Entries from Aconcagua
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Hi all! RMI's Aconcagua expedition checking in.
We left Mendoza yesterday and drove through the foothills of the Andes to reach our final staging area at Los Penitentes. The bright green of the vineyards gave way to steep rocky faces as we wound up the valley of the Mendoza river. We were finally rewarded with fleeting views of Tupengato, the 6500 meter volcano on the Chilean border.
We spent yesterday packing for the mules, some loads to go straight to Aconcagua Basecamp, and some to follow us on our approach. We woke this morning excited to get our climb underway! We will load the shuttle for the trail head soon, and our climb will begin officially. We'll be in touch soon.
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Welcome to the start of the RMI Aconcagua Expedition!
Everybody in the group is in Mendoza and we are very excited. Our plan is to have dinner and try the great Argentinian beef! Tomorrow morning we will get the climbing permits and do some shopping for lunch food and other last minute items. After that we will drive three hours through the Andes Mountains and arrive at Los Penitentes (8200-8500 feet) to spend our first night at altitude and start with the acclimatization.
We will be checking in tomorrow.
-RMI Guide Gabriel Barral and the RMI Aconcagua Expedition
Summit success... Now back at basecamp. We had the unfortunate opportunity to see what real wind was all about both on our summit bid and our descent back to basecamp. But now, sitting in real chairs with a hot meal and a successful summit under our belts, everyone knows the hard work was worth it. The crew is elated at the prospect of a hot shower and a real bed on the horizon. Just 1.5 more days of walking til the road, then Mendoza!
100% Summit!
Billy called from the summit this morning. Everyone did well and they are starting their descent back to high camp.
Congratulations Team!
Billy called from their high camp this morning. The weather is beautiful and they are ready to make their summit attempt on Aconcagua in the morning. He will call us from the summit, weather permitting, tomorrow.
Wish them luck!
Today we spent our last rest day of the trip laying around Helicopter Camp (our camp 2). There are actually pieces of a crashed helicopter lying all over camp! Bundles of electronics, sheet metal, etc. can be found scattered about and some creative climbers have even incorporated the debris into rock walls that serve as windbreaks for tents.
Our plan is to head up to Camp Cholera tomorrow morning and make a summit attempt on Friday morning, weather permitting. There is some concern about the wind but we'll see what kind of conditions we wake up to.
Dan would like to send his love to his family; Kristin, Britta, & Anson.
Thanks for following along everyone, we'll try and check in one last time before our summit bid.
A little wind today was no match for our crew as we made short work of our move up to Camp 2 @ 18,000'. Tomorrow will bring our last rest day before we make a concerted push for the summit. Thursday will see us move up to Camp 3, a.k.a. Camp Cholera at just under 20,000' - such a cheerful name. If the weather cooperates we will be making our summit attempt on Friday morning. We'll continue to keep you posted on our progress. Much love to everyone back home!
Well, after a rest day yesterday with crappy weather we awoke this morning to blue skies and very little wind for our carry up to camp 2. The team climbed strongly and it seems after our move uphill tomorrow we should be in a good position to launch our assault on the upper mountain!
Hopefully this high pressure will hold.
We made it to Camp 1! All is well, we're a little tired from battling the wind but our camp is now fortified with rock walls and we're settling in. Tomorrow's forecast calls for a LOT of wind so the plan for now is to rest. Then we hope to carry and move to Camp 2 on Monday and Tuesday when the winds should be a little more calm.
Until tomorrow,
RMI team Alpha 9,000 signing off.
Today saw a lot of wind on our carry up to Camp 1 at just over 16,000'. Lots of difficult walking in loose rock, scree, and icy penitentes brought us up to our first cache where we dropped food, fuel, and gear that will be needed on the upper mountain. Tomorrow calls for another rest and acclimitization day before our move up the mountain the following day. We'll check in again tomorrow.
Previous Page
Next Page
