Entries from Aconcagua
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Today was our last slow day. Our last day of naps and leisurely mornings. Our last day at 18,000' camp. Tomorrow we head uphill. Uphill to our High Camp at 19,600' where we will set off for the summit. We spent the day today charging our devices, eating as much food as we could so we dont have to carry it down, and starring uphill at the mountain. Keep your fingers crossed and good wishes that the weather holds for the next 72hrs.
Happy Superbowl Sunday,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
On The Map
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Should we stay or should we go now? Today we started our rest day by waking up to a winter wonderland. The red rocks of camp now had a dusting of snow covering them, making it feel a lot like Christmas. The morning was leisurely with multiple cups of coffee and Avery's specialty, high altitude pancakes. Afterward came an afternoon of many naps and the struggle to not go crazy from boredom. Self entertainment is an important part of expedition life, especially when its snowing outside and you find yourself tent bound. As the day continued, we got the updated forecast and after much consideration, we are going to take another rest day at Camp 2. Given the forecasted winds, it is looking like Tuesday instead of Monday is our better bet for summiting. This just means we will get more practice at tent life.
Good night,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
On The Map
Dex, good luck to you and your team. I hope you guys summit! See you when you get back!
Posted by: Jr on 2/3/2019 at 3:43 pm
Oh, the joy of tent time….solitude…..Solitude is creativity’s best friend and refreshment for your soul…drink it in deeply before the hustle of life evaporates the illusion of peacefulness. Enjoy your day of rest and the opportunity for journaling your experience! Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Posted by: Dr. J on 2/2/2019 at 8:07 pm
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 19,600'
The sun rose and crawled across the camp warming the tents as it hit them. Once the sun's rays fell onto ours, we woke to begin our day. Today we carried to Camp 3, our high camp. The morning started clear and sunny, but soon clouds started to build to the east. The clouds were dark and ready to release some precipitation. Mother nature taunted us with some flurries but luckily kept the clouds at bay and allowed us to make our journey to Camp 3 in the sun. At 19,600' the air is thin and everything is exhausting, but the team handled it like pros. Their performance today gives confidence for a good summit push in a few days. But before we go for the summit we are gonna rest tomorrow at Camp 2. Tomorrow will be our last relaxing day for when we leave here it will be go go go.
Keep on keeping on,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
With every step we get closer and closer to the tippy top of this mountain and a warm bed and shower. We said goodbye to Camp 1 today and moved up to Camp 2. The air was noticeably chillier as we made our way to 18,000'. Once again we unloaded our packs and began the nesting process of moving into the tents. After some afternoon naps, we gathered for dinner. Among other topics we discussed the phenomenon of HAF, high altitude flatulence...the higher you go the gasier one gets. With full bellies and a crispness to the air our sleeping bags our calling our names. Tomorrow we will carry to Camp 3, our High Camp.
Adios muchachos,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
On The Map
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
Rest is important for the body and mind. It allows both to replenish the energy it has lost from hard work. And today we did just that. The morning began with a casual breakfast with copious amounts of hot water for coffee and tea. From there we enjoyed the warmth of the sun and pleasant conversation as we lounged among the rocks. Of course there was plenty of snacking all day long. As we say in the mountains lunch begins after breakfast and ends at dinner. Now that we are rested and getting a little antsy to start walking uphill again, we are ready to move to Camp 2 tomorrow.
Buenos dias,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
Once the sun hit the tents, camp came alive with teams rustling around, getting breakfast going and packing up. It seemed everyone was either carrying to Camp 2 or moving. We were carrying. After breakfast, we packed our bags and hit the trail once again. It was a busy day for the porters. Many of them with loads of 30-40kg cruising up the mountain as we all said, "Hola." With our own loads on our backs, we too made our way up the mountain to our future home Guanacos Camp aka Camp 2. It felt good to go higher and breathe in the thinning air. It just means our summit push is getting closer and closer. Once again as the sun sinks behind the ridge a chill fills the air and we all go back to our tents to get warm. Tomorrow we will be enjoying a rest day before we move up to Camp 2 the following day.
