La Malinche - February 2002
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left image:
This is the summit of La Malinche as seen from the north at around 4000m.
The treeline is quite abrupt and high, just below 4000m. The trail
leading to the treeline is good (although we took a wrong fork
on the way up and found the better trail on the way down).
The last 400m to the summit
consist of a scramble over large talus.
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right image:
This is the view from the summit of La Malinche looking east.
The hardcore climber sitting in front is Andrea.
The mountain in the distance is Orizaba, which we were planning on climbing two
days later. While we were enjoying the sun here on La Malinche, someone was busy
stealing all our equipment from the campground down below. This unfortunate
event meant we were unable to climb Orizaba. We did, however, enjoy the rest of
our week visiting Puebla, Veracruz, Cardel, Zempoala, Catemaco, and Monte Pio.
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La Malinche lies about 30km south of Apizaco,
a medium-sized
town between Mexico City and Puebla. Its elevation of 4462m and its short
climbing time make it a popular acclimatization destination. Many locals
enjoy the park on weekends (which is when we were there). From our experience,
I would recommend either leaving your gear in your hotel room, locked in the
trunk of your car, or locked in a cabin at the campground ($390 pesos).
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