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GNARMPFSK May 1995
``GNARMPFSK'' is the MIT Outing Club's periodic newsletter. It has in
the past been sent out on _paper_ to all current members up to once
per season. However, in order to expedite and simplify the
publication process for this issue, it is being distributed in
electronic form (hence the "e"). Please send all submissions for
future issues, as well as any questions or comments, to
mitoc-owner@mit.edu. Have a great summer!
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i) Water
ii) Rock
iii) Cabins
iv) Other Outdoor Groups
v) Internet
vi) Equipment Repair
vii) Gear Discounts
viii) Biking
ix) Hiking / Camping
x) Wanted / Personals
xi) Poetry
xii) A Trip to Mexico
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[1;37m MITOC Whitewater and Flatwater announcement
by Gideon Stein
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
MITOC has a water activities section which I happen to chair. Since I
have recieved a few inquiries lately this brief message should give
you an idea of what we have.
0. Club trips
I am planning a whitewater kayaking trip this saturday (may 20th),
probably to the Farmington River at Tariffville CT. This is a short
but fun class 3 river about 3hrs drive from MIT.
To come on this trip you should have some whitewater kayaking
experience. I could take a few beginners who have been kayaking (not
canoeing) on a river at least once, for example those who came on the
Blackwater trip. The number of beginners depend on the number of more
advanced paddlers who are coming.
If I find out friday that the Farmington has no water then we might
head to the deerfield river - Zoar Gap section. It is a class 2
river so beginners are welcome in that case as long as they have been
in a kayak before and practiced a wet exit.
I am also thinking about the following trips, plans subject to change:
June 3-4 the Monroe section of the Deerfield - class IV.
June 10-11 perhaps the Dead River in Maine (class 3) and the
Kennebec (class 4) - you need a solid roll for the kennebec.
June 17th - beginner trip to the Zoar gap section of the deerfield
(Class 2).
1. Equipement
The club has 5 whitewater kayaks in good condition. 4 Perception
dancers and 1 Perception Corsica S. We also have a few other kayaks
of older designs. We have more or less enough gear (paddles,
skirts, helmets, life jackets) to equip those five boats and I will
be replenishing the stocks soon. We are missing a spray skirt for
the corsica (has anyone got our purple spray skirt ? ) and we could
do with another 204 cm paddle.
We have 4 aluminium canoes and 3 plastic ones. Some of which could
do with some work.
We have some old wet suits but you are really on your own for that
sort of stuff.
2. Equipment Rental
In general the rental policy is that people can rent the boats
during regular MITOC office hours. For flatwater there is no
problem. For Whitewater it must be either part of a club trip or
you must have been previously OK'd by the whitewater chair. That
way it becomes a semi official club trip. We just want to make sure
that those who use MITOC boats know what they are doing before going
on whitewater.
Rental is between $5 - $10 per boat per day of usage.
3. Instruction
First a disclaimer. MITOC has NO certified instructors. There are
various more experienced paddlers who will gladly help beginners
learn about the sport but this is only done on a freindly basis
with no guarantees as to the quality of the instruction. We are
trying to avoid law suits etc.
Instruction as MITOC gives is in the form of Pool sessions in the
small Alumni pool, some half day trips to places such as walden pond
and also some beginner trips. There is no formal course of
instruction. I will try to lead two beginner trips this
spring/early summer and also trips to flatwater. But we have to
wait till the water warms up. Beginners tend to swim often and not
have the right clothing.
4. Pool sessions - Roll practice
I have coordinated with Evan Weis who runs intra (or inter) mural
water polo that we can use the small pool tuesdays and thursdays
from 5-7 pm. There is no charge (but you might need an athletic
card) and you can use club boats if you like (no charge for that
either). There is room for only about 3-4 people to practice
rolling but I doubt that will be a problem. I plan to go this
coming thursday. I should be at the boathouse at around 5:10.
-- Gideon Stein
[1;37m TRIP REPORT!!
by Jeff Bell.
