Climbing for Learning: Aconcagua

Day 1 - Santiago, Chile

All the gear (thankfully) and I arrived safe in Santiago. 

Day 2 - Santiago to Medoza, Argentina

   This past week was very, very busy - now there is very little to be done, I´ve got no laptop, my mobile phone doesn't work and the satellite phone, at $1.80 per minute, will be used very sparingly.  Even though I have books to read and things to see - the time seems very... open.

Day 3 - Mendoza

Mendoza, Argentina is a great place to spend the day.  The rest of the group arrived at Noon, although some of their bags did not.  It turns out that Patty lost one bag in Miami and Sue lost both her bags - this is always a good way to start out a gear-intensive trip!  Patty´s bag arrived by dinner.  Sue´s...

We did a gear check with our Alpine Ascents guides.  There were very serious about being warm and having the gear that would make that happen.  On our lead guide´s previous trip (last week) there were -20 degree temperatures at the summit and on the way down they were hammered with 100 mph gusts that were knocking he and his group to the ground as they descended.  Me... I am hoping for a clear balmy day at the summit. 

We finshed dinner by 12:30 AM.  We are definitely on Argentinian time.  Tomorrow it is a bus ride to Penitentes to load up the mules.

Day 4 - Mendoza to Penitentes

This morning it was off to get our individual Aconcagua Park permits. Then a 3 hour bus ride with a lunch srop on they way to Penitentes. We are in the Andes!!

It is spectacular - towering peaks, deep valleys, no trees and very little vegitation.

Once in Penitentes we prepared all the personal and group gear for the mules to carry. Each barrel or bag can weigh no more than 30 kilos. My weighed in at 27 kilos. I thought I might have to take out my cot and satellite TV to make weight.

After an afternoon hike, a good cerveza and a pizza dinner, it was off to a great night's sleep.

Still no bags for Sue...

Day 5 - Into the Vacas Valley

Today we began our 30 mile trek into Aconcagua base camp. We will be carrying what we might need for the day (water, extra layers, snacks and lunch) and the mules carry the rest.

Our hike today was about 4.5 hours - up a gradual slope - following beside a raging Vacas River. The temperature is in the mid-80s and there is a strong steady breeze - very pleasant. I am in shorts and several layers of spf 70 sunscreen (I had no idea it went that high!).

Once the mules arrive at camp, we will get our first taste of setting up tents, eating lots of beef asado, and sleeping on the ground for the first of many nights.

I hope to send a few more dispatches later today with pics of our group.

Day 5 - Part Two

Our first day in the Vacas Valley was also an introduction for us on the need for flexibility when doing this kind of expedition. The meet and cheese for our lunch sandwhiches were inadvertently left in Penitentes - so, no lunch. We lived on the snack bag we recieved - that was supposed to last us for thee days!

We arrived in camp about 4:30 pm. The mules with our tents, warm gear, and... dinner arrived at 7:30. While we waited we had cabbage sandwhiches. The dinner was going to be beef asado, but there was a misunderstading between our guides and the mule drrivers. So, it was pork chops, rice, and applesauce instead - with beef asado tomorrow night.

It was a great day nontheless. Tomorrow we get our first glimpse of the Aconcagua summit.

Day 6 - 7.5 hike up the Valley

Everyone survived our first night in tents and sleeping out at about 9000 feet.  It did get very chilly once the sun went down.  The stars were spectacular!

We were very happy to see the sun work its way down the valley walls to hit our camping area.  We broke camp and re-packed all our personal and group gear for the mule team to carry up to the next camp.  Today the mules should be in camp before we are! 

This is a picture of "Team Guys and Dolls" with our lead guide Eric.  (left to right - Gene, Al, Cathy, Patty, me, Sue, Janey - seated guide Eric and Nancy).

Just before our camp we caught our first view of the Aconcagua summit - very dramactic.  We are at approximately 10,500 feet.  The winds are mild and its getting chilly as the sun is going down.

Sue's bags arrived.  She is now ready to summit!

Tomorrow we finish our trek to base camp.  It will be a long day (an 8 hour hike) with 3,000 feet of altitude gain and steadily cooler temperatures.

Day 7 - Base Camp!!

Today was our final trek up to base camp.  We woke up to a clear sky and 30° temp.  By 9:30 it had warmed up to 36°.  Our first task was to get across the Vacas River to the valley that would take us to base camp.  We could either walk across in our sandals (as one of our guides did) or, avoid the just-above-freezing, knee-deep water and ride one of the mules across.  The rest of choose the mules and one by one with our packs we loaded up and bounced across.

