Normally at this point of the trek to Aconcagua Base Camp the Teams are seeking shade in their tents only to find the tents scorching hot from the sun hitting them, not today. We woke to a few rain drops throughout last night. A thick curtain of clouds and rain waited for us up valley this morning. While the clouds kept the heat away and the rain turned to snow, the Team kept plodding away towards our camp at Casa de Piedra. We passed the other RMI team on their walk to the road, high fives and words of encouragement were exchanged. The Vacas River is usually the color and consistency of chocolate milk and due to the cold temperatures the last 2 weeks, the water is clearer then I’ve ever seen it. Between the new snow blanketing the high ridges, several layers of clouds and the light rain with slivers of sunshine today seemed like a foreign experience. The little stone building built into a massive boulder from which this camp is named was a welcome sight. The first views of Aconcagua were muted due to the massive storm pelting the upper slopes. We are enjoying some tent time and will look forward to a nice dinner and another good night’s sleep. Everyone is happy and healthy.
RMI Guide Mike King
Today we got a casual start in Penitentes, there is a lull in the season where no other groups started the trek to base camp. Our Team enjoyed overcast skies and a generous breeze on our hike to Las Lenas. We admired the bountiful shades of red, orange and brown that make up the rocky terrain. Five hours of hiking brought us to Camp and we enjoyed the warmth and solitude this camp provides. Our mule drivers got the coals started for the famous Las Lenas asado and before long we were eating grilled meats and vegetables, telling stories from past trips and previous lives. It’s always a surprise how ten miles of walking over softball-sized rocks can be forgotten with good company, delicious food and a little red wine. This camp is a spectacular place to sleep under the stars. The Milky Way runs straight down the valley and the Southern Cross is where you would expect it to be. No ambient light for hundreds of miles. When you wake in the middle of the night and look up, you get the sense you're an insignificant animal on a blue marble that’s being shot across the galaxy. Context and perspective is readily challenged in this valley. Tomorrow we continue our trek to Casa de Piedra, the Team is doing great and sends their love back home. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
We woke up this morning at 19,600 feet in the cold, windy environment of high camp. It’s pretty hard to get moving when you have already accomplished your goal, but we rolled out of our cozy sleeping bags and packed up our tents. The warmth and WiFi of basecamp were calling our names. We made great time heading down hill, and arrived at Plaza Argentina around 3 pm. We sat down at our table and waited patiently for four hours until dinner time.
Once the food came out, everyone stopped talking. Once the food stopped coming, we did some quick organizing for our walk out tomorrow. Now we’re all huddled up in a dome tent having a team slumber party. The Russians next door are serenading us with all genres of music. You might think that would hinder our sleep, but we are 6,000 feet lower than we were last night, so I’m betting everybody will sleep just fine.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
Congratulations Team!!! Such an accomplishment for all of you. Glad all is well and heading back.
Jimmy- Can’t wait to hear about it.
All best to the whole team
-Kelly Gaines
Posted by: Kellogg C Gaines on 1/14/2019 at 11:30 am
Update 4:17 pm PT
Everyone is safe and sound back at high camp. It didn’t take long for the team to eat dinner, wrap up in their sleeping bags, and pass out. Tomorrow we’ll move back down to the booming metropolis of basecamp.
Summit Call
Hey this is JM Gorum calling from the top of Aconcagua. We got kind of a late start this morning. We ended up having a beautiful day. We are standing on top right now. We are getting some high clouds and snow a little bit. We are going to start heading down hill. We will check in when we get back to High Camp. Talk to you then.
RMI Guide JM Gorum
RMI Guide JM Gorum checks in from the summit of Aconcagua.
The Aconcagua January 10th Team arrived over the last two days with their bags in tow. We had a nice dinner and got acquainted last night. Today we’ll head three hours into the Andes. As we leave Mendoza the road weaves through the vineyards that surround the town. The remainder of the drive to Penitentes is through the arid valleys along the Mendoza River. The Team will spend the day packing and sorting equipment for the mules and enjoy their last night in a bed. Our trek towards Plaza Argentina begins tomorrow morning. Everyone is excited to begin what will hopefully be 2.5 weeks of good weather and fun climbing. Thanks for following along, we’ll send an update each day.
RMI Guides Mike King & Nick Scott
We made it to high camp today under sunny skies and light winds. It was one of the nicest days of our climb so far. As usual with this crew, we set up camp quickly and efficiently. “Chillin by two” could be our team slogan. Lots of sun up here gave us ample time to dry out any items that may have been a bit damp. Not much else to report, we’re just doing all our last minute prep for our summit attempt tomorrow. Hopefully our next check-in will be from the top.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
We’ll call today a weather day. Usually, a team takes a weather day when conditions are too poor to move camp or carry gear higher on the mountain. We took a weather day today solely to take advantage of the first sun and calm winds that we’ve seen in 36 hours. The past few days have been a real test of everyone’s resolve here at Camp Two. Before today, we have basically only left our tents to go to the bathroom, and to do that we had to suit up in boots, parkas, gloves, and goggles.
