One of the hardest things about climbing big mountains is managing your time. There are days when you have to hammer down, grab that pack, and head up. Today, thankfully, wasn't one of those days.
Instead, we took a rest day here at Camp 1. More sun and light winds made it a pleasant day to be calm and quiet around camp, to catch up on stories from other team members, and continue our hydration.
We'll be moving tomorrow, so a day to replenish and refuel before going higher was definitely appreciated. We will check in from Camp 2 tomorrow...until then, keep your fingers crossed for continued good weather!
RMI Guides Garrett Stevens, Ben Liken, and Nick Brown
Today was hot... Our team woke up after a last night under a roof and in a real bed and loaded up on coffee and scrambled eggs before heading back over to Grajales' packing facility. We put the finishing touches on our packing job for the mules and caught a transfer from Penitentes over to Punta de Vacas where our journey truly began. We took off from the trailhead a little after 10 am and it was already blazing. Strong sun and high temperatures made for a hard day but our team showed a lot of strength by dispensing the first stretch of the trek to basecamp in good time and with strong form. Occasional breezes and some late afternoon wind made the heat bearable. We got moved in to our first camp at Pampa de Leñas after the mule drivers unloaded our gear and waited for a rendezvous with Jake's descending RMI team. Our minestrone soup was supplemented by delicious beef from the asado that the muleteers had prepared for Jake's crew. It turns out that our friends at Grajales knew that Gabi, Jake, and myself would all be in Leñas tonight and sent up extra meat for a celebration. Now, I'm laying under the stars with a full belly thankful for great friends and excited for tomorrow's continued adventure with a great crew!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Whew. It's been a busy couple of days for this newly assembled team of climbers... The whole gang made it down to Argentina yesterday safe and sound and with all of our luggage! Travel-weary but excited we held a team meeting to formally get to know one another and hash out some of the many logistical details that getting out of town and on the mountain involves. Then we went out on the town in Mendoza for a wild and crazy night. Just kidding. But we did get to see some street performers and walk through the Saturday night crowds on our way to a fine Argentine restaurant. Now's where I'm supposed to brag about the delicious beef we ate and Malbec we imbibed.
The following morning we got our act together after a couple hiccups at the permit office and then caught a quick lunch before transferring out to Penitentes. We spent the afternoon getting our gear ready for the mules and are about to enjoy one last night with a filling meal and a warm bed. Well, at least for the foreseeable future...
Hitting the dusty trail tomorrow, everyone's a little anxious but psyched to find the rhythm of the expedition.
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent and Friends
When you think about mountain climbing, it can generally conjure up images of folks heading up and out in the predawn hours, headlamps shining as they make their way higher. While we'll get to experience that later in the trip, today's mission was to get our luggage staged at chopper camp, roughly 18,000' on Aconcagua.
We woke to more clear blue skies and absolutely still air. This rare combination on Aconcagua is something to savor, which we did as we departed camp at the civilized hour of 9 am and made our way up and over Ameghino Col and around towards Camp 2.
In very short order the team pulled into camp with our kits, got the gear stashed, and headed back to the comfort of our tents at Camp 1. We are currently sitting inside, trying to avoid the intense UV that is beating down out there.
This afternoon is the start of a nice long rest period for us, as we will be chilling here for the remainder of today and all of tomorrow. We'll check back in later!
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
Waking once the sun began to warm the tents was a welcome treat at 19,600 feet. Having that last cup of coffee in the rarified air of high camp before packing up and starting the beautiful and lengthy descent really let the last few weeks settle in. We have climbed on the highest mountain outside of Asia and now turn the skiff towards home. It is this point of the trip where we get to see how far out we've gone because there is no more out to go, just back. Retracing our steps back home will take a few days and is a wonderful way to let this adventure sink in. See you all soon!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
To Bill and the team - what an amazing accomplishment! This is something to remember for the rest of your lives..Congratulations and safe travels onward..