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
Last summer I went canoe camping on an island along the south shore of
the cape. It's called Washburn Island and is located near Falmouth.
Put-in is at a boat launch on the Childs River. The canoe trip to the
campground is about a mile and a half of paddling along a protected
bay. You don't ever get too far from land, so the headwinds are
manageable.
We paddled out to the island and camped, then spent the following day
paddling 2 miles out to the outer bank and looking at the various
birds and sea life. It wouldn't be too tough to portage over the
sandbar and try out the ocean waves.
For Permits contact:
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR)
PO Box 3092
Waquoit Bay, MA 02536
(508)457-0495 or (617)727-6274
No open fires and BYO drinking water.
Plenty of sea water is available for doing dishes.
The cost is $4.
There are only 10 campsites on the island. Even on 4th of July
weekend it was very quiet. If they give you a choice, pick site 1, as
it is the most remote from the other campers.
-Jeff Bell
[1;37m NEW Water GEAR!!!
by MITOC pursestring-holders
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
MITOC is currently in the process of buying, among a *number* of other
smaller items, TWO new canoes, and one or two SEA KAYAKS!!! Stay
tuned to MITOC for more details.
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[1;37m Rock climbing classes (beginners)
by Stephen Linder
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
A group of MITOCers is just about to graduate from a semester-long
MITOC climbing class taught by Dave Custer. If you missed it but are
looking for a (shorter) class over summer, read on!
The first official climbing classes scheduled so far will be over the
weekend of July 15-16th, with a preparatory day trip to Hammond Pond
on the 8th of July. Contact spl@meceng.coe.neu.edu for more
information. Of course, you can probably find someone to take you
climbing long before then if you want to learn; e.g. try posting to
"climbers@mit.edu".
[1;37m Finding Partners
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
For the more advanced who are seeking climbing partners, there is
available in the club office a large list of all the Boston-area AMC
rock climbers. Also, Stephen Linder ("spl@meceng.coe.neu.edu"), the
climbing chair, is organizing a list of MITOC climbers of all flavours
and levels of expertise. To get in on it, send him mail.
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[1;37m Camelot Keyholder Checkout Trip -- now!!
by Scott Stuart
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
Saturday, and Sunday, May 21st and 22nd.
This is your chance to gain access to the wonderful world of Camelot!
We'll be having a combination keyholder trip and work trip to the
cabin. By helping out with the work to be done on the cabin, you'll
have the satisfaction of a job well done, as well as free cabin rental
for one year! The keyholder portion of the trip consists of an
explanatory tour of the cabin and instructions on how to avoid
damaging it and the property. After you become a "keyholder," you are
qualified to checkout the key from the desk and to use the cabin. A
keyholder is required to accompany any group that uses the cabin.
The work to be done includes spring cleaning, clearing trails of
debris, and moving next winter's firewood around. If you are skilled
in carpentry or forestry, I have some special projects that you'll
really enjoy.
Contact me (stuart@ll.mit.edu, 981-5259 (day), 739-1535 (evening)) if
you are interested in attending.
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[1;37m Appalacian Mountain club
by Chris BL
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
Here are some trips / classes organized by the AMC, the Appalacian
Mountain Club. They are generally excellent, and often run by superb
outfits like SOLO and IMCS. For more information on any of these,
drop by the Outing Club office w20-461 and see the postings on the
bulletin board (outside the office.), or call the Boston AMC office at
523-0636. These events are generally not free.
----
Canoeing Lake Umbagog (June 9 - 11)
Introduction to Nature Photography (June 9-11)
Understanding Mountain Weather (June 2-4)
Introduction to River Canoeing (June 3-4)
Bushwacking with Map and Compass (May 27-28)
Getting to Know: The Birds of Prey (May 26)
Beginning Backpacking and Camping (May 26-28)
Wilderness First Aid (May 20-21) (by SOLO.)