So much of expedition climbing is mental, and that kind of living wears away at everyone. It has done us a lot of good to stand around outside today, sip tea in the sun, and actually enjoy our unique position high in the Andes. Turns out there are actually some really nice views up here. In addition to healing any mental frayed ends, we dried out all of our gear, re-organized, and dialed in our cold weather systems for our summit day. We went on a walk towards high camp to get some blood flowing, and prepped ourselves for the coming days. We will move to high camp tomorrow, and try for the summit on the 12th. Starting tomorrow the days go by quickly, and after our reboot today everyone is chomping at the bit. We’ll check in tomorrow, hopefully from 19,600 feet.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, and Avery Parrinello
Clayton, pull your strength through your team. Help the ones that need it and accept the help from the others.
High camp and then summit push. You have your window and one chance at at.
Good luck to you all and a safe summit and descent.
Posted by: Brent Wolfe on 1/10/2019 at 10:41 pm
George you rock, it looks and sounds pretty intense! Now that you are out of phone range etc you can’t call me for pointers and the “What’s next?” But the hard core training I ran you through on the “Great Griffith Climb” I know you got this!
Stay safe and have fun Bro!
It was another windy night last night. Most people didn’t sleep much, and the winds haven’t calmed any appreciable degree now that the sun is out. This was in the forecast, and we knew we would have to hunker down in order to be in position for our potential summit window. After today, things are supposed to improve, which is good because we’re running out of spare tent guy lines.
Everyone is still mentally stable, although by the end of the day we will all be tired of sitting in our shaking, rattling tents. Not much else to report today. We’re just eating, drinking, reading, and waiting. Our course of action tomorrow depends on the forecast. The plan is to take another day here before moving up to High Camp, but we will see if the weather forces our hand in one direction or another.
RMI Guides JM Hannah and Avery
Good luck to all the hikers! I hope the weather cooperates and all of you are able to reach the summit! Thinking of all of you daily! Go team Cory!!!!!
Posted by: Karen Prykull on 1/10/2019 at 3:45 am
Hope you get calm weather so you can reach the summit! Good luck team!
We didn’t get much sleep last night due to 40 mph winds ripping through camp. If 40 mph doesn’t sound that bad, try this: next time you’re riding in a car, stick your head out the window when you hit 40. Now imagine your whole body is hanging out the window. Now imagine it’s 15 degrees. Now imagine that instead of a car made of aluminum, glass, and steel, you’re inside of a tent made of nylon. It’s not great, but we endured the night no worse for the wear.
After our blustery overnight, we started the morning slowly, keeping an eye on the ridge above camp. The wind seemed to be dying down, and eventually it reached a level that we thought was appropriate for moving uphill. We broke down our home at Camp One, and headed uphill around noon. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, but not without a consistent breeze. After about three and a half hours we pulled into our new neighborhood, set up camp, and began the time honored expedition tradition of straight chillin’. Mac and cheese for dinner, some sunset photos, and then off to bed for this crew. Tomorrow we’ll take another rest day, and then we will see what kind of weather the mountain gives us.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
If today hadn’t been a rest day, it would have been a weather day. I have never seen snow so far down the valley before. It snowed well below basecamp, and almost to the Vacas River, where we were trying not to overheat in shorts just a few days ago. It looks like we’re in the clear as far as more precipitation goes, but it is still quite cold. I would say it’s Denali cold. Despite the mountains best efforts, we still managed a filling brunch of hash browns and cheesy eggs. I call it brunch because that sounds hip, but really it was just too windy and cold to cook breakfast any earlier.
After brunch, most of the day was spent hiding from the weather. When the sun was out, we could be outside moving around, but otherwise we were snuggled up. We’re planning on moving to Camp Two tomorrow, but if the weather is the same we will most likely just stay here. If it’s cold here, it’s colder there, and we’re still getting plenty of good acclimating done at 16,200 feet. The team sends their best from their cozy sleeping bags.
RMI Guides JM Gorum, Hannah Smith and Avery Parrinello
Love to Sam Hall and the whole crew! Thanks for taking us on the adventure! Rest Easy.
Posted by: Mary Hall on 1/17/2019 at 3:50 pm
Great job everyone! Enjoy your adventure. Sending positive vibes to the team and lots of love to Ross, from J, T, & S ;)
Posted by: Jennifer Rapach on 1/15/2019 at 10:43 am
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