Carol (Rita, and Bill)
Posted by: Carol on 1/6/2014 at 12:07 pm
Great job, to the team and to my friend Monica. I can’t begin to understand how amazing that accomplishment must feel. Have a great trek down the mountain and stay safe! Ivory
Today the team awoke to blue skies and calm winds for our last basecamp breakfast before we begin to ascend the upper slopes of Aconcagua. After some coffee and a few last minute preparations we were on our way to a night at 16,450'.
As we set off up the moraine with the sun at our backs everything seemed perfect. The team made short work of the day and before too long we were on the steep scree just before Camp 1. Once we arrived and everyone had enjoyed a snack, it was back to work establishing our camp for the next three days. Now after a solid tortellini meal we are all stuffed into our -30 degree sleeping bags awaiting the beautiful stars of the Southern Hemisphere.
Tomorrow we carry a load of gear to over 18,000' and the team is ready for it. You'll here from us soon!
RMI Guides Garrett, Ben, and Nick
Lying in the tent, legs sore but oddly relaxed, it seems hard to believe that we climbed Aconcagua today. This morning we launched before dawn, making our way higher and higher into the troposphere as the rising sun cast a shadow of our mountain deep into the Andes. Everyone on the team got a chance to test their limits today and I'm proud of everyone's effort. It takes a few weeks to get to where you can try to stand on top and everyone's hard work really paid off with a safe day in the mountains. Good work team and thanks to all the wonderful people back home for their support.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Greetings from Camp 3 on Aconcagua. Our team just returned after a successful summit bid with some happy and tired faces. We are looking forward to a little bit of dinner and some much needed rest before we start heading down, down, down tomorrow. All is well out here. Thanks for all the good wishes back home and we'll talk to you guys further on down the trail.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Jake Beren calls in after the team's successful summit.
The goal for today is to get as relaxed as possible here at our base camp. Towards that end, the team has been chilling in our group tent since breakfast, which included oatmeal, cereal, egg/bacon/onion quesadillas, and copious amounts of coffee. There is currently an epic game of Hearts happening, with various members tapping in and out as they get frustrated with picking up the Queen of Spades (David in particular).
Tomorrow will be a big day, as we will be moving up towards our next camp at 16,400'. The gear is staged, the crew is ready, and our team dynamic is as strong as one could hope. The weather continues to be gorgeous; light winds and lots of sun here at Plaza Argentina. Here's hoping it holds steady for the next few days!
We are sending positive vibes up to Jake Beren and his team, as we believe today is their summit day. Good luck to them...we are looking forward to seeing them as we bump up tomorrow. Until then, stick with us for more details!
Cheers,
RMI Guides Garrett Stevens, Ben Liken and Nick Brown
Today was a beautiful day here on Aconcagua, with clear blue skies and lots of sunshine for our carry up to Camp One. We had quite a bit of wind here in base camp last night and were worried that we might be walking up into the teeth of it today, but the weather gods smiled on us instead.
We were walking just as the sun came into camp, and were able to make steady progress through the broken and rocky morainal slopes above us. Soon enough we came to the heinous scree slope that guards the bench of Camp One, and the team made short work of the last few hundred feet.
We dropped our food, some equipment, and some gas for our launch towards the upper reaches of the mountain, and were headed down soon thereafter. All the luggage is currently awaiting our return, but tomorrow we'll take a hard-earned rest day. The team continues to climb strong, hydrate well, and eat hearty portions, which will pay dividends when we head up higher on this beautiful mountain.
Thanks for all the kind words, and keep your fingers crossed for continued good weather!
RMI Guides Garrett, Ben, and Nick
Sorry I have been slacking. Was aiming for a daily hello from home. I missed sorry. Hope you guys are having a great trip. Can’t wait dr you to get back so we can hear all the stories. Happy hiking!
Posted by: Martha on 1/5/2014 at 1:19 pm
Safe climbing as the team gets closer to the summit!
Hey Stefan! I was just thinking….. that’s all. Did it make you smile??
Posted by: Martha on 1/8/2014 at 9:39 am
Stefan and group. Keep up the hard work you can do this:-) Hope you are having a great time. It is freezing here in Florida.
Posted by: Martha on 1/8/2014 at 4:18 am
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