February 3, 2017
The final steps to the summit of Orizaba (Photo by Ken Curchin)
‘Just shy of t-shirt weather’ was Josh’s comment when he called this morning from the summit of Orizaba. You can easily tell how windy it is when listening on the other end of a satellite phone call. There wasn’t even a breath of wind on the summit this morning. We need to acknowledge a couple of our climbers in particular. They weren’t sure about continuing when they reached the tongue of the glacier this morning. However, a little extra encouragement and them digging deep helped them rally, stay focused on the prize and reach the summit. A hearty well-done to everyone.
Trucks will be waiting for the guys when they get back to the hut. A couple of hours of rough 4-wheel road and they’ll be back at the Reyes compound in Tlachichuca. Cold drinks and hot showers will be waiting.
Congrats to the team and thanks to Orizaba for perfect weather.
Phil Ershler