Introduction to Climbing (May 26-28) (by IMCS)
Fly Fishing School Weekend (May 18-21)
MITOC is not at all affiliated with the AMC.
[1;37m EMS Day Hike on May 27, Mt. Cardigan.
by pmohan@cadence.com
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
Hi, I had this info and cpbl's mail regarding the summer activities
kinda prompted me to post this here. Anyway, the EMS store in Nashua
has organized a day hike to Mt. Cardigan on May 27. I have been on
some of their hikes and enjoyed them a lot. The description of the
hike in their flyer is as follows:
Mt. Cardigan "stretch your legs" Hike May 27
This popular mountain is located just west of Newfound Lake, giving great
views of the surrounding land. The hike will include complementary EMS
Backcountry Gourmet Lunch! Call store for more details and to sign up.
Pre-requisite: day hiker
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 8 miles
Leader: Brad Chapin
So, if you are interested you may call the store at (603)891-1180.
Usually the group meets in Nashua, if someone is interested but needs
a ride I can offer a ride.
Okay then, Oh! one last thing, I don't work for EMS, Just a happy
participant in some of their hikes. E-mail me if you want more info.
//Mohan
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[1;37m New email list: Ecology / conservation / "green" political issues!
by Chris BL
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
MITOC has created yet another mailing list. This one is a little
different than our others, and if it flourishes maybe it can become
administrated separately from other MITOC lists, since politics don't
really fall within MITOC's current mandate. In any case, there is
LOTS to discuss right now, what with Congress easing protection on
things like the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, rivers' cleanliness, etc, etc.
The new list is called "conservation@mit.edu", and to get on it, all
you have to do is send mail to mitoc-owner telling them which list
you want to be put onto, and which address you want to be represented
by. Alternatively, if you have an ATHENA account, please add yourself
with the following line (exactly as written):
blanche -add $user conservation
That way the folks at mitoc-owner get a little less work, and you
get a faster response.
[1;37m Expanded Web Page
by Chris BL
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
Don't forget to check out the MITOC web page; it can probably answer
many of your questions, and also has some interesting links to other
places. From Athena, you need only type,
add mitoc
mitoc &
Otherwise, you can find it at the url,
"http://www.mit.edu:8001/afs/athena.mit.edu/activity/m/mitoc/www/home.html".
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[1;37m Outdoor Equipment Repair and Maintenance Party!
by Chris BL
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
Take a break from finals and take advantage of this offer: MITOC will
provide all kinds of repair materials and equipment (if not expertise,
but we'll try to offer some of that, too) to help you fix / patch /
overhaul / replace parts of / etc your stuff, from boots to tents to
clothing to crampons and many other things. If you want to fix your
bike, look out for upcoming bike repair days. Especially if you have
any ZIPPERS that you think are broken (don't close properly anymore),
bring 'em in; I claim I can fix most of them easily!
The ``party'' will be held from 15:00 to 19:00 on Wednesday, May 24th.
****** COME REPAIR YOUR OLD GEAR! (^) ******
We will have, all for FREE:
SNOSEAL to protect and waterproof your leather (boots)
SEAMSEAL to waterproof your nylon seams (e.g. tents)
SEAMGRIP to fix your holes, rips, and almost anything else small
NYLON PATCHES (adhesive) to patch holes
SEWING MACHINE with nylon and polyester threads (for slightly
more involved repairs)
PLYERS (do you have problems with your (coil) zipper on your
tent? knapsack? backpack? bring 'em; they're easy to fix!)
LIQUID PU COATING to re-waterproof your coated nylon (anyone
ever done this before?)
GLIDE WAX, IRON, and SOLVENT to clean and protect your skis
(if someone wants to do this..)
BIKE TOOLS (those which the club has)
NEOPRENE WEBBING
(^) : You can help with the refurbishment of MITOC's gear while you're
at it, unless you have exams the next day... #:)
p.s. and cookies too.
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There have been a number of questions regarding ordering gear at
discounts through the club lately; here is some relevant info.
