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Sierra Club Bulletin. 



cihuatl should be considered a volcano or not, but there 

 can be no doubt as to its volcanic origin. In the upper 

 part, the successive lava flows can be distinctly seen. It 

 is more rocky than its neighbor, Popo, and lacks the 

 volcanic ash that covers the latter in some places. The 

 cave where climbers are wont to spend the night is at 

 timber line. The start for the climb is made at daybreak. 

 It is not worth while to set out sooner, because the country 

 beyond the cave is somewhat rough. The snow line can 

 be reached in an hour's ride. The trail was built prin- 

 cipally for getting ice and ends at the foot of a glacier. 

 The glacier is to be avoided, if one seeks the easiest route 

 to the top, and, turning to the left, the way is straight to 

 the summit. The route is over rocks and gravel at first, 

 then over deep snow, which for the last quarter of a mile 

 presents a smooth surface, unbroken by rocks. The last 

 hundred yards is steep enough to make step-cutting 

 necessary. 



There were five of us in the party, besides a consider- 

 able retinue of guides and mozos. I was fortunate in 

 being the only member of the party who did not suffer 

 from mountain sickness. Two of our number were pre- 

 vented from making the ascent. Strange to say, the first 

 man to turn back had climbed Orizaba successfully, and 

 Orizaba is much the higher mountain. 



On the top of Ixtaccihuatl are two rounded domes, 

 nearly north and south of the slight dip between them, 

 and of about the same height. They are a quarter of a 

 mile apart. Everything is covered by smooth, hard snow, 

 which presents an unbroken surface except for one cre- 

 vasse just north of a half-dome of snow lying to the south- 

 east of the other two domes. The west side of this half- 

 dome is a snow cornice, which can be plainly seen from 

 the base of the mountain. There being no wind, making 

 the air seem warm in the sunlight, I stayed at the top 

 for about an hour. The view is much the same as that 

 obtained from Popocatepetl, the main difference being 

 that Popo itself, and Lake Texcoco, a shallow, alkaline 



