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Ascending Mount Hood
| June 12th, 2015 at 2:31:21 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
These 10 destinations have non stop bus rides from the airport USD DESTINO $10.39 Tulancingo (2nd city in state of Hidalgo) $10.52 Toluca (capital of state of Mexico) $11.04 Pachuca (capital of state of Hidalgo) $13.18 Cuernavaca (capital of state of Morelos ) $14.35 San Juan del Río (tourist destination 2 buses/day) $16.88 Puebla (downtown or central bus station capital of state of Puebla) $21.88 Querétaro (capital of state of Querétaro) $25.52 Celaya (wealthy city inf state of Querétaro) $29.87 Orizaba (in Mexican state of Veracruz) $31.95 Córdoba (in Mexican state of Veracruz) same bus as Orizaba I am not aware of a US airport with a bus station. There is usually a single shuttle bus takes you downtown or to car rental. The TAPO bus station about 2 miles from airport is vast, but you must take a taxi to get there easily with luggage. If you want to go to city of Veracruz or Oaxaca city you must leave from TAPO. To get to San Miguel de Allende take bus Querétaro then a taxi or local bus. |
| June 12th, 2015 at 6:54:20 PM permalink | |
| rxwine Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 189 Posts: 18755 |
So does this mean Everest is in your future? You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really? |
| June 13th, 2015 at 3:05:48 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 | El Pico de Orizaba is often the next step after Ranier, as it gives you the highest volcano in North America and is a possible gateway to Alaska. It appears that I made a mistake, as the city Orizaba is not the best place to begin a climb of El Pico de Orizaba. Tlachichuca is a small town about 100 km from the City of Puebla. It seems to be an easier place to begin the hike. Malinche is roughly the same height as Whitney. It is suggested to climb La Malinche (43 km from Puebla) as a way to get acclimatized. The Central Bus Station in Puebla is abbreviated CAPU . You can get to CAPU by hourly buses from Mexico City airport (20 per day). The AU and Valle line has buses to Tlachichuca where Conchola Limon's which will stage your climb up Orizaba. I have to say that both the idea of climbing Ranier and Orizaba actually looks frightening to me.  |
| August 8th, 2017 at 4:43:25 PM permalink | |
| Aussie Member since: May 10, 2016 Threads: 2 Posts: 458 |
Was thinking about possible hikes I can do on my next visit next year and Mt Whitney came up. I was hoping you would have climbed it and glad to see you have. Excuse the questions but: Did you do it a single day or camp overnight? Is it practical to do it as a day hike or not? I have read that most people camp but that may not be practical for me. How difficult is the actual route? |
| August 8th, 2017 at 8:13:45 PM permalink | |
| Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 | RE Paco's post -- I wrote about this before, but I was supposed to do Orizaba last year but called it off due to getting sick and an incompetent (yet well-meaning) guide. I'm already thinking of another attempt next year. We were going to do the Malinche route, or whatever it's called. You probably know I climbed the 3rd highest peak in Mexico from my blog entry.