The club does not discount gear, and rarely orders gear which is not
solely for rental purposes. Here are some ways to get discounts
through the club:
1) Hilton's Tent City at north station, Boston gives 10% at all times
to holders of a club card.
2) Once per season, EMS in Brookline has a club DAY during which
absolutely everything is 20% off. The last one was last Thursday, so
you'll have to wait until the fall. A number of club members bought
large amounts of climbing equipment from EMS last thursday, since 20%
is a GOOD deal!
3) Every winter, usually before the new year, the club does organize a
group gear order for anyone who is interested. International Mountain
Equipment in North Conway, NH has a history of giving us 20% off our
order when it is large (we try for > $5000 ). Someone needs to
organize this order every year. Typically the club also buys some of
its technical gear during this order.
Various other suppliers give us discounts because we are a club, but
that is only for gear which we will rent; we usually have to promise
none of it is for personal ownership.
Good luck, and let us know if there are any outfitters who will give
the club or its members discounts!
cpbl
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[1;37m Bike trip this Saturday
by Jim Reardon
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
MITOC will offer an ~40 mile bike trip this Saturday, 5/20. Meet in Kresge
Oval in front of the MIT Student Center Toscanini's at 10:00 am, rain or
shine.
There will be a pre-trip meeting at the MITOC office at 7:30 pm Thursday
5/18. At the meeting we will inspect and tune our bicycles. The meeting
will thus double as a bicycle workshop, and you can expect to use MITOC's
fair assortment of tools, and get some advice and help if you need it.
E-mail me if you're interested, or just show up at the pre-trip meeting.
Route: Starting from MIT, cross the BU bridge and find Beacon St.
westbound. Right on Chestnut Hill Ave, then left on Common-
Wealth Ave. Left onto Rt. 16. Right onto Rt. 135 (passing
Wellesley). Right onto Rt. 27 at Natick Center. Right onto
126 at Wayland Center. Stop at Walden Pond...
eat lunch and
go swimming if the weather's nice...
backtrack on Rt. 126, then
left on Baker Bridge Rd., left on Sandy Pond Rd., pick up Trapelo
Rd. and take it till it ends on Belmont St. Take Belmont St.
to Mt. Auburn St., then left on Brattle St (entering the gravi-
tational field of Harvard Square). Right on Willard, left on Mt.
Auburn and go till it ends on Mass Ave (leaving the gravitational
field of Harvard Square). Mass Ave to MIT.
What to bring: a bicycle, a helmet, sunscreen, 1 liter water.
Requirements: you should be comfortable riding in the city. E-mail me
before you come if you're not sure.
you should have gone on at least one bike ride of
several hours' or longer duration. We'll plan on
averaging 10 miles/hour while riding (hence, about
4 hours in the saddle) and taking an hour or two
for lunch. This isn't a very strenuous pace, but
you do have to be comfortable on your bicycle.
you should come to the pre-trip meeting to tune your
bicycle unless you're one of those confident souls who
does crossword puzzles in ink and think your bike is fine
already.
Any questions, e-mail nemesis@athena.mit.edu.
Jim Reardon
nemesis@athena.mit.edu
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[1;37m New GEAR
by mitoc pursestring-holders
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
MITOC has just bought some new internal and external frame backpacks,
and some "bear-proof cannisters" for storing food. We are about to
buy some more Bluet camping stoves, some more maps and hiking guides,
and we already have _plenty_ of sleeping bags. All these are
available for cheap rental, so one wonders: why aren't you going
camping this weekend?
If it's because there's not club trip organized, take heart. All it
takes is a bit of initiative. Go ahead and start organizing a
trip, even if you will want someone more experienced along .. you'll
be able to find them and lots more interested people. Feel free to
use the club's mailing lists, 
, "climbers(at)mit(dot)edu", and
"paddle(at)mit(dot)edu" to solicit participants / leaders. Actually, if you
like, we will help you organize it, give your trip participants half -
price on rental, and give you (the leader) free gear rental. If you
need help, email "mitoc-owner@mit.edu".
