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Jen Higgins Fund - 2001
PEAKS
OF FIRE
Climbing Mexico’s Volcanoes
By Kathia Voyer and Nadia Bonenfant
Hot, sunny Mexico. There is nothing that compares; tropical flowers, snowy peaks and friendly people. What a great feeling to step off the plane and seize the different smells, colors, smiles, all melting into the slow pace of life.
Upon our arrival, we decided not to spend any time in the big city so after two days, we headed to our first climb only two hours outside the capital. Volcan Nevado de Toluca is part of a Provincial Park and access is relatively easy. This is a great first climb to acclimatize before heading to high volcanoes. We had planned to get up to the crater and back down in a few days. Nevado de Toluca is well renowned for its two beautiful Laguna lakes, and so we started hiking. In the afternoon, we arrived to what they call “Auberge Alpino”. It was a festive day in Mexico, and to our surprise, all of the ciry folks were in the foothills enjoying the clean, fresh air. Spent the night on the rolling green hills and climbed to the craters the next day. Mission one accomplished, we headed towards El Pico de Orizaba.
The
town of Puebla is a great strategic area to base our trips from. It’s
in the middle of the two climbs we had planned. Hotels are cheap, the
food is good and the supermarket holds everything needed for the expeditions.
We spent a few days organizing everything, shopping and packing the food.
From here, we took a bus to a small village called Tlachichuca, this town
is nestled on the foothills of El Pico. You can arrange a shuttle to get
in and out of the valley. Servimont, is a climbing company based out of
an old soap factory, they run 4x4’s to get you to your starting
point. After a bumpy 2hr ride they left us, in what looked like the African
Savanna. We camped in the upper part of the valley before heading up to
base camp the next day. Acclimatization here is the key. As we slowly
rose over the grassy hills, we had the most powerful, unimaginable view
of the Pico. The giant in the clouds as the locals call him. It is really
fascinating to walk through many geo-climatic zones. One day you’re
escaping the venomous snakes and the next you hear the crunching of the
snow under your feet. It is amazing, both of us felt so strongly about
the mountains and the energy lived on this section of our trip was unexplainable.
We arrived at Piedra Grande, Pico sleeping in the clouds above our heads.
Although this is the rainy season and climbs get more challenging, we
met other climbing parties from Europe, South America and the USA. It
was great to exchange information on climbs and traditions from other
areas of the world.
Part of our plan was to spend two nights at Base
Camp, 4200 meters. We would hike back down to the forest and back up again.
This worked out great for both of us and so we decided to climb to high
camp on day three. Situated at 4600 meters, it offers a great view of
the valley but unless it’s crystal clear, it is hard to see the
route up the peak. Over the next few hours we just got dumped on. We had
been observing the weather patterns and it was similar everyday. We knew
the best time was from the middle of the night until 10:00 am in the morning.
That night, many prayers went out to the mountain gods and at 2:00am in
the morning, we started to climb. It was a full moon and so we didn’t
even need our headlamps. We felt like astronauts on the moon. Scrambled
up through a couloir and reached the foot of the glacier at 4:30am. Roped
up, suited our crampons and started the ascent. This is where you try
to decide the emotions, the energy flowing through your cold body, the
feeling of freedom, liveliness, the unknown, the intangible. Awestruck
by the shimmering snow and the full moon we climbed and climbed in the
fresh new snow, switching leads the whole way up. It was special to be
two good friends and feeling the beauty, the power of the mountain. We
learned two things here. In the mountains, you need good weather and a
great partner. As we ascended, we had the full moon on our right side
and the awakening sun shining on our left. It was the perfect balance,
the pureness of life. The clouds filled the valley below and we were the
only two beings on the peak. The colors were so rich with the new day
and Pico shining in its entire splendor. The summit felt so close, yet
it was still faraway. We didn’t talk much that morning but we knew
how fulfilling this experience was. Air was thinner and the legs heavier,
but we went on. We finally reached the top at 5600 meters and looked down
into the vast sleepy crater. So much emotions, exhaustion! As tears of
joy rolled down our cold cheeks, we knew this was only the start of many
adventures to come. This was our stepping-stone to other mountains of
the world. We snapped a few shots and started down. At this point, in
the morning, the sun was really hot and the new snow was rolling on the
slope. Our crampons were like cookie cutters, and the visibility started
to deteriorate. It was a tricky descent and it felt like the altitude
had caught up to us. We stopped and stayed hydrated but we were moving
much slower and the fatigue was invading our bodies. We knew that keeping
a good pace was the key, and so after a few hours in the thick clouds,
we reached the bottom of the glacier. Followed our tracks back to high
camp and enjoyed the snowy afternoon to fall asleep.