Yes, I've done Whitney twice and have two unsuccessful attempts as well. Doing it as a day hike is tough but has been done many times, including by my father. It may seem tempting as it isn't that much mileage but there is a lot of elevation gain and it is at altitude, which is a huge drain of energy. I highly recommend doing it as at least a two-day hike at least, if not three. Yes, it is tougher to get the permits that way but if you study up on the lottery and apply when you're supposed to, I think you'll get your permit. Personally, all four times I've been on the mountain were part of a multiple-day trip. The only issue with the route is the altitude. There is nothing technical about it in the climbing season. Trail the whole way. No special ice equipment needed. In closing, I highly recommend you give it a go. If you can wait until 2018 and will do it as a 2-day trip, at least, I'd be interested in going with you. Plus, I know the lottery rules somewhat and will take care of that. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
| August 8th, 2017 at 10:33:12 PM permalink | |
| Ayecarumba Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 89 Posts: 1744 | If you climb Whitney from the portal, there is not much to see but a bunch of switchbacks. Spend the time to approach the summit from the other side. You won't regret it. |
| August 8th, 2017 at 10:56:36 PM permalink | |
| Aussie Member since: May 10, 2016 Threads: 2 Posts: 458 | Thanks for that. I'm planning to return in August 2018 so that could be a possibility but it will really come down to the logistics of the trip. Coming from Australia it will be a big inconvenience to travel with camping equipment so if you joined that would obviously remove that issue. It would then be down to fitting it into my itinerary and whether I'm physically fit enough. We don't have anything with even close to that type of elevation gain or altitude. I'm thinking of doing something like Kosciusko twice in a day early next year and if I get through that then perhaps that would be a reasonable guide. It's approx 12mi round trip with just over 2500ft elevation gain. So double that. Big difference is the summit is at about the same altitude as the Whitney trailhead. How much more difficult than something like Half Dome do you think it is? That was just over 16mi round trip with 4800ft elevation change and I did that in approx 9.5hrs for the return trip. |
| August 9th, 2017 at 3:26:58 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
Kosciusko is 7,310 ft, so it is similar to training for Whitney in San Diego County where elevations don't go above 6,500'. I knew several people who trained in San Diego county for a climb up Whitney, and some of them made it. Elevation has different effects on people. Some very fit people who can do marathons at sea level have huge problems at elevation. Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of 14,505 feet . La Malinche mountain, also known as Matlalcueye or Malintzin, is an inactive volcano (dormant for the last 3,100 years) located in Tlaxcala and Puebla states, in Mexico. Officially, its summit reaches 14,636 ft, though it is generally considered to be closer to 14,567 ft, using GPS measurements. If your objective is simply to hike above 14K feet, then consider Malinche instead of Whitney. On sunny weekends Mexican families try to get up there with their children and grandparents, mountain bikers drive around in the parks dirt roads and even sport-fanatics make it all the way to the top running! No special equipment is required, there are no dangerous parts and the trail is very easy to follow so no guide is needed. It is ranked #6 in Mexico, but is considerably easier than the first five.  The most expensive cabin is for four people and costs $1360 pesos or less than 100 AUD. That way you can walk out of your cabin and summit and return for diner. It is 2.5 hour drive about 100 miles from Mexico City airport. http://centrosvacacionales.imss.gob.mx/Paginas/pagina_tarifas_malintzi.html#caba?as
Malinche is a very common training peak for Orizaba (18,491 ft), the highest elevation in Mexico. The two peaks are about 50 air miles apart, but as it is back country in Mexico it takes a while to go from one to the other. |
| August 9th, 2017 at 3:58:50 AM permalink | |
| Aussie Member since: May 10, 2016 Threads: 2 Posts: 458 |
We use the metric system so 14000ft doesn't really mean anything for me in terms of a milestone. Simply the fact that as you say, it's the highest peak in the lower 48 states and also of course I will be in the area. I'm not sure I would go out of my way to hike it. It will really come down to timing and fitness so we will see whether I do it or not. I'm planning on going back to Yosemite again and there's a couple of others I've been looking at there as well - Mt Lyell & Mt Dana (two highest peaks in the park). Lyell is the higher of the two but the hike would also be at the very limits of what could be done in a day so would likely present the same issues mentioned previously regarding having to lug around camping equipment. Dana would be more likely and looks pretty easy other than being at a pretty decent altitude. |
| August 9th, 2017 at 8:34:31 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
4,421 meter Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the Lower 48 states It sounds like your trip is not being planned around the mountain. However if you want to spend less money on a vacation, Malinche is much easier to climb than Whitney. Meters: highest peaks in Mexico 5,610 Orizaba 5,500 Popocatépetl 5,220 Iztaccíhuatl 4,680 Nevado Toluca 4,580 Sierra Negra 4,420 Malinche 4,270 Nevado de Colima 4,200 Cofre Perote 4,120 Tlaloc 4,080 Tacaná Wizard's climb of Iztaccíhuatl Feb 20 2016. This mountain is a difficult climb. Wizard shows Popocatépetl in the video which is erupting. He says he is climbing Orizaba next, but he became ill. Nevado Toluca is on the opposite side of Mexico City. Sierra Negra is only about 4 miles from Orizaba. The Wizard probably did not want to bother with Malinche, as it is relatively easy. Like I said, some people climb Malinche to get warmed up. |