Pio De Orizaba. Failure, success and a wealth of knowledge.
Our Orizaba adventure starts before we even make it to the mountain. We landed in Mexico around 4:30 pm and were attempting to pick up our rental car. I had booked through expedia and paid for full coverage insurance through expedia. When we got to the car rental location they insisted we take out an additional insurance policy that would cost more than the entire rental and the insurance I had already paid for. If we wanted to opt out we would have to leave a 10,000 dollar deposit. I refused, canceled the reservation, and we went elsewhere. This whole process added hours to our evening and we still had a 3 hour drive to Tlachichuca.
Once we were finally on the road we made some stops for supplies and a little dinner. We ended up arriving in Tlachichuca around 2am and were supposed to be leaving for Orizaba at 12am. So, not a lot of time between arriving and starting our adventure. 5am rolls around and . . . stomach distress!!! My head is absolutely spinning. I am certain I am going to throw up and the dizziness I am experiencing is overwhelming. I’m starting to wonder if I’ll have to have Kristin take me to the doctor. At this point we are both fairly certain our trip has taken a major turn for the worse. About 10 minutes into feeling sick I make a break for the bathroom and to my surprise, throwing up is not what happened. I’ll leave you to infer from context.
After about 45 minutes of this routine I laid back down in bed expecting to be back up very soon. My head is spinning so bad I can’t sleep and can’t see myself sleeping anytime soon. Somehow, after about 10 min or so, I passed out. We wake around 9:30 and miraculously I am feeling significantly better. Enough so that we decide to walk through the open air market that happens every Sunday. I am an absolute spectacle as we do. People are pointing, tapping their friends and loved ones to get their attention, so they can look as well, and some women are even shyly snickering as I walk by. Im 6’4” and the average height of the residents was probably 5’5” and that is likely being generous. I am a giant and I stick out like a sore thumb.
We eat, wander, and have a pretty good day not thinking too much about my earlier illness and look for the safest option for our dinner selection. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! 7 pm rolls around and we are off to bed. Only 4 hours to sleep before we get up and make our Orizaba attempt. I finally fall asleep at 10pm and get a solid 1 hour of sleep. I woke up in that state that leaves you feeling like you drank way too much coffee and that you’d be better off had you not slept at all. I force myself to get up, get ready and get on the move. I had hoped to sleep on the 2 hour drive to the trailhead . . .
In all my years of adventuring I have never been tossed so much and so hard on a 4-wheel drive road. There was no sleep to be had! I lay in the back of the suburban anyway, hoping to get some degree of rest. We arrive at the refugio and much to my surprise, we are the only ones there. The refugio is quite large and has a 3 level bunk system. Most people, when attempting Orizaba, will stay at the refugio. They will go on acclimatization hikes for a day or two before their summit bid and sleep high hoping to be better acclimated for their hike. We had decided against this since we were from Colorado and already frequent mountains over 14,000ft. The refugio itself was at an elevation of 13,9000ft.
After spending a little time at the refugio getting situated, we start our summit bid at 1:30am. The hike is going well and I am anxiously awaiting to hit a new milestone in my mountaineering endeavors . . . breaking 15,000ft in elevation. We hit 15 and we celebrate and record it on a go-pro. 16,000ft passes and we are still feeling good. Everything is lining up well at this point. 16,500 rolls around and I start feeling dizzy. ” Not a big deal”, I think to myself. Afterall, when I first started summiting 14ers I experienced this a little and it was never a big deal. We push on. Somewhere between 16,700 and 16,800 we arrive at the glacier and take a break to get on our crampons and get out our ice axes. I see this as a good rest opportunity to hydrate and refuel. In large part I believed the dizziness was coming on from inadequate hydration and fueling.
We begin our ascent of the glacier. As we are going up you can begin to see the sun lighten the horizon. The summit is straight ahead and within our grasp. However, with each step I seem to be getting dizzier and dizzier. I need to take a single step and stabilize. It doesn’t help that the glacier is covered with what looks like giant surface hoar. There are big shards of ice sticking up like daggers. Some of them up to a foot tall. To get good foot placement you have to kick them down for a flat surface to place your foot. I have never seen anything like it. Kristin has far more glacier travel experience and I asked her if she had ever had any similar glacier travel conditions. She says no.
