"The man who gives up accomplishes nothing and is only a hindrance. The man who does not give up can move mountains."

- Ernest Hello

Some people think about climbing a mountain. Others go ahead and do it.

Ben Cross, 19, and Joe Wildman, 18, are two 1999 Warsaw Community High School graduates who went ahead and did it. They climbed their first mountain in December.

And the mountain they chose to climb - Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltepetl, as the Aztecs call it - is not only a volcano but is also the third highest mountain on the North American continent, at 18,700 feet. It last erupted in 1687 and is 120 miles east of Mexico City, in Veracruz, and 60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. December is the dry season there, Cross said, and the area doesn't get much rain then, so it is the best time to climb the mountain.

"It's one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life," said Cross.

The pair began preparing for the climb weeks before they actually saw the mountain. Cross said they did a lot of hiking across the western part of the United States before traveling to Mexico.

"We were traveling out West, and (climbing the mountain) was a good way to end (the trip)," said Wildman. "My dad did it before."

Also on the trip was Joe's father, Kent Wildman, and Joseph Whitley, 18. The group stayed at a ranch in Mexico for a week, visiting different sites and getting used to the Mexican culture. They then went to Mexico City and then to Tlachichuca, the traditional starting point for those climbing the mountain.

"I was there 20 years ago and it was totally different," said Kent Wildman. "It's not as primitive as it was."

A four-wheel drive vehicle took the foursome up the mountain part way to a height of 14,000 feet. "(The driver) took us up all these winding roads," said Joe Wildman.

The truck had to drive through ruts of mud, Cross said, and "it was a pretty crazy experience."

He said, "We stayed at this hut at 14,000 feet. There were other climbers from around the world." They stayed a couple of days at the hut to get acclimated to the atmosphere, he said. "The hardest thing about the hiking was the altitude."

Two groups, one from France and one from England, also were staying at the camp.

While at the camp, some of the people from the different groups got sick because of the altitude.

Kent Wildman said, "We realized right away that I wasn't in the best physical shape to keep up with them." Whitley couldn't make it, either.

The foursome was down to a pair.

"It's not a real technical climb but it can be dangerous," said Kent Wildman. "The adventure is probably just getting there."

Cross said people climb Pico de Orizaba to train for climbing Mount Everest.

At 3 a.m., on a day when the weather was finally nice after a couple days of bad weather, the pair set off, said Joe Wildman. They wore several layers of clothing and took emergency gear and a makeshift hut with them.

From the camp they hiked to the glacier that covers the volcano year-round. Once they got to the glacier, they had to wear crampons and use ice axes to keep from sliding down the mountain. From the glacier, they hiked up to the shoulder and then to the top, Joe Wildman said.

"We kept moving. Other people stopped. At one point, we were going to stop," said Wildman, "but we didn't want our toes to get cold and then have to go back."

He said the elevation wasn't too bad, until the last 2,000 feet. At the top of the mountain, Wildman said, he felt like he had the flu. Cross said it was hard to catch his breath and his vision was blurred a little. They stayed at the top of the volcanic mountain for an hour.

"When you look down the mountain, there's so much below you. You're just on top of the world," said Wildman. "There's just an ocean of clouds."

Cross said there were crosses and other religious symbols left by former hikers on top of the mountain.

"We just sat there for a few minutes and took pictures. We didn't stay too long because we wanted to get down to a lower elevation," said Wildman.

They were back to the hut by about 3 p.m., making their total climb 12 hours long.

Now that they have one mountain-climbing experience under their belts, Cross and Wildman are ready for another adventure.

"There's one - Mount McKinley, in Alaska, it's the tallest mountain in North America - that's what we want to do next," said Wildman. And then, he said, they want to climb the highest mountain in South America, in Ecuador.

Cross said, "I'm an outdoor kind of person. I like to push myself. I'm into mountaineering now. I plan to do more."

Is climbing Pico de Orizaba for everyone?

"If you're in good enough shape and enjoy beautiful things, definitely," said Cross. "I recommend it to anybody. Just don't push yourself too hard and know your limits."

Wildman agreed, saying, "Definitely. Anyone who's up for a challenge. It's a good goal-oriented climb." [[In-content Ad]]