--From Eric Remza, Alpine Ascents Lead Guide
Hello Everyone checking in... We all arrived yesterday afternoon into Mendoza and man, what a wild ride this trip has been! Let me fill you in after our safe return from the summit and arrival into camp three.
First of all, John and Sue are two very focused and driven individuals... Although, safety is of their main concern, the two of them are mentally and physically adaptable to adversity. This was some of the worst weather I have ever experienced down here, yet, through 100 mph winds and freezing temperatures, these two stepped it up and kept it real.
After our first four day storm at camp one, almost every other team that was above us and with us during that epic ordeal decided do descend. This was probably a wise decision... Because, the next 6 days evolved into a rollercoaster of challenges, both mentally and emotionally with the onset of further storm systems rolling in. Imagine being stuck in a small yellow sphere for days on end, laying on your back and propping your legs against the tent walls to keep them from collapsing. Or, stumbling into a cyclone of wind in search for our water source that is frozen over... There are many stories like this, yet the only way you can really deal with them is to forgo your future and just except your current present situation. I tell my team members, to climb this mountain, all you have to do is just focus on one step at a time, one day at a time...
Also, I give anyone who ever signs up for a mountaineering expedition my utmost respect. To venture out of your current life situation and comfort zones is a tremendous step in personal growth. Mountaineering is a cumulative experiential adventure, it is a process, and each adventure builds on the next. Like the title of Ed Viesturs new book, their really are no short cuts in mountaineering. What you see is what you get, the mountain is indifferent, yet what separates us from the summit is one step at a time...one day at a time...
So in the hopes of not being too philosophical, let me rap up our trip for you...
After our summit, we arrived back into camp 3 around 6ish in the evening, a total time of 13 hours round trip to the summit and back. We awoke that morning to calmer winds, and the temperature was not as cold, a mere minus 16 wind chill. The traverse from C3 to C4 was arduous, but once at C4 the team was pumped to keep going. Each rest stop consisted of catching our breath and fueling our bodies with water and energy gels. Winds fooled with us all the way to the base of the Canaleta (Spanish for Couloir which is French for a gully). But the winds soon subsided and a balmy ascent of the 800 ft Gully soon placed us at the highest point in the Americas. All four of us were stoked (which is a feeling you recieve after you catch a really good ride on a wave while surfing), the summit was windless, and we were the only ones up there! 360 degree views of the Andes and some of the bluest skies you will ever see in your life. Plus a look our west into Chile and the Pacific Ocean beyond. When you are that high on a mountain like that, you can actually see the curvature of the Earth! Truly magical.
The next morning we awoke at 19,200 ft, C3. We packed up and dug ourselves out of our snowy world and began our descent down to BC. The weather was spectacular for our move down the mountain, and it took us all of 4 hours to make it down to BC. The deal was though, we couldn't stay at BC, our extended stay up high to give it one more shot for the summit exhausted our option for a rest day at BC. Therefore, we only had just enough time to repack our things, eat some really good pizza, and give Ellie a hand with breaking down BC. We then continued our descent another 8 miles and 3000 ft, down to the Vacus Valley to our second camp on our trek in, Casa Piedra. Halfway down the Relenchos Valley, were the canyon gets the steepest and most technical, our daylight emptied into night and we had no choice but to proceed with headlamps. Team Adapt, adapted and soon we were crossing the Vacus River by moonlight, another surreal experience... We finally arrived into Casa Piedra around 11 pm in the evening... No tents, it was a beautiful night, we just laid out our sleeping bags under a blanket of Argentinean stars. Dave hooked us up with cheese and crackers, and some quesadillas. We slept soundly that night, and I kept waking up and wondering why the inside of my tent had stars in it... In total we had dropped about 14,000 ft in about 12 hours... We were worked!!!
The following day (25th) greeted us with a calm morning, and Dave busted out some breakfast burritos, fresh eggs, onions, and garlic... Breakfast never tasted so good! We then packed all of our sleeping bags, pads, stoves, etc... into duffels and cached them there for the mules to pick up. With our lightened day packs, we banged out our 20 mile hike out to Penitentes.
Once we arrived into Penitentes, we again gorged on pizza, and Dave introduced the team to the "rest bite". That evening, we were able to stay at the hotel in Penitentes, were we took our first series of showers in over three weeks. Life is good...
The next morning we made our 3 hour bus ride back to Mendoza, again more showers!!! We arrived early enough that we were able to enjoy the afternoon in Mendoza. We topped it off with a dinner at Frances Mallman, the finest restaurant in Mendoza.
So today (27th), we are all leaving on our scheduled flights back to our homes. Talk about cutting it close! But the cool thing is, we don't need to leave till the evening, so we are getting ready to depart for a lunch BBQ at one of Mendoza's fine wineries. Nothing like indulging in some fine Argentinean beef and wine before you board a long flight back home...
So there you go... Another trip is in the books. I hope you enjoyed our dispatches and thanks to everyone who participated in our success.
Ciao y suerte
Eric, Dave, Sue and John.

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