[1;37m Trip Report: Camping trip to Mt Paugus
by Luke Sosnowski
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
Participants: Luke Sosnowski, Megan Hepler, Dana Ayotte, Andrew
Howard, Randy West, Barry Payne, Dan Christensen, Patricia
Vriesendorp, Stephen Linder, and Chris Barrington-Leigh
A week after circus seven unsatiated MITOC members again went
on a weekend trip in the White Mountains. After a long and uneventful
drive the intrepid hikers arrived at the trailhead. Contrary to all
customs the first strip stop took place even before the hike begun, at
the cars, with the fortunate individuals who brought shorts ridiculing
the less fortunate individuals who brought clothes fit for white
mountain winter. After an uneventful hike uphill (where else?), some
happy hikers decided that the strip war not exciting enough, and that
they ought to cool off one of the leaders with some snowballs. After
a short and one sided fight, the group merrily proceeded to some huge
rocks which formed small caves underneath them. The view of solid
rock faces pointing upward at angles ranging from vertical to
impossible woke the climbing bug in both of our leaders. Only after a
solid lunch were we finally able to convince them to go on again.
Descending into a valley, we found some moose tracks, which afterwards
were visible on most trails we followed. Shortly thereafter we
crossed a steam for the first time that day. As it turned out later,
the trail crossed the same stream four times in a mile length, with
the difficulty of the crossings increasing exponentially. Amazingly
enough, no one got wet, except for Chris, who stoically accepted being
soaked by a huge log that Steve threw into the stream to help him out.
The log floated away quite quickly, but Chris crossed the stream
quicker yet to avoid any other "help".
Arriving at suitable location, we quickly found some nice flat
spots to set up tents and went on a several mile long hike. The
weather thankfully cooperated, and despite a quite difficult and icy
trail we moved ahead rather quickly. The summit was somewhat
anticlimatic due to the total lack of view, but the night hike
afterwards proved quite rewarding. The leaders comforted the
president, who could not cope with non visible trail markers. After a
few hours of relaxed pace we were back at camp ready to enjoy the
delicious outdoor food.
The following day most of the brave souls that participated in
the previous day's trip decided to make a quick dash for Mt. Chocorua.
With no rainclouds in sight the group went ahead happily, crossing the
stream four times again, molesting a poor snake that got in our way,
and generally trying to be as happy as the fast pace allowed. One
reason for the happiness was the fact that all of the backpacks were
left at base camp, and thus most of us, except for the unfortunate
person who carried all of our things, felt quite unencumbered. We
quickly reached the cabin, and took a short break before proceeding.
By the way, the cabin there seems quite nice and clean.
Coming to the top we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of
the area. With nary a cloud in the sky, all of the white mountains
lay around us. Mount Washington was visible in all its grace some
thirty miles to the north. Enjoiong the good weather, some of us
decided to get some sleep on the top. Stretched out on the flat rocks
and shielded from the wind we spent around two hours onthe summit
without getting cold, while another party went to explore a nearby
peak.
Fulfilled, we marched down, still favored by the weather. At
dusk we arrived at the cars, and made our way to Boston, with a
mandatory stop on the way at the Elvio's pizza place. It was probably
the last trip this spring without any bugs chasing us.
Luke
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I'm looking for traveling companion(s) for a two week jaunt over
the Karakoram Highway. I'll be flying from Beijing to Urumqi
on 14 July (I hope), then flying to Kashgar the next day (I hope).
I'm scheduled to depart Islamabad on 28 July.
Contact me, Tim Hurley, at tch@mit.edu or 576-2892.
tim, tch@mit.edu
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[1;37m (untitled)[0m
THe wind makes faces at the trees, the grass is blue as the sea,
the flowers I see remind me of you.
I will be as I can be, to die without smelling the fire on a summers
day, - thou art more temperate then a spring of voices.
