"Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks. Great success shooting the knife into the piano. The woodworms are so bad and eat hell out of all furniture that you can always claim the woodworms did it."
--Ernest Hemingway
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Blackmouth - Feb 4, 2008 2:15 pm - Voted 10/10
Nice ReportI'm leaving in 2 weeks to climb Ixta and Orizaba, so the timing on your report is perfect. All of the pictures you included will definately help out with my gear selection. Thanks a-lot.
MountainHikerCO - Feb 4, 2008 5:05 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Nice ReportI glad you found my report useful. Hope things go well with your trip. If you have any questions I might be able to answer about Orizaba or Izta, feel free to contact me.
Nyle Walton - Feb 6, 2008 10:59 am - Hasn't voted
Loss of glaciel snow.It appears that global warming has shrunk Ixti's snowcap since I first climb it in 1956. We did it in a day from Mexico City where I was a student at Mexico City College. I appreciate the extreme accuracy you have devoted to this climb, using GPS>
MountainHikerCO - Feb 6, 2008 5:09 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Loss of glaciel snow.Thanks. I think it varies from year to year, but compared to my 1994 climb I saw the glaciers as being lower. The high point of the summit glacier was higher than any of the exposed crater rim when I was there before. This time there were the three distinct summits above the glacier.
Cheeseburglar - Feb 6, 2008 12:03 pm - Voted 9/10
mapsGreat trip report.
The map you were fortunate to own, do you know of a place in Colorado something similar could be purchased?
Heading down there at the start of March!
MountainHikerCO - Feb 6, 2008 5:05 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: mapsThe only source I know is Chessler Books. http://www.chesslerbooks.com/eCart/default.asp?idAffiliate= They apparently have some they can photocopy. When I contacted them before this trip they had an issue with locating them. A few of the big map suppliers used to carry them, but as far as I know those have dried up. If you come across a source, could you please post it here?
ktnbs - Feb 8, 2008 9:08 am - Hasn't voted
Just the factsman. Thanks, a very frank, and direct report.
MountainHikerCO - Feb 8, 2008 11:31 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Just the factsThanks, my objective was to add to the available useful information.
estiv0 - Jun 1, 2008 10:24 pm - Hasn't voted
Helpful detailThanks for posting this report and the map -
its encouragement for me to give it a try when I visit Mexico City in July.
MountainHikerCO - Jun 6, 2008 9:13 pm - Hasn't voted
Watch the weatherEach time I have been to Mexico to climb it has been in Jan or Feb. My understanding is the hurricane season brings weather to those mountains, whereas the winter is the dry time. If it were me I would research that further. In any event Mexico City is a great place to visit. There is lots to see.
parky - Oct 13, 2008 5:00 pm - Voted 8/10
INEGI MapsJust wanted to contribute a useful source of genuine INEGI maps - not printed copies as some suppliers offered me. Try www.omnimap.com I managed to get original Pico de Orizaba, Toluca and Ixta 1:50,000 maps in autumn 2008 in readiness for a trip in November. I agreed to them being folded and they were sent FedEx and arrived in the UK in about 4 days. Now I'm struggling to set my GPS to the Mexixo UTM system and I think your article will be very helpful.
Cheers
Parky
Derby, England.
MountainHikerCO - Oct 14, 2008 12:45 am - Hasn't voted
Re: INEGI MapsIf the grid on your map is indicated as ITRF92, then you can use WGS84. http://www.bicimapas.com.mx/EnglishEdition/MexicanTopoMaps.htm
If your map has 2 grids, one in dashed lines, then one of the grids should be NAD27 Mexico.
Good info on OmniMap. I have found it inconsistant when they have stock. INEGI has a store in the Mexico City airport, however last time I was there, they told me they were no longer producing paper maps of the 1:50,000, just digital. I wonder if OmniMap came into some old stock or if INEGI has rethought that policy.
Dmitry Pruss - Nov 24, 2008 1:27 pm - Voted 10/10
Datum?Are these UTM points in NAD27, WGS84, or a custom datum of some sort?
MountainHikerCO - Nov 24, 2008 7:30 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Datum?The coordinates I give are UTM on NAD27 Mexico, zone 14, latitude band Q. I collected them with a basic model yellow Garmin eTrex. I usually didn’t give them a lot of time to settle. Use them at your own risk!
Dmitry Pruss - Nov 24, 2008 9:21 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Datum?Thanks! I don't know if I should be tempted to punch them into my GPS, then :) It always feels better with a few waypoint in an unfamiliar place, but after looking at all the pictures and your very useful map, I don't think it's so "unfamiliar" anymore :)
MountainHikerCO - Nov 25, 2008 2:43 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Datum?My routine usually is to mark waypoints as I go. That way I have my breadcrumbs for the return. By having a map with a UTM grid I keep track of where I am by reading my coordinates at the time. I will sometimes enter coordinates in advance, but maybe keep those on a different naming convention.
The important thing about relating your coordinates to the map several times during the hike, is you match the visual of the terrain to the map. That way if you lose visibility (or your GPS) on the return you can relate to the map better to navigate back to the trailhead. I will orient the map to the real world with a compass several times for the same reason. I tend to save waypoints at critical junctions, such as the points where we switched from one side of the mountain to the other.
Kiefer - Jan 6, 2014 11:54 pm - Voted 10/10
NiceThanks for including that map you made. The features you listed are of especial help. Will be down there in a few weeks.
Cheers!
MountainHikerCO - Jan 7, 2014 12:18 am - Hasn't voted
Re: NiceI'll be interested to hear how it goes. When we got our permits, they gave us a pamphlet type map which helped fill in the detail on the topo.