Escaping the heat at 4,000m

After deciding to change our route and head inland from Acapulco, we had a few choices on where to point the steering wheel. The 95D from Acapulco goes straight into Mexico City, and we again considered the prospect of spending a few days in the giant metropolis. Again the complications of finding somewhere to camp, and the problems with getting to know such a huge city in just a few days, put us off the idea. The southern coastal areas in Mexico are now into the rainy season, and the heat and humidity are accompanied by regular bouts of heavy thunderstorms. We took the decision to change our route as an opportunity to escape the oppressive weather, and headed to the Nevado de Toluca volcano. The volcano is north, inland and upwards from Acapulco, all of which help to lower the temperature and delay the onset of the rains.

The toll road from Acapulco towards Mexico City was uninspiring, but it gave us the opportunity to gain considerable altitude and cover a decent distance without spending days weaving through switchbacks up mountain trails. As we left the 95D, we immediately started climbing on winding local roads, and by the time we reached the base of the volcano, the roads had become extremely steep, surrounded by pine forests. After leaving Camino La Puerta Sultepec near Raices, the tarmac ended and we drove 3.5km up a steep but well graded gravel road. Arriving late in the day, we reached an unmanned gate and we entered the road to the volcano without paying; we found a place to park near to the gate and were pleased to open the truck door to a blast of cold air. After the day’s drive from the coast to the volcano, we had climbed to 3,720m above sea level, and the temperature had fallen from above 30°C to below freezing. The change was a blessed relief and all of us enjoyed sleeping under a duvet, without the sweating and discomfort that comes with the tropics during the rainy season.

The following morning we continued our drive up the slope, following a beautiful but poorly maintained dirt road towards the crater of the volcano. We stopped to pick up a hiker who had bravely attempted the ascent on foot, and after 11km, we found a locked gate within site of the summit. We parked the truck and continued the climb on foot. The road continues a further 6km, ending up inside the crater itself, but at 11km, there is a gate, kept locked most of the time.

The walk to the summit is short, and significantly easier than the path that we attempted to the summit of La Malinche to the east, but at over 4,200m even an easy path seems like hard work for someone more used to breathing the thick, luscious air found at sea level. Nevado de Toluca is a tall peak by almost any benchmark, and it is fairly remarkable that visitors are able to drive so close to the summit. For anyone not willing or able to climb such a peak, it is a rare opportunity to experience such an altitude. I’ve no doubt that the ranger manning the top gate would be willing to open the final section of road to enable a vehicle carrying someone with a physical impairment to reach the summit.

Inside the crater are a couple of small but beautiful lakes, and a number of paths running inside and around the crater. We spent a while enjoying the cool air and clear skies, before the afternoon clouds rolled in and we drove back down to the main entrance gate.

The road from the entrance gate to the crater is rocky and rutted, and whilst the pitching of the truck felt uncomfortable on the way up, on the way down it became scary. Jim’s chassis is extremely rigid, and combined with the fact that the cab and box are rigidly connected, means that there is almost no chassis twist when we drive over obstacles. The long travel leaf spring suspension is able to keep all wheels on the ground in anything we’d choose to tackle, but the box and cab swing uncomfortably as a wheel drops into a hole. I’m not sure if the angle the truck leaned at was worse going down, or whether it was merely the fact that we were pointed downwards that made the sensation more uncomfortable. Regardless, as we descended the volcano there were several moments that felt like the truck was teetering on two wheels. Thankfully the ‘puckering factor’ (not my term!) becomes unbearable, significantly before most vehicles are in danger of tipping over, and we descended to the main gate without incident, where we spent another pleasant evening. The following morning we drove down the final stretch of dirt, and rejoined the tarmac, headed for Guadalajara.

We spent a day driving along the expensive and uninspiring 15D toll road, stopping for a night at a restaurant in Cuitzeo town, on the banks of Lago Cuitzeo. I’m not sure whether the water level in Lago Cuitzeo is low due the season, but this expansive lake has lost a lot of water, and the properties and roads which were once on the shore are now a long way from the waterline. The restaurant where we ate and spent the night, had a small jetty, jutting out onto a patch of grassland several hundred meters from the lake, and there were several properties where boats and pontoons sat stranded on dry land.

The next day, unwilling to continue the extortion at each toll both we joined the adjacent free road, Mex 15. The section we drove along was fast and well paved, and with the exception of the increase in topes, it was barely slower than the road we’d paid handsomely for on the previous day. That evening we arrived in the enormous city of Guadalajara, and found a spot at the large, shady and popular campsite of San Jose del Tajo Trailer Park.