DAY 7 – Getting Ready for Izta After a successful summit of Orizaba followed by a day of rest and relaxation, our shuttle driver transported us from Servimont to La Joya in the Parque Nacional Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl. This was a 4.5 hour drive as we looped around from the north and then down through Amecameca. I…
FELIZ NUEVO AÑO from El Pico de Orizaba
FELIZ NUEVO AÑO from El Pico de Orizaba, the tallest peak in Mexico and the third tallest peak in North America at 18,491 ft (5,636 m). What a way to start out the New Year! DAY 5 – Summit Day Our summit start began much earlier than necessary. Our guide insisted we start at 1…
Acclimating for 18,000 Feet
DAY 3 – Acclimating at 14K After another fine breakfast from Servimont, we loaded up our gear and got ready for the drive up to Piedra Grande Hut. The road to this basecamp is about 16 miles up from Tlachichuca and took over 2 hours. It’s a rough and rutted route… a typical 4WD road…
Staying at Servimont, Tlachichuca, Mexico
One of my strategies in preparing for Denali is to test myself at higher elevations. The tallest peak I’ve reached so far is Mt. Whitney at 14,505′. Two times on that summit and a bunch of other 14ers in Colorado isn’t enough. I wanted to know how I’d do at altitudes greater than 14K. So…
2023 Year In Review
My focus for 2023 was clear! I just declined an invite for Denali at the beginning of the year and knew I had to fill a large gap between where I was (beginner level) and where I want to be (advanced level). That meant a lot more intermediate level experience was needed. So I immediately…
Follow the Order of Things
My wife and I just finished binge-watching a documentary on Amazon called Everest: Beyond The Limit. We enjoy watching intense adventure shows like this for very different reasons. She wants to see what happens to those involved in something she with never do. I like to watch and think about what it would take to…
An Urban Adventure Game with REI
If you live out West, you may be familiar with the Maverik tagline: “Adventure’s First Stop” Well, REI tends to be adventure’s second stop for us! I was looking back at a season of successful summiting and remembered a common thread around our trips this year… WE STOPPED AT REI! Prior to heading out for…
Brasstown Bald from the Arkaquah Trail
The last stop on my End of Summer East Coast Highpointing Tour is Georgia’s Brasstown Bald. I chose to summit this state’s highpoint using the Arkaquah Trail from Track Rock Gap, not far off US 76 between Blairsville and Young Harris. The parking area on the west side of the road is really for the…
No Sunglasses nor Sunscreen Needed on Sassafras
South Carolina was the next state to get on this year’s End Of Summer East Coast Highpointing Tour. We remained in Asheville for both Carolina’s since Sassafras Mountain is close enough to Mt. Mitchell that it didn’t make sense to relocate between these two states. We also liked the idea of Asheville as our “basecamp”…
Mt. Mitchell Trail to the Top of North Carolina
It’s time to hit the east now that I’m done with all the state high points west of the 100th meridian! After a fun Labor Day weekend in Charlotte, we drove west to Asheville and began my End Of Summer East Coast Highpointing Tour with North Carolina’s Mt. Mitchell. This summit is accessible by car…