Entries from Aconcagua
December 22, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,400'
After spending four nights at
Plaza Argentina the routine began to feel a bit like the movie, Groundhog Day, same people in the same clothing, tasty but similar meals, etc. We packed up our remaining gear and clothing and headed uphill around 9 am. The most advantageous aspect of our time at PA was the acclimatization. It showed today, with lighter packs the Team was in camp in under four hours and they felt good enough to descend to 15,500’ and back carry our heavy cache from two days ago.
We are currently snacking and relaxing in our tents, organizing gear and getting ready for a well earned meal at 16,400’. The wind is light and should remain until the 26th. Camp 1 is located on a large flat ‘bench’ with Ameghino flanking the northern slope. On most days you can lie in your tent and listen to the wind above as it builds up and then comes crashing down like a wave. Our agenda for tomorrow is a bit in the air due to the extra work of the back carry. I think we will have a casual morning and see how people are doing then ideally carry some food, fuel, and equipment to Camp 2.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
December 21, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
After watching the 80 mph winds whip the dry snow off the
summit ridge of Aconcagua last night the Team got a casual start to this last rest day. This Team has really bonded with breakfast conversations lasting well into the early afternoon. Lots of reading, organizing last minutes items and a few showers filled the day. We have had a beautiful clear and calm day with only a few gusts of wind. Tomorrow we pack up camp and start moving up the tallest mountain outside the Himalaya. Everyone is acclimating well and feels rested. Not much else to report.
RMI Guide Mike King
December 20, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Today we carried ten days of food and fuel along with some personal gear to 15,500’. Our intended goal was
Camp 1 but strong winds forced us to cache lower on the mountain. The route out of base camp follows a narrow choke with the Relinchos Glacier on the right and a large rock buttress on the left. Once through the choke, we rambled on through the scree covered glacier with great views of the surrounding peaks. From here we have one more large scree slope to switch back up and Camp 1 sits on a flat bench.
The mountain is holding more winter snow then I have seen in the 13 years I’ve been coming down here. Unfortunately the wind was too strong to allow us out on the snow. The entrance to Camp 1 is through a steep and narrow drainage that funnels wind on the best of days let alone when we are having trouble standing on flat ground. We compiled our gear and food, covered it with large talus and headed back to base camp. The Team preformed well on their first heavy carry and their downhill walking was excellent, even with the high winds. We will rest tomorrow and hope for the wind to ease off.
RMI Guide Mike King
December 19, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
The Team had a restful night and woke feeling good after a delicious dinner of tacos and calm weather. The morning consisted of sorting and packing gear for our carry to Camp 1 tomorrow. With winds picking up the Team went for a short hike to stretch their lungs and legs.
Plaza Argentina Base Camp is located on an undulating glacial moraine that is covered in scree. The camp is comprised of four large outfitters that provide logistics and meals. There are 10 large geodesic dome tents per outfitter and a few buildings for the Park Rangers. Hot showers, internet, pizza and cold drinks make the living up here pretty rough. While everyone is enjoying the amenities, after a few more nights here they will be itching to get going on the upper mountain.
We are currently resting and watching the clouds pass. Plaza Argentina is starting to get busy as 3-4 groups have walked in.
Casual day and there is some nervous energy about the first heavy carry day tomorrow. The guides are all pleased with how everyone is acclimating and getting along. With clouds covering the upper slopes we are anticipating some snow and cooler temperatures for the remainder of the day. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
December 18, 2018
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
We got an early start today so the group could catch a mule ride across the Vacas River. We started our hike up the narrow mouth of the Relinchos valley and eventually made our way onto another high rolling plateau. The winds were calm and the view of
Aconcagua just kept getting better.
The mountain is holding a lot of winter snow and a descent amount of new snow. This should make climbing to Camp 1 easier on the Team as we hopefully won’t have as much loose scree to navigate. We are all settled in at Base Camp with darkening skies above. The first night at almost 14,000’ is always an adjustment so we will take a day off tomorrow to rest and pack for our carry to Camp 1.