For the next 8 or so hours we hiked up the Relenchos Valley.  We did our own river crossing later in the day in our sandals and knee-deep water... CHILLY.  We gained 3000 feet in altitude, had great views of the mountain along the way, and all made it successfully into base camp at about 4:40 pm. The temp did make it up into the  igh 60s, but the wind was so strong that we were adding additional layers throughout the day.

Base Camp - Oh Yeah!  We were greated by Ellie, the Alpine Ascents base camp manager,and a nice spread of crackers, peanut butter, chocolate, and flavored drinks.  We even had the luxury of being in a large dining tent sitting in chairs with backs on them!

Our tents were already set up for us.  There are rock wind walls surrounding each tent.  My tent happens to be on a slight angle... So, we will see how tolerant my tent mate, Gene, is as I roll into him with my -40° below sleeping bag monstrosity throughout the night!

The night wrapped up with a great hamburger dinner.  Everyone was in good spirits - lots of laughs.  We have a rest day tomorrow to help with acclimitization (we are at about 13,600 feet).  On Sunday, we will begin our first carry to Camp 1.

Day 8 - Base Camp Rest Day

We woke up to 30° temp, clear sky, almost no wind, and helicopters flying in to drop off supplies and pick up trash and waste.

Some of us got a good sleep... others had a hard time.  I was in the latter group - starting out the night with a mild headache and doing a lot of tossing and turning.  Fortunately, my headache was gone and I felt refreshed.

We had an unbelievable scrambled egg supreme breakfast.  We ate until we were stuffed.  It was very good.  During breakfast Ellie gave us the Base Camp guidelines - washing, showers, tents, etc.  Showers are $10 and availabe after 5 pm through another expedition company.  It's a solar shower... I'll give it a try the next time we are in base camp.

Generally it's been a day of hanging out, relaxing, and locking in our acclimitization.  Gene and I walked about 15 minutes to a nearby stream and did a little laundry.  Others broke out their books, slept, and started packing for our long day tomorrow carrying to Camp 1.

Our guides, Eric, Brent, and Dave, have been busy dividing up snack food for the entire climb, group food, and group gear.  Beginning tomorrow, it all starts to go up the mountain!

We now received all our group gear.  Almost all the group gear will go up tomorrow, Sunday.  We will climp to Camp 1, set up the tents, cache our gear, and return to base camp.  We will be taking a rest day on Monday, and then moving to Camp 1 on Tuesday.

There are a lot of unknowns tomorrow (altitude, pack weight, wind, temp). Let's hope for a good sleep tonight!

Day 9 - Carry to Camp 1, Return to Base Camp

We had French toast thrs morning.  A nice treat to start out a long day.  The guides tell us that this is usually the second hardest day after Summit Day. 

We left Base Camp at 10:40 am.  Our packs were all close to 50 lbs with the guides carrying a lot more.  The weather started our great, but we could see clouds building around the summit.

To cut to the conclusion, we made it to Camp 1 (16,200 feet) at 4:40 - a 6 hour climb, in and out of the glacier, and up a whole lot of skree.  We arrived back at Base Camp close to 8 pm - a hugely successful day!!

At our first break we got some snow flurries.  We also realized that once again, lunch had been left beind.  We decided to decided to change our team name to "Team We Don't Need No Stinking Lunch".  All you could do was laugh, but there was some serious discussion about which guide we would cook up first if things got desperate.

There were other teams on the trail - either carrying or moving to Camp 1.  The last 500 yards was a nasty skree field - 2 steps forward, one step back.  It was frustrating... But the skree is just one part t of the mental component of the ckimb.  Once you realize it's going to take twice as long to get up a particular section, you have to get into a rythym and go - step-slide, step-slide.  Sue was not feeling well - digestive problems.  She and Brent, a guide, turned around 800 vertical feet from Camp 1 and headed back to Base Camp.  Sue had gotten her acclimitization in and with a rest day ahead, she should be good to go for the move to Camp 1 on Tuesday.

Gene and I got blown off the trail at one point.  A huge gust of wind blew us one step back into the skree - and we slid about 8 more feet on our hands and knees.  We were fine and laughing about it - but a good reminder that each step matters.

At Camp 1 the wind was howling!  The camp was also full.  We all arrived pretty spent.  I had a nice low-grade headache working.  Eric was able to find two tent locations.  It took four people to set up one tent in the wind.  We stuffed the tents with the group and personal gear we had carried up.  We were all ready to start back down!

Back in Base Camp Brent cooked up some delicious burritos for dinner. Everone was in good spirits!  Sue was feeling better.  What we were all thinking about was how good our sleeping bag was going to feel!!