Entries from Aconcagua
December 23, 2013
Posted by: Jake Beren
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 9,000'
The mules are loaded up and we are ready to start the approach! Today we will walk to
Pampa de Lenas and say goodbye to wheeled transit and trees. Every long journey begins somewhere and though we've been preparing for a long time, now it seems like we are actually beginning the climb. So long friends and family and stay tuned for the adventure to come.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
December 22, 2013
Posted by: Linden Mallory
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 19,540'
We're fortunate to be in the midst of a very stable and almost perfect weather pattern here on
Aconcagua: the days are clear and calm and today was no exception. After a great night's sleep at Camp 2 we packed up our gear and left for high camp by mid-morning. The trail to high camp ascends a broad north facing gulley, occasionally intersected by small cliff bands and large boulders. We weaved our way up, crossing sporadic patches of snow and across pockets of yellow dirt and rocks that smelled of sulfur. After a few hours of climbing we reached a small cliff band and followed a natural weakness in it to scramble up and over our final obstacle and right into our high camp.
Sitting at 19,540', Camp 3 is a small flat area ringed by rock towers on nearly all sides. Between the towers we can catch views over the Vacas Valley to the east into Argentina and all the way around to the west over the Horocones Valley and into Chile. Above us stands the final 3,000'+ of Aconcagua with the first portion of our route visible from Camp.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon in camp, finalizing our gear for the summit push and trying to rest up and hydrate as much as possible. We are sharing camp with a few other teams and we traded notes on conditions and forecasts: we all agreed, tomorrow is predicted to be a great summit day!
We've retired to the tents even though the sun is still quite high in the sky in hopes of getting some rest tomorrow. We are planning on making a pre-dawn alpine start tomorrow morning and going for the top! We're all doing well, feeling strong, and excited to make an attempt! We'll check in tomorrow after the climb.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
December 22, 2013
Posted by: JJ Justman, Leah Fisher
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Today is another rest day for the team at
Plaza Argentina. After our carry to Camp 1 yesterday it serves us well to take advantage and fully acclimatize. The team is doing really well. The agenda for today is resting, eating and taking showers.
Everyone on the team says hello to family and friends...
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
A big hola from Mendoza! The team is assembled in this summery land, all bags ready to go and all our paperwork complete with crossed t's and dotted lower case j's. Now all that remains is to start this
Aconcagua adventure by loading up and heading into the mountains. Tonight we will have our last meal at a proper table for a few days and start our walk in tomorrow. Wish us luck!
RMI Guides Jake Beren, Mike King and Steve Gately
December 21, 2013
Posted by: Linden Mallory
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,330'
The southern solstice treated us to a long, restful, and relaxing day here at Camp 2. We waited until the sun reached camp before stirring and then had a relaxed morning, watching the long shadows coming off the mountain above us gradually fade as the sun rose higher. From camp, we have perfect views of a good portion of our climbing route on summit day. There was hardly a puff of wind coming off of the top of
Aconcagua and we could make out our trail crossing the wide scree slope called the Acarero and up the gully known as the Canaleta to reach the summit ridge. The perfect weather, views of the route, and time to rest and recover has motivated us and we are excited about the coming days. Tomorrow we plan to move up to Camp 3 at 19,500' in hopes of making a push for the summit in the following days. We are all feeling strong, rested, and ready for the next push. We'll check in tomorrow from high camp.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
December 21, 2013
Posted by: JJ Justman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Hello everyone in the lowlands! We thin-air breathers are now back in base camp after a terrific day. The team carried gear up to Camp 1.
Aconcagua is a big undertaking which requires a lot of food, fuel and gear.
We established Camp 1 at 16,200 feet. The team is honestly doing so well! We moved as one unit up and down. I like this because it keeps people motivated and we can pass the time with chit chat.