Everyone is excited to be here and actually start the climb. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
December 17, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 10,550'
The Team enjoyed a calm night at
Lenas. When the moon is new to half-full the shooting stars are so plentiful that one person said, “it is as if the sky can’t hold all of them”. The Milky Way runs right down the valley skyline, the southern cross is unmistakable and the flashes of heat lightning over the horizon makes this night absolutely spectacular to sleep out of the tent.
We walked a little over 9 miles today and enjoyed a consistent breeze that kept us cool. From a casual glance the scenery doesn’t change to much and when taking a closer look one has never seen so many shades of brown, red and orange. The Team is doing well, acclimating to these higher altitudes and slowly adjusting to the dry desert air. Tonight we’ll dine on the second best chicken on the plant along with grilled vegetables and a bow tie pasta salad. You might be asking yourself where the best chicken is located at? For that you will have to head to Mexico with RMI to climb the Volcanoes and find out. Thanks for following along, we’ll check in from Plaza de Argentina tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike King and Team
December 16, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
The Team got a casual start to the morning with some breakfast and last minute packing and adjustments before the Mule drivers arrived to load our food and equipment for the next 2.5 weeks on
Aconcagua. The morning sun already felt hot was we waited for our shuttle to the national park. We got started around 11am with a stiff breeze that turned into a very windy day. While wind makes some parts of being outside difficult, it lowered the temperatures and wicked our sweat, this cooling effect made for a nice hike to camp.
The Team is getting out of the sun, some in tents and some have found some shade among the massive boulders that surround camp. We will enjoy the afternoon and then throw down on the best steak and assorted grilled meats the world has ever known. The asado at Las Lenas is legendary, it’s rich and bountiful smoke is infused into your clothing, bringing back memories of the communal dinner and meatmares often associated with this wonderful start to an expedition. We are happy, healthy and looking forward to what tomorrow will bring. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
December 15, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Nick Scott, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
The Team arrived over the last few days with most bags in tow and we are now in Penitentes. We took the afternoon to pack and sort gear for the mules and our trek to
Aconcagua Base Camp. The warehouse is at the base of a defunct ski hill and looks like something out of the Argentine version of Hot tub time machine. We have a great local logistics company in Grajales Expeditions to help us get our gear through the high Andean desert valleys that we will hike through during the next three days.
The Team is doing well and excited to get walking tomorrow. We will be checking in each day, fingers crossed for clear weather and light winds. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
February 6, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Jenny Konway, Nick Scott
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
We packed up after a stormy night at 19,600'. The evening was filled thunder, lightening and lots of snow. The early start had our hands and toes cold, but we were rewarded with a stellar sunrise and a quick descent through the snow and scree. There was gear to pick up at the lower camps and finally we got to
Plaza Argentina to enjoy a warm afternoon of packing for the mules and some well deserved rest at lower elevation. Tomorrow we'll walk to Lenas, our first camp of the trek for the legendary asado and one last night under the stars. This trip has been filled with lots of laughs, better then normal weather and a great team. This will be our last dispatch of the trip, your loved ones will be in reach once we arrive in Mendoza on the evening of the 8th. Thanks for following along on our expedition to the top of South America.
RMI Guide Mike King
February 5, 2018
Posted by: Mike King, Jenny Konway, Nick Scott
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 19,600'
February 5th, 9:30 am PT
We finished our successful summit day with the descent to high camp. What started out as a beautiful day has turned into a snow storm. The Team is currently resting in their tents and the only remaining task is to pack up and carry everything to
base camp tomorrow. We have some porters assisting with that as the group is beat and the weather isn't supposed to be all that nice. There are countless stories from summit day, so I'll let your loved ones tell them to you when they're back in the land of phone/internet or preferably over a nice meal on their return.
RMI Guide Mike King
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sounds like an incredible experience. glad everyone is doing well. Hope u r sharing some of your funny stories during rest time , Neil. Merry christmas. Love u Mom
Posted by: Lois Yoder on 12/23/2018 at 8:46 pm
Glo, I am living vicariously through you. Love you Aunt Char
Posted by: Charlene Lindsey on 12/23/2018 at 5:48 pm
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