As we push on Kristin has now overtaken me. My stability and comfort is tanking. I can’t keep up with her. I am starting to feel like I am going to have to turn around. I am thinking to myself, “If I continue to gain the summit, this will be a rescue.” I am declining rapidly in my stability. My lungs feel great, my legs feel great but at this point I feel like I am getting increasingly drunk. I begin to see the situation for what it could be. A helicopter rescue, a prolonged descent with Kristin trying to care for me in a state that she can’t provide me any help . . . I truly believe that to continue would have great negative implications. I stop . . . “Kristin . . . I am in a bad way. I think I am going to need to turn around.” Elevation 17,000ft. 3 milestones broken . . . along with my spirit.
As we started to turn around I stated, “We are going to start heading down, I will feel great, and I am going to be really irritated with myself.” It didn’t take long before I realized how important it was for me to turn around. As we started down I got worse, not better. Typically in mountaineering turning around and heading down can make you feel better quite quickly. I started to be concerned enough for myself that I asked Kristin if she knew how to test for H.A.C.E. (high altitude cerebral edema) and asked her to test me for it. The test is quite simple. Have someone say their ABCs. If they miss letters . . . it’s a sign. I say my ABCs with confidence, feeling ridiculous that I even asked. I finished with a very confident, “Q R S T U V.” Kristin looks at me waiting for me to finish for a brief second. I say nothing. She says, “Uh, you stopped at V.” I didn’t believe her. I thought she was messing with me. I tell her to shut up. She says, “No, seriously!”
At this moment I knew turning around was the best decision I could have made. I started wondering how much worse it was going to get. I was concerned there could still be a rescue call in my future, that day, and I was worried for Kristin who was now in a very difficult and potentially dangerous position. I didn’t really know how serious this situation was as I had never been in one like it but I definitely did not want to pretend like it was no big deal. As we continued to descend my headache and stability grew worse. I started falling as I walked. At one point I fell and landed on my trekking pole, bending it nearly beyond use. Kristin gives me hers. On another fall I tore my pants and bashed my knee. This fall was significant enough that Kristin thought we may now be dealing with two separate injury issues and that I would further be slowed or need a rescue because of the fall. I cut my knee in two places through two layers of pants. All in all, it only hurt for a minute or two and I was otherwise fine. Kristin had continued to periodically give me the ABC test to see if I was getting any worse. The first test she gave me was the only one I messed up. That in itself is good but I was continuing to have other issues with increasing severity. Kristin, at one point, described it as trying to get someone getting increasingly drunk off the mountain. I have never felt so fatigued during a descent. I’ve never wanted to get off a mountain more. Some 600’ from the trailhead, and a car, I was so taxed I had to stop and rest. Kristin encouraged me to keep going but I needed water and I was fried. I sat down and felt that if I let myself I could immediately fall asleep. I tried to make the rest brief and I got up and walked back to the vehicle.
Remember when I said that sleeping on this 4X4 road was impossible? Well I crawled into the back and didn’t wake up until we got back to town. I was out! Once in town we re-assesed my condition and with the improvement I had made decided that a doctor was not necessary. We went back to our airbnb and I slept. I don’t recall when I woke up but it was about 3 or 4 hours later. I was still very tired but decided I should get up so I would be able to sleep that night. We wandered around town finding food, hydrated like crazy and tried to relax. That night I slept 11 hours. A typical night’s sleep for me is 7. I don’t sleep in. I don’t know how.
The next day I kept telling myself that I was better. I wanted to believe it. But the truth was I still had a major headache and felt overall a bit fatigued. Kristin kept checking up on me and I kept telling her I was doing well. Around 2pm we were walking back to the city center and I looked at her and said, “I have to be honest with you. I don’t and haven’t been feeling well. Here is where I am at. I won’t be ready to call off an attempt till we are at the trailhead. This is what I would like to do. I want to continue to refuel, hydrate, and rest and see where that gets me. If we go and hike to 16,000ft and have to turn around, so be it. At least we’ll get some more elevation experience out of it” and that is exactly what we set out to do.
Between then and bedtime I was on a mission to find some diamox. Diamox is a medication that helps with cerebral-related altitude illness. Oftentimes many mountaineers won’t climb mountains of this altitude without it. Infact, in speaking to someone whom has completed the Seven Summits (summited the highest peak on every continent) when I stated that I was not going to be taking diamox they advised me against it. But I am a purist as much as I can be and didn’t want to do that. I still don’t want to do it where I can avoid it but because of the events of the previous day and my continued illness, I was now willing to take it.
