Pico De Orizaba

This is Pico de Orizaba the thrid highest mountain in North America, over 18000 feet in height. After much planning and orgainizing including evaluating which motorcycle gear could be used as climbing gear, negotiating and renting gear from two seperated rental agencies in a town at the base of the mountain, negotiating with another village mayor to look after my motorbike after I decided I could not drive it to the base of the mountain, purchasing a government topographic map of the mountain in Mexico City, I was ready to go. But first I had to hike in from the last village, Guadalupe Hildalgo where I left the bike to the refugio where I would sleep before the climb. This was a hike from about 3300 meters to about 4200 meters. After I completed the hike I understood why I was the only person to do this, in my time there... I felt exhausted. This part of the hike was particularly difficult. I am about a mile from the refugio and am hiking up a slight uphill grade. Everytime I look up the refugio looks no closer and the road looks to go on forever. The refugio can barely be made out in this picture, a small hut in the middle of the picture. Pico de Orizaba looms above.


As I arrived at the refugio the climbers hut was full of folks that planned on attempting the summit Sunday morning. There were about 20 guys and gals in the hut and one dog. It was amazing to see all the climbers together as on this day I was the only tourist. I have always thought of climbing as being a sport of the upper middle class white folks, at least it seems this way in the US, so it was quite interesting to see all these Mexican climbers with all kinds of differnet gear cooking food and chatting in the refugio. Some of the climbers were guides that were paid to lead groups to the top of the mountain. There was a coordinator who stayed behind in the refugio with a radio and good set of binoculars who kept track of the guys that were climbing with him. This is his dog Sasha.


Here is the refugio. 20 people in this room, four a bunk, with two sets of bunks racked three high. I do not know if it was because of the altitude or the fact that I was feeling sick, but I could not sleep a wink. After a prolonged coughing fit at midnight I decided that I would not get up with the rest of the climbers at 2 AM for an attempt at the summit. This turned out to be a good decision as I finally got some rest after everyone left and felt alot better then next day. At 6 AM I could hear the wind howling outside the refugio, and I wondered to myself if this was normal. It was not normal, and everyone of the climbers that left in the morning returned without reaching the summit. Everyone encouraged me to stay anther day and give the mountain a shot Monday morning. Initally I had not planned on staying two days, but after all the encouraging words from everyone, I changed my mind. As I was a bit short on food I accepted most of a pack of hotdogs, half a coke, and a some vanilla wafers to suppliment my food supply. Those hot dogs were deliciouse!

Monday I attempted the climb. To make a long story short, after alot of planning, my head lamp was not working properly and I had to return to the refugio. I only climbed from 4200 to about 4500 meters and was back in bed by 3:30 AM after leaving at 2:00. I was disappointed that a gear failure was what prevented me from climbing to the top, but happy with my decision to return. In the middle of the night on the side of the mountain, I felt lonely. The thought of having my old light go out was not comforting.


I returned to town the next day and talked with Michael, a traveler from Lithunian. He had joined me at the refugio Sunday night, but not feeling well had returned to town. As he is a Lithunian, and this is a sort of Russian, I gather, he is not smiling for his picture.