Aconcagua: Cifelli & Team Spend Windy Night at Camp 1
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
Yesterday’s blog was about awe; this one is about how awe-full the fricken wind can be sometimes. As we nestled into our sleeping bags for the night we traded the guitars, laughter, and bustle of Basecamp with freight train after freight train of wind roaring down valley at us in Camp 1. It’s such a unique thing to hear, wind a couple kilometers away from you raging at you until finally WHOOSH you get the brunt of it all at once. I’d look over at Ben every once in a while as I held up my side of the tent with my hand. Nothing but log cutting as flaps of fabric tapped him on the head like an impatient toddler. “ Good for him” I thought.
We awoke with wind still howling and a full day of climbing ahead of us. Cold, cutting wind ever present as we saddled up and head out for our carry to camp 2. The wind only intensified as we worked our way up the switch backs to The col between Ameghino, a towering 19,300 ft peak, and Aconcagua, the stone sentinel. But eventually reaching beyond the col and catching our first glimpse of this side of the mountain. La Mano, Mercedario, Link, Fitzgerald, they just keep going, each a staggering peak in their own right and eye candy for the remainder of our climb to camp 2. We reached our destination, said a quick happy Birthday to Tori, and headed back down to the “comfort” of our camp 1 site. We can’t wait to be up at camp 2 and were hoping for a little less wind tonight.
To all family members or blog followers, we’re pretty trivia obsessed right now so give us your best.
RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli
Comments (1)
Hi all! I am Brian’s sister and have been watching and reading all that is going on. Looks like you are having a lot of fun. Brian, I am sure all the fitness challenges you are experiencing, and overcoming there on the mountain, are due to all the fitness challenges I set you up for, in the backyard at mom’s house
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