The Rope Team, the Summit and the First Recorded Volcanic Activity Since 1846

We spent that day reviewing basic safety and skills for the clients and then prepared for our early departure the next morning. After cooking dinner, cutting prusik loops and doing a variety of other things we headed to bed. HM asked me for Topron (the strong medication I had used on Izta) and I was once again excited that it wasn’t me. We once again had our alarms set for just before 2:00am to prepare breakfast. The night was peaceful apart from some loud snoring which is to be expected. We woke up at 1:50am, ate breakfast and headed out by 3:00am. Everything went smoothly up to the edge of the glacier where we roped up. I was running my own private rope team of one client. As soon as I had tied my client and myself in my bowels began doing some warm-up somersaults like a gymnast getting ready for his vault routine. “I hate you so much gastrointestinal tract.”

We began the slow march up the glacier. Despite the gymnast in my bowels I kept a slow and steady pace for the client while constantly clenching my muscles and holding back the urge to run up the glacier to freedom. About 20 min from the top GI the gymnast started the finale of his routine. It took every ounce of concentration and muscle control I had to focus on the slow and safe ascent of my client. We reached the crater edge which is about 10 minutes from the summit and she asked if we could take a break. “Oh sweet Jesus yes we can!” I tied her off on the crater edge and quickly walked out of view to the opposite side of the crater. What I didn’t realize was that the other two teams were already at the summit and had a clear view of me the entire time. Luckily I think everyone was either too tired to notice or too embarrassed for me to say anything. Either way I was fine with the situation. And so it was recorded on that fateful day in November of 2010, Pico de Orizaba saw its first activity on the crater rim in almost 200 years.

            My client and I happily reached the summit and everyone made a safe trip back down the volcano. We spent that night in Tlachichuca and the next day we packed everything up and headed back to La Ciudad.