Once we arrived at Camp 1 we emptied our packs and then
Leah and I filled a couple of duffel bags full of food and gear. Now back at base camp we are surviving the heat and several climbers are in a championship round of Yahtzee.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
December 20, 2013
Posted by: Linden Mallory
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,330'
We were treated to another wonderfully calm, clear ... and cold night last night at Camp 1. The almost full moon hung huge in the western sky, just above the edges of the Horocones Glacier below us when we poked our heads out of the tents this morning. We dragged our feet a bit getting out of the tents but once the sun reached us we warmed right up and soon had our packs loaded and were heading up the trail. The climbing today was perfect, not too warm and hardly a breeze. Our acclimatization at Camp 1 was noticeable as we moved smoothly across the difficult sections of trail where the bedrock is covered by a thin veneer of gravel and loose stones. The time and the altitude ticked by with us hardly noticing until we found ourselves weaving between the large boulders that mark the entrance to Camp 2 at 18,330'.
No afternoon clouds were forming in the west and the weather was perfect so we took our time setting up camp, soaking in the views, sipping on water, and erecting large rock walls around our tents in case the do winds pick up. The rest of the afternoon passed with little action other than relaxing in camp and getting used to the new elevations. The approach of the longest day of the year down here (tomorrow!) means that even approaching 8 o'clock in the evening the sun still hangs high in the sky right now and is keeping the tents pleasantly warm.
We are all definite feeling the new jump in altitude up here - everything takes just a bit more effort - but are all feeling good. It is exciting to be moving higher on the mountain and suddenly the summit doesn't look, or feel, as far away now. We are planning on taking a stroll above Camp tomorrow but largely using it as a rest day to adjust to the new elevations and recover a bit from the days we've had since leaving Base Camp. We'll check in tomorrow afternoon.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
December 20, 2013
Posted by: JJ Justman, Leah Fisher
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Buenos Dias from
Plaza de Argentina (4,200m). We had a wonderful rest day. Sunshine, salad, and Christmas movies have kept us entertained. But don't forget the very important medical check up. The top notch doctors at base camp checked out the group and of course everyone is healthy and ready to climb.
In light of the Christmas spirit the group was given the gift of a shower to clean off the dust from the long trek in. A hot shower and clean socks are a hot commodity down here.
Tomorrow we will carry some gear to camp 1. We're all looking forward to stretching our legs and seeing more of the mountain!
RMI Guides
Leah Fisher &
JJ Justman
On The Map
2,200' higher in the Andes is a noticeable change in temperature! While our mornings at Base Camp were chilly before the sun reached us, it was downright cold this morning at Camp 1 as we prepared to leave. The cold nip was softened a bit by the views: there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we watched the entire range around us soak in the morning light as we packed our bags. Once again we hit the trail as the sun reached us, following a long traverse out of Camp 1 towards a shallow basin at the head of the slope. After a few minutes we settled back into the rhythm of climbing and the time ticked by as we ascended. After several hours of climbing, traversing rock slopes, crossing small snowfields, and weaving around large boulders, we crested the gentle saddle on the Northwest Ridge of
Aconcagua and arrived at Camp 2.
Known as Nido de Condores, or Nest of the Condors, Camp 2 sits along a ridge line of distinct rock towers and the views are impressive: to the north stands Mercedario, another 6000m Andean peak, to the east lies Chile, and to our south: our climbing route up
Aconcagua. We sat up there in the good weather for a few minutes after unpacking our gear just to enjoy the panorama and get used to the ever higher altitudes. Once satisfied, and with our packs nearly empty, we descended back to our tents at Camp 1. Yesterday's snow squalls are a thing off the past and we've enjoyed sunshine all afternoon.
Tomorrow we will pack our gear and move up to Camp 2.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
December 19, 2013
Posted by: JJ Justman, Leah Fisher
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Hey, hey, hey it's
RMI Aconcagua Team 2 on the way! What a gorgeous day to make our final journey into Basecamp. We had a thrilling mule ride to get us across the Vacas River and then it was smooth sailing into camp.
A lot can be told of how our climbers are doing as they near 14,000 feet. And they are doing great! Every one of them. Now in
Basecamp we are setting up our new home and simply relaxing. We earned it. Tomorrow we will have a rest day. So stay tuned for
Leah and
JJ's secret quesadilla recipe!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Hello Monica,
The girls and I along with the 6 am crowd are wishing you good luck and a Merry Christmas! Courtney set 2 state records and qualified for nationals! Can’t hardly wait to see all of the exciting posts as your team moves forward.
God Bless you one and all,
Jim
Posted by: Jim Gentle on 12/23/2013 at 2:02 pm
View All Comments