After climbing El Pico de Orizaba, we headed back to Puebla where we recharged our batteries, shopped and packed for our last climb. Iztaccihuatl is a 5230 meter peak known as the sleeping lady, which can be understood when viewing the mountain from the west. This mountain is part of the Popo-Ixta National Park. Popocatepetl had erupted in December and so the access to both mountains were closed. We knew that climbing parties were still able to get to the trail head, and so we decided to give it a try. After spending a few days in the town of Amecameca, we found a taxi driver willing to bring us to the park’s gate, he warned us, and said that we would probably not be able to enter the park, but we chanced it anyway. It was a surprise when we realized that our taxi driver was friends with the military guard working at the park’s entrance. After a few minutes of Mexican arguments, they decided to let us pass. Close call, but we got a ride all the way to La Joya, our starting point for the climb. We arranged for a pick up date and simply hoped that good karma would make him return here at the end of the week. The National Park was absolutely magical. Tropical flowers and cactuses, two 5000meter peaks, green rolling hills and beautiful rock walls lined the valley. We started climbing that morning and ended spending the night on a col. Lots of wind but the weather was holding. That night we fell asleep to the sound of howling wolfs from the valley below. The next morning, we woke up to the shimmering sun and kept climbing up towards a hut that was situated at 4750 meters. The rock formation offered many opportunities for bouldering. We reached the hut in the afternoon and scouted the rest of the route that was visible from here. The weather turned bad over night and so we waited another day before climbing again. On the second night in the hut, we went for it. It was clear and chilly as we started our ascent. We climbed the “knees” known as Los Rodillas, which then lead us to the belly, La Barriga. By that time, the sun was rising and again many emotions were in the air. The sky was so clear we were able to see el Pico de Orizaba, Popo and its trail of smoke, and the morning lights of busy Mexico City. Ixta is a great mountain because it has a less direct route than the other ones we climbed. Lots of variations can be done and it is more challenging. There are three false summits to get over before reaching the top, known as the “breast” El Pecho. The terrain varies from alpine style rock to glacier travel. The view from up here is magnificent and once again reaching the top was an unbelievable feeling. We stayed on the summit for a while and contemplated the valley below. We were surprised to see how our bodies responded so well at high altitude. We started our descent at 10:00am and reached the hut by early afternoon. That afternoon, we recapped on how lucky we were to have been given the chance to experience the mountains in Mexico. The next day, we descended to the col where we spent the night dreaming of other trips to come. On our last morning, we walked back to the meeting spot that we had arranged with our taxi driver the week before. The hike to the valley floor was a moment to reflect on the month spent in Mexico. We were full of energy and appreciation for the trip we had lived, for the mountains. The morning was so clear, the colors so bright. We had accomplished our goals and it was an unforgettable feeling. As we walked around the bend at the end of the road, we saw Pedro, the taxi driver. We smiled and got in the car. When we left the valley that day, we realized how perfect our journey was and knew that someone was watching over us. Thank you Jen.
We would like to Thank:
- The ACC for the Jen Higgins Fund
- The Higgins family for helping young female climbers reach new heights
- Valhalla Pure in Kamloops
- Wild Roses, outdoor clothing for women
- Pat and Baiba Morrow for all the slide film
- University College of the Cariboo for all the moral and financial support
INFORMATION: MEXICO’S VOLCANOES
This is information that we gathered during our trip
and thought it may be helpful for future climbing parties.
- The best guide book on the Mexican Volcanoes is: A Climbing Guide to Mexico’s Volcanoes by R.J. Secor, Published by the Mountaineers. Available at the MEC
- Maps for different volcanoes are hard to come by once in Mexico - it is easier to order them from Canada. Valhalla Pure in Kamloops was able to find them for us.
- Helpful resources once in Mexico: Septimo Grado climbing shop in Mexico City talk to Datoli or Jessup or Fernando. The address is Fernando Montes De Oca, Colonia Condessa
- Servimont Climbing Company. Dr Gerardo Reyes Carlin is the owner/operator.
- Andres Espinosa and David Galuan can help for information on Nevado de Toluca. They can be found at the Alpine Chalet en route to Nevado Lorenzo Lopez rents out rooms in Amecameca (Ixta or Popo) for 32 pesos a night
- For information on Ixta-Popo, Rescote Alta Montania. Talk to Luis Soriano Escobar locally knows as “Tlaxquiche”. Telephone number is 01580371 and the address is Casa Progueso #57
- Hotel Bonampark in Amecameca is clean,
hot water for 70 pesos a night for two people. Address is Reforma #8
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