I had checked at several pharmacies. The only thing I could find was dexamethasone which is also used for treatment but for pulmonary issues, H.A.P.E (high altitude pulmonary edema). My lungs were 100% so this was not going to be helpful. I had decided to reach out to the local outfitters to see if they knew where I could get some or perhaps had some themselves that they would be willing to sell. The first one was hilarious. The woman sat me down and began to berate me as to why I did not hire them and stay with them for our mountain service. I explained to her that we were self guided. This did little to change the tone. I received a tongue lashing from her. Eventually she told me where I could get it and she sent me on my way. I went to where she suggested . . . no dice! I am also absolutely certain she had some and could have sold me some if she wanted. But clearly my poor decisions in not hiring her company dictated that outcome.
The 2nd place I went to was Servamont. We had already been to Servamont on the first day we were there. We posed as people that were interested in climbing in the future and wanted to see what they had to offer. Additionally, their facility was originally a soap factory and they had some incredible steam engine run equipment still in place that I wanted to see. It is the most expensive outfitter in town but they are also the OGs. After our failed attempt to summit, Kristin didn’t have hand or foot warmers for her second attempt. Kristin is a cold natured person that wears 8k meter gloves in 40 degree weather. Sorry Kristin, I have to tease you a little. We had previously been looking to replace those for our second attempt. The previous day, after coming back form Orizaba, we ultimately decided to go there and ask if they had any they would sell us. The owner very graciously gave her hand and foot warmers for free. So at this point we had been posing as climbers looking interested in their services on day one, looking for hand and foot warmers on day two, and now me asking for diamox on day 3.At this point you can probably see why I went to the other outfitter first.
I rang the doorbell and google translate did the rest. They let me in and a few minutes later the same man walks around the corner with four pills wrapped in a napkin. He states, “There are four doses for two people here. Split the pill in half and take them 12 hours apart. Take one right before you start. The look on his face said everything! I tried to pay him for it and again, he provided resources to us for free! We got back to our place and immediately took half a pill or the “prescribed dose.” After having taken the pill I got the ever so bright idea to google the pill and see if we were in fact taking diamox. I couldn’t find it anywhere. The closest thing I could find was an antibiotic that is primarily used for treating vaginal yeast infections. After further research we found one article that made it look like it was a pill that was produced by a company that hadn’t produced that pill in 9 years. So even if it was diamox, it was greatly expired.
7pm, bedtime. We pushed our transport time up an hour so we would arrive at the glacier with a little more sun and a little more warmth . . . given that we make it that far. I lay down. 8pm . . . still awake. 9pm, 10pm . . . 11pm!!! Screw it, no point now. I get up after not having had 1 minute of sleep. We travel to the trailhead and this time there are people there. One person has already started. We had a plan to very methodically slow our pace to maximize our chances of success. I do lock steps and breathe to the rhythm of my steps. We are traveling at a conversational pace. That means we are going slow enough to not be out of breath, allowing us to also have a conversation. I am also paying very close attention to my heart rate. How hard and fast is it beating? Can I feel it beating? I can not. Conversational pace, check. Heart rate low, check. Lock steps, check. We are gaining on the person ahead!
I don’t recall exactly at what altitude we catch the person that started before us but when we do finally catch him he states, “You guys are FLYING. You should really slow down.” He is older than us but has summited mountains bigger than this one. I am all ears for any advice and shocked to hear him say this. We are trying really hard to slow the pace. He stated that he had started a full hour before us and he saw us pull up. My incident had already gotten around the climbers camp and he asked if I was the guy that had the ABC issue 2 days ago. I said yes and said, “I’ll take any advice you have. We want to be successful and the pace we are currently going feels very leisurely.” He emphatically and repeatedly said to slow down. We press on.
16,000ft feet rolls by and I am feeling great but also concerned. We are about to hit that 16,500ft mark where I started to get sick. Additionally, we are notably faster than our first attempt despite our best efforts to be slower. 16,500ft, I am feeling amazing . . . perfect really. We suit up for the glacier and start our ascent. No problems. Stable, comfortable, and strong. 17,000ft rolls by. I am ready to start skipping. I feel so good I want to pick up the pace and try my damndest to keep it slow. Since I am feeling so well I take the opportunity to get a little ahead and try to capture some cool photos of Kristin. From 17,000ft to 18,000ft I feel like I could skip across the glacier.
Somewhere around 17,500ft we end up with 6 people on the glacier. From where we are now we look to make first summit which would be amazing! Being the only ones at the top of a mountain or the first ones for the day is a little extra special. This is when women oftentimes take those topless pics with their hands in the air, from the back. I’m sure you know the ones I am referring to. As a joke I have always wanted to do this but drop my pants to my ankles and have Kristin take a pic of my butt. I was legitimately considering this on this mountain. But another climber had other plans . . . and I could see it in his pace.
