Entries from Aconcagua
We are safe and sound at Camp 3 after reaching the summit with 100% of our team. The weather during the ascent was great and one of the best summit days I have had on Aconcagua. We started very early, at 4:35, because it was predicted to snow this afternoon. It ended up to be a good decision because we just got the beginning of the storm before arriving back at camp.
Now it's snowing hard, but we are cooking in the safety and comfort of the tent. We will enjoy an early dinner and we will go to sleep soon. The team is tired, but everybody is ok and very happy! Tomorrow we will descend to basecamp and the next day we will start the trek out to Pampa de Lenas.
Today the weather continues to be very good. Lots of clouds around the region, but very nice temperatures at Camp 2 and mostly sunny all day on Aconcagua.
The team took an active rest day today, we went for a short hike on the slope that is the first section on our way to Camp 3. Part of the group carried three days of group food, extra fuel and stoves to Camp 3 (Camp Colera). There we were able to talk with a couple of groups that just have returned from the summit, they passed along good news about the route conditions, it looks like crampons are needed above Independencia, which will make the climbing less difficult than the scree on the upper part of the route (Travesia and Canaleta).
Tomorrow we will move to Camp 3 (our higher camp) and prepare for our early summit attempt the next morning! We will be sending dispatches from Camp 3.
Today we moved to Camp 2, at 18,000', the team did again a great job climbing to this altitude. The weather had improved to the point that we climbed with a single layer of clothing. Hopefully it continue in this way for a few more days.
Tomorrow most of the team will take a rest day and a small group of us will carry fuel and food to Camp Colera (our Camp 3). This will allow us to move to Camp 3 with a little lighter pack.
Yesterday the weather deteriorated during the afternoon, wind picked up to 30 mph and clouds bringing snow arrived. It was the first time that we were forced to have dinner inside the tents. The weather this morning improved a lot at Camp 1, but we could see how hard the wind was blowing by the spin drift. The weather forecast that we got last night for the next few days estimates that the strong winds at 18,000' would continue until this evening and then they will drop significantly. So we decided to spend an extra day at Camp 1 today and to avoid moving camp in these windy conditions. Now, the afternoon conditions at Camp 1 are very nice, so hopefully we are enjoying the beginning of the good weather window that the forecast is calling.
Tomorrow we will move to Camp 2 and then rest a day there.
This is the Aconcagua team checking in from Camp 1. Last night we got more snow at Basecamp, not too much, but enough to get the camp completely white when we left this morning. The landscape was unique so we didn't miss the opportunity to take lot of pictures. The group did a great job climbing to C1 today, it took us 4:30hs to get here and everybody is feeling strong. Right now we have started the stoves and will enjoy a nice dinner with vegetarian couscous in a little bit.
Our plan for tomorrow is to carry to our Camp 2 (also known as Campo Lama, because of the remains of a helicopter Lama that crashed there a long time ago).
We hope that everybody there is enjoying the progress of our team, we will keep sending updates!
Today we carried to Camp 1 (16,400'). It took 4:30hs to get there and 2hs to get back to basecamp. Everybody did great work carrying the loads (food, fuel and some personal gear). This evening the mountain offered us a nice surprise, it snowed 1 or 2 inches so now the mountain looks brown and white, beautiful views!
Tomorrow we will rest and prepare for our move to Camp 1 the next day.
We will continue updating.
This is the RMI team checking from Plaza Argentina.
Today we had a beautiful day, weather was nicer than yesterday (no wind) and everybody arrived at basecamp in great style. At our new home here at Plaza Argentina, we settled in, setting camp and saying goodbye to our mules who have carried the bulk of our gear to basecamp. After a long day that we started very early, waking up at 5:45, we had a succulent stew and went to bed early to recover from our long day. Tomorrow we will rest and work on the food and gear that we will be carrying to Camp 1 the next day.
Now at 21:30 the night's calm, something that didn't happened yesterday. According to descending climbers we passed along the trail, high winds hit basecamp, damaging tents and reminding us that here in the Andes we have to be prepared and do a good job setting camp. We will be reporting more news from Plaza Argentina.
This is Gabriel checking in from Aconcagua, we are at Casa de Piedra at 10,700'. Yesterday and today we have hiked through the Vacas Valley and everybody in the team did great. Finally, this afternoon we caught our first view of Aconcagua. The spirit of the team is very high and everybody is enjoying the trip. Today we had a persistent front wind during the hike, but the good thing is that the winds on the top of the mountain and at high camps were much stronger these past few days and we were not there.
Tomorrow morning we will cross the river with the help of the mules, so we will see who in the team receives the "Best Mule Rider!" Award. Later in the afternoon we will get to Plaza Argentina, our Basecamp were we will spend a few days.
We will be sending more dispatches and some pictures from Aconcagua basecamp.
Gabriel, Tyler and Jake.
Hello this is Gabriel checking in with our group in Argentina. We left Mendoza yesterday and traveled closer to the mountain. We spent the night in the small town of Los Penitentes. Everyone is doing well and enjoying the steak, bread and wine of Argentina. Today we will hike to Pampa La Lenas. We are all looking forward to stretching our legs and getting on the trail. The weather has been great and we will continue to update you on our progress.
Well gang,
Here we are chilling in beautiful Mendoza! Obviously, after a long, dusty, and somewhat brutal walk out from Plaza Argentina through the Vacas Valley. On our final night in the backcountry we rolled in to Pampa de Lenas where our mule drivers had prepared a delicious asada to greet us. We dined on juicy steaks, chicken, salad, and of course plenty of wine around an open fire that had been used to prepare the food. These guys know how to live! Eat, drink, be merry, and then go to sleep under the stars high in the Andes. Needless to say, our crew was a bit of a sorry sight in the morning. By the time we rubbed the sleep out of our eyes and ate some quick breakfast it was 9 or so in the morning. Oops. We still had about 4 hours of walking until we hit the road. But we cruised on and ended up timing our arrival perfectly with the arrival of our baggage with the mules. After a couple hours of working with and cleaning up the group gear we hit the road to Mendoza. What were we looking forward to? The Super Bowl! After a shower and a quick nap we all went out to the pub and watched the Super Bowl over dinner and a few beers. Tonight's the night of our real celebration. We all plan to cap off our day of sitting poolside with a celebratory dinner at Francis Mallman 1884. This is truly one of the world's finest restaurants, and it shouldn't be too out of hand because of the wonderfull exchange rate!
Thanks to everyone who has been following along and supporting the members of our team from home. We miss you all and will see you soon!
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