injuries yet.
The weather forecast for the climb looked good. My climbing buddy and the guide left around midnight. I think I got up around 5 or 6 and caught the sunrise from a view point. It was truly spectacular seeing the terrain come to life as the sun took over. I was also pleasantly surprised by some breathtaking views of Popocatépetl which was a very much active volcano that was actively exhibiting smoke. I still couldn’t believe the views that I was seeing as well. It’s a weird feeling to be looking at images on a computer and then actually looking at the views and scenery right in front of you. The latin term “ Memento Mori” roughly translates to “ remember you must die”. Life is fragile and I plan to take advantage of the ability to travel. These trips don’t come without large sacrifices and planning that most people are unaware of and I just don’t complain about. Its quite simple We aren’t getting this time back. When I used to work for the USPS I knew people who retired and then died, leaving dreams, money, and goals, unspent. That is another topic for another time however.
Many time while hiking with the bad leg I would just take everything in. After sauntering around I headed back to base camp and ironically met up with my climbing partner David and the guide whom had turned around due to concerns about the ice. We all headed back to basecamp somewhat together. The base camp had pretty much emptied out due to it being a week day. After a period of packing up and waiting we headed back to town and then the hotel.
Day 6
We both spend the day /night recovering. The next hike would be the highlight of the trek, Pico De Orziba was the largest volcano in Mexico. The elevation of the mountain is roughly 18,491 feet.
Again everything I was doing out here was new territory for me given the elevation. A lot of the mountaineering techniques I was familiar with due to training and experience while in the Northeast and with some of the stupid stuff I’ve done. I should probably come up with a list of the near death experience I have had. The closest one was in Pinkam Notch in NH where bluntly put, I got a bit cocky and with proper gear I slid down about 45 feet into 2 trees. I was very lucky to walk away from that truthfully, and have since done ‘ego checks’ and hubris checks while on the trail. Enough about that that.
This was another rest recovery tourism day.
Day 7
We packed up again to begin the drive to the camping shelter which was around 14k feet. We had to make a quick stop and pick up another pair of climbers whom would ne joining us. We picked them up and also had a great lunch. We then stopped into another local town where we would transfer all of the gear to the 4×4 truck and then begin the drive to the shelter where we would stay for the night before waking up uber early again to climb. The road wasn’t bad,it felt like Maine logging roads but with much more elevation gain. For some of the other riders it was new to them. I just enjoyed the ride and nodded off getting woken up every know and then when my head would nail the side window. Good times.
We finally made to the shelter extremely late. I wish I remembered how late we got there. All I remember is laying down flat for 3 hours and then getting up with maybe only 30 minutes of actual sleep. Now the fun part of waking up was hoping that the monster drink that I had brought up was not going to explode at 14k feet. We all woke up, got ready and shoveled down some food as to get ready for our hard time start. Monster, Diamox, and garlic, and snacks. I’ve had weirder combinations.
We donned gear and harnesses and started the vertical ascent. Unfortunately one of the climbers in our group had to turn around due to altitude sickness. So we 3 pushed forward. I could feel the altitude starting to push at me with every step. I just focused on breathing and distracted myself with random thoughts and flashbacks. We ended up passing numerous groups. It was still pitch black out. Only the trail of headlamps lit the way.
We made it to a small section where the glacier travel started. We switched to crampons and then roped up in a 3 person setup. Again Small steps with timed brakes. This part was awesome. It was kicking my butt and making me breath harder. We crested the summit as the sunrise occurred. We all took a much
needed break.
My climbing buddy will hate me for this but he coined that he looked like the Michelin man with his puffy jacket on. The view of the region was breathtaking. Gotta live life full.
Nothing to exciting worth mentioning on the way down or back to the airport.
Thanks for reading.
-C
Previous Post