Goodnight,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
On The Map
Sounds like the team is making great progress! Congrats! Keep up the good work and fully enjoy the experience!
Posted by: Dr. J on 1/29/2019 at 10:00 pm
So proud of you Hannah! Have a great climb!
Posted by: Shannon Smith on 1/29/2019 at 5:42 pm
Enough about Lenas and the delicious asado dinner, it’s wonderful and it’s been played out. The truth is that after 17 miles of walking through a high desert over softball sized rocks stacked on top of descending from 19,600’ with heavy packs stacked on top of a long and difficult summit day, an average hamburger would be a shimmering oasis. The magic of Lenas is cemented in the idea of being rewarded after a job well done, ya the meat is amazing, the beer is warm and still some how the best you’ve had and the smoke will bring back fond memories for years to come. It’s the belief that trying difficult objectives over easily accomplished tasks will always make the smallest aspects of life more enjoyable. Anyone can go to Myrtle Beach and get an airbrushed tank top to commemorate their average vacation but to spend a tough 2 1/2 weeks in the high Andes and wrap up that experience looking into the seemingly three dimensional Milky Way after a communal dinner cooked by Argentinian cowboys and ate with one’s own hands is a memory like none other.
We head to the road tomorrow and the comforts of Mendoza. Your loved ones will be within internet range and thanks again for supporting them on this adventure and for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
Thanks for your daily updates and keeping everyone safe. You have no idea how much we all appreciate it.
Posted by: Mike Rapach on 1/28/2019 at 6:35 pm
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,000'
We woke today and said goodbye to the other RMI team as they headed down valley to go enjoy a delicious carne asado dinner. A carne asado dinner and a bed sound nice, but we have a lot of mountain ahead of us, so those are going to have to wait. The team made it further up the mountain today as we established our new home at Camp 1. It was a warm day today which made for great lounging in the sun as we kicked back and relaxed from a job well done. As dinner finished and hot drinks were sipped the sun slipped behind the ridge and a chill filled the air. Everyone casually disappeared into their sleeping bags for warmth...and so begins spending 12 hours in our tents.
Have a great day,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
On The Map
Climb High and Climb Strong Hannah and Team!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 1/29/2019 at 3:39 am
It’s strange how things turn out in retrospect. What was supposed to be a nicer day on the summit turned into an extremely difficult one. We listened to the teams rig up for their summit attempt this morning. The tents hardly rippled and the skies were clear, that is until they weren’t. By the time we started packing up camp, a lenticular cloud had formed over the the upper mountain. This cloud formation is accompanied by winds and cold temperatures. While we had some cold and consistent wind the day before, we had sunlight and a clear day. As we descended to Camp 2 we were not envious of the teams struggling across the grand traverse. We collected our caches at the camps and made our way into a warm and inviting base camp for some well deserved sandwiches and beverages. Tomorrow we head for Las Lenas and then Mendoza on the 29th. The Team is in high spirits and eager to get cleaned up and headed for home. This has been a great expedition and everyone has learned a lot about being in the high mountains during the last 2 1/2 weeks. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
With no agenda today but resting, we had a casual breakfast and a lazy morning. Many cups of coffee were enjoyed as we all sat around the table chit-chatting. As the afternoon rolled up Mike King and team strolled into camp. They had a successful summit yesterday and looked eager to get out of their boots. It was great catching up with them and hearing about their climb. It just adds more excitement for the team to hear what is coming next from those who were just there. Our day is coming soon but first we have to move to Camp 1. Tomorrow we will pack up our things and leave the joys of basecamp. Tomorrow we will be one step closer.
All the best,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
Looks like another beautiful day ahead of the team! Godspeed and safe trekking!
Posted by: Dr J on 1/27/2019 at 8:43 pm
Hooray!!!.....only a few more hours….continuing to pray for excellent weather conditions and for fabulous pics from the summit of Aconcaqua. So excited for all of you. Great job!!
Posted by: Juanita Webb on 2/3/2019 at 6:45 pm
So proud of you all. Enjoy every step!
Posted by: Joe Parrinello on 2/3/2019 at 6:14 pm
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