You are who you are you are. My love only in death will we be ourselves.
My love only in life can we ever be ever. I will submit to the inner sky
within the stones, and you my love are the ashes of tommorow.
May the light within illuminate your way to the spirit, my love
The shadow is without the truth of the future, as it is a mere remembrence
of what was never there. We must look past the wars of yesterday and to the
blue fish that swim so calm and angelic. - Love always as I you - my angel
of stars you shine through.
-- [1;37m <>{}[0m
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[1;37m Trip Report: Climbing in Mexico
by Dave Metzler
[1;37m ------------------------------------------------------------[0m
Over the Christmas break, Susan Ruff and I went down to Mexico
to try an ascent of Citlaltepetl, or El Pico de Orizaba, the highest
peak in Mexico. El Pico de Orizaba is 5611m (18409 feet) high, and
is a symmetrical, glaciated volcano. I had tried to climb it the
January before, with Neil Strickland and Nicola Wilkin. However,
Nikki had a persistent sinus problem which made altitude rather unbearable,
and the snow conditions were not at all ideal, so we abandoned the attempt
on Orizaba. Although I managed to get up another stratovolcano,
Popocatepetl (which is currently erupting!) I knew I wanted to come back to
Mexico to try El Pico again.
Part of my desire to return to El Pico came from my realization
that half the fun of climbing in Mexico was simply being there, interacting
with the people, experiencing the culture, speaking the language.
So the trip was not at all focused simply on getting to the top of
the mountain, which made it much more enjoyable. Susan and I met
all kinds of friendly, interesting people, from Mexican teenagers
singing Beatles tunes around a campfire, to Senor Reyes, the
proprietor of the climbers' dormitory and taxi service at the Pico.
Since the peak is so high, and Boston is so low, we planned to
take a lot of time acclimatizing. The entire trip lasted two weeks,
and for the first few days we scheduled a trip to a smaller mountain,
called La Malinche, to get accustomed to the altitude. While La Malinche
is small by the standards of Mexico's volcanos, at 4460m it is slightly
higher than any peak in the contiguous states. At La Malinche we stayed
at a government-operated resort at about 3000m for three days.
We had planned to camp higher on the mountain for one or two of
those days, but even being as careful as we were, we experienced
some difficulty with altitude, and had to return to the camp.
On our last day at the camp we set out to climb the peak,
but we never got there. Instead, we met a couple of Mexicanos from
the capital, also off to climb the peak, but rather unprepared and not
in particularly good shape. They were extremely friendly (which is
wonderfully common in Mexico) and we enjoyed talking with them as we
hiked. Susan and I eventually convinced them that they didn't have
the time or the gear to safely climb the peak, so we all took it easy and
stopped about 400m short of the top, taking breaks along the way to
chat and sing (among other things) "La Vie En Rose." As with much of the
trip, getting to the top quickly became subsidiary to having a good time
with the people we met on the way.
After an exciting bus ride off of La Malinche, we headed over to
Tlachichuca, the town which is the usual jumping-off point for climbing
Citlaltepetl. We stayed with the ever gracious Senor Reyes, and used his
taxi service for a ride up to the ridge upon which El Pico sits.
Most climbers ride the taxi (actually a 1940's-era Dodge Power Ranger,
painted Army green) up to the huts at Piedra Grande, the start of the
standard Jamapa Glacier route up the mountain. But Piedra Grande is
at 4200m (only a little lower than the 14ers in the states) and Susan and I,
wary of any more acclimatization problems, decided to take it easy
and camp first at 3500m.
Apart from the obscene amount of bottled water
we had to carry with us---the climate around Orizaba is much like the
American Southwest, arid plateau---the camping was pleasant and
the hiking easy. After another night's camp at 4000m, we arrived at the
melting pot of Piedra Grande, where German, Austrian, American, and
Mexican climbers shared the two huts and watched the glacier above,
waiting for their turn on the mountain.
