Mountain Climbing in Mexico

The May 27 Mountaineers meeting will feature a talk by Paul Bradley. Paul writes: “After 30 years of climbing mountains, mostly in New Mexico and Colorado, I finally decided to climb some mountains significantly higher than the 14,440 feet of Mount Elbert in Colorado. I also knew that I was more interested in going with a group rather than making all the arrangements myself. I settled on climbing three of the big volcanoes in Mexico, as they are not that far away and not that difficult technically. In my talk, I describe the trip with an emphasis on the climbs of La Malinche (14,567 feet), Iztaccihuatl (17,160 feet) and Orizaba (at 18,491 feet, the highest peak in Mexico). Once I saw a relatively inexpensive trip with a reputable company, I signed up. The trip was thoroughly enjoyable and it was a delight not to have to worry much about logistics except for my personal gear. I highly recommend this approach to climbing in other countries.”

Paul Bradley grew up in Texas, earning a B.S. in Chemical Engineering  and M.S. in Physics from Texas A&M University and then a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Texas. On his first trip to Colorado in 1987, he knew he wanted to live in the mountains, and when offered a postdoc at Los Alamos, that was “close enough”. He has lived in Los Alamos since 1993 and worked at the Lab until retiring in August 2024, 31 years to the day after starting. He has climbed 199 of the highest 200 peaks in Colorado and numerous peaks in New Mexico and other places. With more time in retirement, he plans to do more exotic mountain climbing, finally summit Peak Fifteen, finishing visiting the 50 states and taking various trips around the world with his wife, Cynthia.

We welcome all to this Mountaineers’ meeting, held on the usual fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be in-person at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – we would love to see your smiling face. Registration details will be posted once they are available.

Paul relaxing in Ruby Lake Basin after climbing Animas Mountain in August 2024. Peak Fifteen, Turret Peak and Pigeon Peak are in the background.