Spam from Guadalajara

Particulars
Nevado de Colima, Jalisco, México

About 13,845 feet in elevation – I have seen other figures that range up to as high as 14,600 but I don’t think it is so high.

Difficulty: This is a walk up on good trails, well marked and straight forward. The elevation is a factor so don’t take it too lightly but someone in reasonably fair physical condition can do this.

Appeal: This is the nearest mountain to Guadalajara. For me the logistics of getting there and away provided the biggest part of the adventure but this is still a nice hike on a cool volcanic mountain. It has birds-eye views of Vulcan de Colima which is a recently active volcano.
Spam
Friday
This is my third trip to Guadalajara and I'm a bit jaded by it now, especially since I've seen nothing but the airport, the hotel, and work. I certainly haven't seen anything worth taking a picture of. However, tomorrow I am going to go climb a mountain. It isn't technical or anything but it is a little over 4200m (probably about 13,845 ft -- higher than Hood, Adams, or Borah but less than Whitney or Rainier). I have brought my hiking boots and a minimal pack with the kind of things I usually take hiking. The only thing I need is to fill my Camelback with water. It takes no less than seven requests of the hotel staff to get four liters of bottled water. They just can't understand why I want that much of it. I'm sure they now think I am as loony as Howard Hughes but I have my water.

Saturday
Using my entire Spanish vocabulary I manage to take a taxi to the Guadalajara bus station, get a ticket, get on the right bus to Ciudad Guzman, and get a taxi to take me about 25 kilometers to the National Park of Nevado de Colima. The road up here is rough and steep and rocky and I am quite amazed that the taxi could do it. Frankly, I didn't really think I could get this far! The taxi driver asks for 500 pesos for the trip. I think this is way too much but I give it to him without question because I want him to come back to get me later in the day. We have to negotiate this. He doesn't want to come later than 3:00pm but it is already 11:00am and now that I am here, I want enough time to get to the summit. He finally agrees to 4:30pm.

Next I have to pay 10 pesos (about $1) and listen to a park ranger tell me not to attempt to go to Nevado del Fuego or any other peak besides Nevado de Colima. I don't understand much of what he says but I say "si" a lot and he thinks I understand. The hike is great. I don't take any breaks and I hike as fast as I am able because I really want to get back in time for the taxi. I see 2 white tail deer. I am accosted by another ranger about a half mile from the summit who gives me the same warnings as the first one. It got really cold up there and I even have to put on a jacket. There is a little snow hiding here and there. There are lots of great views and I get some nice pictures at the top. Yeah! I made it! I head down and make it to the ranger station by 4:15pm. Plenty early enough for the taxi.

I enjoy a break for a few minutes and continue hiking down the road thinking I will meet the taxi on the way up. By 4:35pm I am convinced of the truth: the taxi is not coming. I am not to happy about the thought of hiking the 25 km (15 and 1/2 miles) back to town. But I am saved! I hear a truck rumbling down the road and it stops. The front seat is full but the driver nods and points to the back in response to my request for a ride to town. The back of the truck is full of garbage! But it is mostly cardboard boxes and black plastic bags and it doesn't smell so I count my blessings and hop in. The truck takes off like the devil is driving it. Tree branches whack the sides. Every bump tosses me into the air and I am afraid I will be thrown out. I lean back on the trash which fortunately makes a good cushion and brace my feet up on the rails in an attempt to stay on board! At every turn I hear and feel the wheels skidding in the gravel and I pray that all the garbage will save me. Dust billows in so much that I have to keep my eyes closed most of the time -- just as well because it is too scarry to look out. My left arm is wrenched and to add insult to injury, it starts to rain.

Glory be! We arrive back on a paved road at the base of the mountain! But we don't stop! In fact, without hesitation we zoom past Ciudad Guzman and I am sure I am about to get to see the local dump. Sure enough, that is where we go. I help throw the garbage out of the truck. I don't let on but I am a bit worried about the whole situation. I am again about 10 miles from town and seemingly at the mercy of a garbage truck driver. However, when the truck is clean, the driver asks me where I want to go. I tell him about Hotel Tlayolan (gly-o-lon). He confers with the other guys on the scene then says, "ok" and we head off again. The truck drops me right at the hotel. This is supposed to be the nicest hotel in Ciudad Guzman so I am sure they don't have too many guests show up in garbage trucks but my American Express card was accepted quickly enough. Like they say here, "llavays al mundo" (the keys to the world).

Now, I am sure Dave J. will say, "I told you, you should rent a car." However, I am still safe and sound and I don't have to contemplate the complexities of driving in Mexico. Damn, I am ready to come home. Oh, and just in case riding in a garbage truck could have negative health consequences, I **am** taking my Cipro!

All my best,
Greg
Logistics:
Guadalajara is served by several major airlines from the United States. It is about a four hour flight from Los Angeles, California. Ciudad de Guzman is about 60km south of Guadalajara (Mexico’s second largest city). Judging by my experience, you may want to rent a car in Guadalajara but taking public transportation definitely adds to the adventure of the experience.

From Ciudad de Guzman, here is a map sketch to find the park and the start of the hike:

{insert sketch here}

Take Highway 54 south. Take the Ciudad Guzman exit. Turn left and cross the overpass back over the highway. After about 500m turn right at the first big intersection. Look for a sign to the “instituto tecnologico”. At the traffic light 500m later exit to the right, and follow the road going under the bridge. On the right you will see the Instituto tecnologico. Continue straight ahead and pass by a jail and a gas station. Veer right and about 400m later you will see a white building on the left side, and a sign, “Parque Nacional Nevado de Colima”. Turn left, into the dirt road, continue 16 km till the ranger station. There park the car and start walking. The park ranger at the gate gave me a little brochure with a map but I found the trail easy to navigate to the summit intuitively.

If you need a hotel in town, I recommend the Hotel Tlayolan, Javier Mina No. 35, Cd. Guzman, Jalisco, telephone 011.52.412.33.17.