Susan and I independently explored the lower reaches of the
summit trail, gauging the difficulty of the route. Unfortunately the
poor snow conditions that had prevailed the previous winter had
deteriorated further, turning the toe of the glacier into a sheet
of hard ice. I got enough gumption up to ascend this short but
treacherous section and found that the rest of the glacier was
somewhat better---just soft enough to put an axe into, if you had to---
but not very good beginner conditions. Since Susan had no real
experience on glaciers, we decided that it wouldn't be very safe for
her to ascend---at least by our standards of prudence.
I decided to wait yet another day, since we had enough time
left in our schedule, before I climbed. By the time the night of the
climb rolled around I was as acclimatized as anyone ever is at
Piedra Grande, and I decided to climb the peak. As is usual in
glacier climbing, I started very early, at about 2am, hiking with
regulation MITOC headlamp and polypro. Doing the lower icy section
in the dark was somewhat nervewracking, but was quickly over, and
as the dawn started to light the eastern sky, I started off on the
main Jamapa glacier for the summit.
With no features between me and the
rim of the crater (about 1/4 mile wide) the distance was hard to gauge---
it really seems as if one could cover the distance in about half an hour.
And indeed, if it was flat, that would be a slow pace. But given that
it is a snow slope angled at 30-35 degrees, at an altitude of
5000-5600m, it takes anywhere from 4 to 8 hours to make the slow
and steady ascent.
The difficulty of the climb was not the thing most present in my
mind, given that I was high on a glacier, watching the sun rise in
a clear blue sky, and enjoying the panoramic view of the Mexican landscape
far below. Around 11am I made it close enough to the crater rim to
see a beautiful metal sculpture of the Virgin Mary, one of the
many religious monuments that adorn all of the Mexican peaks.
From there it was an easy few minutes to the summit, which is
oddly snowless---in fact the entire south face of the mountain
is free from permanent snow cover. That doesn't make it easier to
climb---it's loose and sandy volcanic scree---but it does mean that
occasionally technical hardasses from the states thrash up the
north side, braving the glacier in their $400 jackets, only to meet
a Mexican family in handmade ponchos at the summit.
I didn't meet anyone coming up the other side, but I was not
surprised that the next people on the summit were a group of
Mexican climbers. Since so much of central Mexico (including Mexico
City) is above 2000m, Mexicanos have a tremendous advantage over the
poor gringos. I saw a number of such gringos, some from a large
guided group, struggling up the peak as I came down. I avoided the
icy section at the bottom of the glacier this time, but only
at the expense of an arduous negotiation of a rock/sand/scree pile
thinly covering large patches of ice---not particularly enjoyable.
But soon enough I was down to the trail, and was met by Susan halfway down
to the huts.
We capped off the trip with a reasonably leisurely day in Mexico
City (including a bit of laundry). Susan is firmly set on returning
to the peak sometime soon---it's a beautiful place, and well worth
going more than once. To anyone thinking about climbing in Mexico,
I heartily recommend it, but you should remember a few points.
The first is altitude: go slow, plan plenty of time in for acclimatization,
and drink lots of water. Another is the unfortunate fact that Orizaba,
at least, is suffering from a long-term drought, and its glaciers are
receding enough to be quite icy much of the year. It is perhaps no longer
quite the easy climb that the guidebooks say it is. There is no crevasse
danger, but I wouldn't take a complete novice again, because of the
difficulty in self-arresting on the crusty, icy snow.
But the last thing to remember is that getting to the top
is hardly the be-all and end-all of the trip. I think Mexico is
a wonderful place (ignoring the government!) and is well worth the
visit even apart from the climbing. As a compliment to the outdoor
adventure, the Mexican culture and the friendly people made our trip
very enjoyable.
-- Dave Metzler
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(edited by cpbl)
Many thanks to everyone who submitted,
sorry for errors and omissions.
The MIT Outing Club
last edited: 8/28/98
edited by: Rusty Sammon
email: mitoc-owner@mit.edu