Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Cruiser route on Orizaba

Thanks Sam. Part of the reason I like to follow behind is to make sure that I have people in the photos. Not only does it provide perspective, but you have the opportunity to catch moments like this. Sebastian was a very strong climber, but hiking up to the Hut from the village below, lack of sleep because there were so many interesting characters at the Hut that night and a fairly tough climb to high altitiude took it out of him. I love that this photo reflects what can happen on high mountains. I like it even more that Sebastian held it together and after a few short breaks we made it back down to the Hut in fine style.

Thanks everybody. Every once-in-a-while it's fun to write up a trip like this. And there's a lot more that we could go on about...

Kurt, your photo album provided a confidence boost for those of us who viewed it. We could see from it that the snow conditions were going to be good.

I also noticed that Scott had been on the trip with you, but I was just too busy last week to post a hearty congratulations to him and the rest of the gang.

Wow,thanks for sharing. Looks like a very good time was had by all...GREAT TR, GREAT photos!

One of the best TRs I've read. Richard, thanks for taking the time to provide the narrative and photos. Congrats to all!

Thanks.

My photo album is captioned and I think I finally got the sequencing right. (I was shooting with two different cameras.)

I think the only one I saw without a camera was John. Where are the rest of the photos?

Out of curiosity, what did this trip cost, not counting airfare?

I dropped a little over $500 while I was down in Mexico. As Lori stated in her post, we probabaly could have done things a bit cheaper, but why bother. This trip was probably the most convenient expedition I've ever been on. Hardly any thinking involved... just follow the driver, kitchen staff, etc... (Where's the Easy Button?)

Man, that's a bargain! Costs me at least twice much each domestic hiking trip out west, not counting airfare.

As for the cost with airfare it was around $800--not bad for such an incredible trip. When I plan trips I like to find a balance between being economical and convenient.

As for pictures, I took some but no where to the degree that Richard did. Will be posting on my website as soon as I get a chance--will post when I do.

Thanks Richard for your timely post--I am still trying to get caught up since returning.

Congratulations Richard, Lori, John and all on a great trip and awesome summit!

Thanks for your TR Richard. Your words created a vivid picture of the expedition for the reader to go along with your beautiful photos. So glad you had an extra day to acclimate to make the summit attainable. It sounds like the HAT also created a great bonding experience. I love working hard to attain a summit and being able to laugh and enjoy through the process is the icing on the cake.

again, felicitaciones, mas, mas!!...

Here you go Richard P

I have been wanting to do this trip for some time now and after reading all the post and talking to souloscrambler the other night it is decided. I am putting it on the schedule for next November. Wish it could be sooner.

Thank to Lori for the links and Souloscrambler for the visit.

That easy button is appropriate if you can acclimatize to 17,000 + feet. That and the weather are the main determinants, but yes, the standard route itself is easy. PS: Roughly half of atmospheric pressure is gone at Orizaba's altitude.

What a great adventure!!! Congrats to the team! I was scheduled to do Orizaba in '88. Trip got cancelled but had I gone and gotten a taste of 18,000+ feet, I'd probably have headed over to the Himalayas... I put climbing big mountains on the backburner until Kili in '07. Now I want to get a few more high altitude peaks under my belt. Thank you for the excellent TR and pix, Richard. You have wet my appetite for Pico and it is next on my list. Who knows... maybe some of the 'crew' will end up planning a trip together? Anythings possible; look what you guys just did!

Since this board seems to have individuals interested in big mountain climbs I thought I would post a notice about the next expedition. (After all my random mentioning of the last trip is how Richard ended up joining us!)

I am currently planning a trip to Ecuador for Spring 2010. Have 1-2 spots open for experienced mountaineers. If interested PM me.

Just to clarify...

When I said easy, I was speaking of the arragements that Lori took care of for us. Dr. Reyes' crew made things smooth as silk.

I would add that thinking that you're going to succeed on a 4-5 schedule is naive. It's a recipe for extreme AMS, HACE, HAPE, etc. If I hadn't spent most of the summer/fall climbing 14ers, I would not have made it on day 5. The rest of the gang also spent a significant amount of time high before the trip.

BTW m.c.: Mike wantst to head down there next autumn. I told him I'd be willing to go again, as long as we throw in a new volcano.

Would make sense to do a couple. Though Iztaccíhuatl is the most popular (next to Pico), Popocatepetl, La Malinche and Navado de Toluca might be options. I haven't researched these peaks yet. I would definitely consider a trip next fall. Something to look forward to!

MC

La Malinche is a good acclimatization climb--I had considered it for our trip.

Richard and Mike--if you guys go I may want to tag along. Had such a great time wouldn't mind a repeat.

Lori,

I've not met you but checked out your TRs...it's inspiring to see how you started just a few years ago (or am I wrong?) and are now going out to higher peaks, creating these adventures through your own research, succeeding on this 18K peak on your first attempt. And also your professional accomplishments. Plus, I loved your quote about hiking alone

18K is most likely out of my range, unless I find myself with more time to train and acclimate for it. I like to think that I know my limitations.

An opportunity to hike again w/Richard and Mike, and meet you, now that's something to look forward to. Maybe I can get put on the list of "reserves"?

Blooty

WOW--you must have visited my personal website- thanks for such kind words.

Yes it has only been a little over two years since I have seriously pursued mountaineering. Prior to that I was focusing on my degrees and company. My plan is to spend the next several years now focusing on climbing to see how far (high) I can go. I enjoy the planning/logistics challenge as much as the climb and want to continue to plan the expeditions as much as possible.

I have seen you posting over time and would welcome getting together for a Sierra climb. Let's connect after the holidays.