Merry goes places

Today was by far the craziest hike I can remember.

We started in the early morning just in time for sunrise over the two volcanos Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuratl (picture 1). Then the best thing happened - we met two Mexican hikers (I mean professional hiking guides who make me look like a wimp on the trail) who offered to do the trail together.

We started from 3960 meters altitude at our parking lot and spent the next 6.5 hours ascending through trails of sand, gravel and boulders, often scrambling up rocks, and loved every minute. Though I must say I felt the altitude early, going slower than usually. My brother felt fine and at one point even took my backpack so I could keep up :)

The views were amazing, especially of the active "Popo", coughing up ash and rocks. Here's a panorama shot https://goo.gl/photos/vRDVwW1bJC4ZHXmf9
Close to the top, it got really cold, especially as we crossed the glacier at windy 5100 meters. Brrrrrrrr.

We made it to 5230 meters, exhausted and happy, and ready to lose some altitude. The way down was tough, as the sand made the descend slippery. Where there was a lot of sand, we didn't mind - we skied down like this https://goo.gl/photos/PbLmdbDU6D17SNYC7 :)

So much fun!

After hiking the last 30 minutes in the dark with head lamps, we made it back almost 12 hours later. What a day! We're completely beat but happy and a tiny bit proud. I'm especially proud of my brother who, with basically no acclimatization, made it to 5200 meters and a crazy hike of 11.5 hours to get there!Read more