He was with a party of 3. They had been traveling together and at some point on the glacier he broke away. I knew it. I knew it as soon as I saw it. He was trying to make first summit. Kristin and I had both been crushing it and feeling great but we were nearing 18,000ft and the elevation was slowing us. Kristin more so than me. I thought he might actually catch us and make first summit. Kristin and I did not feel the need to rope up on this glacier. We didn’t feel it to be technically difficult enough for us to need to and the crevasse hazard is practically non existent. I had to go for it. I had to go ahead. I knew Kristin was solid but given the previous days events I was concerned for how it might change my climb if I pushed it. I decided to do it anyway. I’ll just stay extra vigilant to how I am feeling and how the push is affecting me. As I round a corner I see the guy overtake Kristin. It’s on!
Summit time 5 hours and 49 minutes. I have made it. I made first summit and I have the whole summit to myself for a solid 5 minutes. Kristin summits 8 minutes later. I am happy. So happy. I still feel amazing. The feat feels like a major step in the right direction of my mountaineering pursuits. In the distance we can see smoke coming from Popocatepetl which is a volcano that stands at 17,802ft and is closed to climbers due to its volatility. We look across the rim of the volcano we currently stand on and down into the depths of its opening. This isn’t just my first mountain above 14,000ft, it’s also my first volcano. We take pictures at the summit and we head back down.
In short, the descent was relaxing, easy and comfortable. Absolutely nothing like my previous descent of the mountain. Unfortunately, Orizaba is somewhat of a littered mountain. Much to my surprise not only do climbers not wag-bag their poop but they don’t even bury it. Or for that matter, step off the trail to go out of sight and out of stepping in it. On my way down I decided to carry as much trash as I could. From trekking poles to tin cans to gloves to water bottles, I felt so good I was cheerfully going down the mountain adding to my load. We made the round trip hike in just under 9 hours, stopping on the way down to converse with hikers, share beta, and make new friends.
We achieved our goal, we made our summit, and we gained a wealth of knowledge. In all truthfulness I am thankful for the experience we had. I am thankful that our first attempt was a failure without major consequence. I feel that the experience I gained from this is significant. I feel that I am better equipped to take on larger mountains and understand not only what it takes but what can go wrong. I’d much rather experience this kind of event in the beginning in order to better set myself up for success on larger mountains, in the future, and be better prepared to handle and understand altitude illness. Whether it be my own or someone else.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed it or perhaps learned something useful from it. I’ve left a lot out in an attempt to keep it a short read yet somehow it still seems too long. If you are interested in hearing or learning more, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
The End
I want to point out some people that were great hosts, transporters and restaurateurs.
We booked our place to stay with airbnb and stayed with David Ropol (@davidropoll). He has started a company that is tailored to climbers but is not exclusive to them. His company name is Orizaba Glacier Climbers (@glacier.climbers). He had a fantastic place to stay. It was clean, we had the entire 2nd floor to ourselves, and it was separate from the rest of the house. David would literally drop anything he was doing to make sure you were taken care of 100%. When I was looking for diamox he was in town, ran back to the aribnb and personally escorted me around to communicate on my behalf and make sure what I was asking for was understood. He had restaurant recommendations and had we been able to stay up late enough while there, he wanted to take us out to eat at the best taco joint in town. Unfortunately they didn’t open till 8 and we were supposed to be sleeping at that time.
Carlos Espinosa at Espinosa Mountain Services provided our transportation. If a meteor fell out of the sky and collided with the ground right next to the vehicle and blew debris everywhere I think he would casually look over, look back at the road and keep driving. That guy was as even keel as I have ever seen. He navigated the roads with expertise and provided a great service to us.
The best place we ate in town was at Antojitos Mexicanos Pegazo. We went there so many times and it was so good. The cooks were what I assume was a mother and daughter. They cooked at the counter and we had several great conversations. The funniest moment was when they asked Kristin and I if we were going to have any girls after I showed them pics of my boys. I told them we were only friends to which their response was, “Oh, you like boys?”
Lastly, I want to thank Servamont for all the free help they gave us. 100% that guy knew we were climbing the mountain and helped us anyway knowing we wouldn’t use his company.
I love the town of Tlachichuca and the people were so friendly. We were there long enough that some people knew who we were and would say high and smile as we passed. We didn’t have one negative encounter while there. I have nothing but positive things to say about the people and the town. I greatly look forward to taking my children there, exploring the town with them, and attempting their first summit of Orizaba.
Pictures for this adventure can be found on my Instagram @aavronestep
