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No doubt about it. One of the great moments of my outdoor life was the point in time when I took the top middle picture from near the summit of Iztaccihuatl. Two of my three companions were also having one of their great moments. Three men whooping out loud for joy. Despite a thick layer of smog above Mexico City to the west, the setting sun obliged to give us a glorious alpenglow on the west face of our chosen mountain. Meanwhile Popo bathed in warm light in the background. Our other companion, John, was suffering from altitude sickness in our tent, the yellow blob to the far left of that picture. Signs had already been evident by mid-afternoon. By midnight, it had gotten so bad that he ceased to be able to remain horizontal, and had to keep sitting up to cough his lungs out. I knew that the situation could only deteriorate, and that an immediate descent was necessary. The other two didn`t seem to share my urgency. I found that odd because it was I who was the tag-along, the others being a group from Albuquerque, New Mexico. But there had been less than charitable words between them lower on the mountain, and that must have played a part. Still, rather than seeing and hearing a man drown in his own body fluids, I decided to take him down in the night. Only a few steps out of the tent, I knew it had been the right move. John was barely able to make 20 metres before sitting down to cough himself to exhaustion. Three thousand feet lower and eight hours later, he was feeling a world of difference. The other two - if ever you read this. If you can`t put aside your differences to save a man`s life, then shame on you. |
Nearing the summit |
Popocatepetl from near |
On Glaciar de Jamapa, |
Summit crater, Popocatepetl |
On summit of El Pico de Orizaba, |
Summit crater, Popocatepetl |
On Glaciar de Jamapa, |
Popocatepetl from near |
Summit hut of Popocatepetl, |
Popocatepetl from Vicente |
Self-catering at Tlacamas Lodge |
On Glaciar de Jamapa, |
On Glaciar de Jamapa, |
Abseiling El Ventorrillo |
Camp near |
On summit of |
On the slopes of |
On the slopes of |
American summit fervour, |
On Glaciar de Jamapa, |
El Pico de Orizaba from |
Workers at Piedra Grande hut, |
El Pico de Orizaba |
Cooking inside Piedra Grande hut, |
Microwave towers of |
La Malinche from |
Local
Tarahumaran women |
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