Entries from Aconcagua
January 21, 2022
Posted by: Nick Scott, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,500'
Another rest day for the Aconcagua summit hopefuls. Unlike other more snow covered mountains, there is a lot of down time on Aconcagua. Some love the rest, others tend to go stir crazy with cabin fever. At least today the sun is shining and the wind is light allowing for ample time to breath deep and enjoy the views outside of our tents. The weather trend still looks favourable for a Sunday summit attempt. Hopefully the wind holds long enough for us to tag the top.
We have enjoyed our time at Aconcagua Base Camp these last few days. The cooks, porters and all the staff are constantly working to make our stay comfortable and doing it with the biggest smiles imaginable. We are ready to climb higher but will miss being so well taken care of.
We did get a dusting of snow today that made the mountain beautiful. Thankfully the weather forecast is to improve as we climb higher over the next few days.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
Wow! Gorgeous! Be safe!
Posted by: Tracie L Bush on 1/21/2022 at 1:09 pm
Way to go guys. What an adventure. Please be safe and have lots of fun. Can’t wait to hear about it upon your return.
Posted by: Kathy Pyfer on 1/20/2022 at 5:48 pm
January 20, 2022
Posted by: Nick Scott, James Bealer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,500'
Today was the day! The day we would move from Basecamp straight to Camp 2, or Nido de Condores as it is officially called here. Unfortunately, the wind still did not want to cooperate and the mountain was still going to make us work for every foot of elevation gain. We walked up hill through snow, sleet, grapple, and wind gusts that made us wobble. When the wind came, we put our heads down and persevered making great time to our gear cache at Camp 1. After adding some “training weight” to our packs we turned towards Camp 2, walking into more and more wind and snow. Aconcagua really didn’t want this trip to be an easy one, not that any of them are ever easy. After 5 1/2 hours and 4000 feet of elevation gain we strolled into camp feeling accomplished, but tired and of course very hungry. By the time we put up our tents the wind was giving us a break, but the snow how now doubled its efforts and dropping 6-7 inches of fluffy powder on us in a couple hours. We were all happy to be warm and cozy in our tents watching the snow fall and waiting for dinner to help warm our bellies. Once again, everyone on this team absolutely styled an incredibly difficult day. Arriving in camp smiling and feeling well despite the thin air here at 18,500 feet. Tomorrow is a rest day and hopefully a sunny one at that!
January 19, 2022
Posted by: Walter Hailes, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 14,500'
Today the weather continued to improve as we awoke to sunny skies and the lightest winds of the trip thus far. We headed uphill for our final carry to Camp 1 to set the stage for our time on the upper mountain. The wind wasn’t done with us yet though as we experienced several “drop you to your knees” gusts on our way up. After making it to Camp 1 and successfully caching our gear we headed back to base camp where we relaxed in the group shelter, swapped stories and enjoyed the beautiful evening alpine glow on the mountains.
RMI Guides Walter Hailes & Jack Delaney
Well done guys. Such a great adventure. I’m living Vicariously. “I can make it two more steps” Wishing you the best.
Posted by: Saxby on 1/20/2022 at 2:27 pm
We woke to another windy day here at basecamp. After reinforcing our tent anchors, we had a delicious breakfast. The meal was leisurely and delicious, and everyone was in high spirits. We took a walk mid day to stretch our legs and get an incredible view of the mountain. The rest of the day was spent resting and sorting gear. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to become more favorable, and we plan on moving to Camp 2 in order to best position ourselves for the summit.
RMI Guide Nick Scott & Team
January 18, 2022
Today we rested at basecamp, avoiding the high winds as much as possible. The team read books, watched some movies, and ate lots of snacks. We are waiting for a break in the winds to try and make a final move up the mountain.
RMI Guide James Bealer
Admire your perseverance! Keep on truckin guys.
Posted by: Tom Dietz on 1/20/2022 at 5:24 am
Sending prayers for my brother Rahim and the rest of the team. Love you ghada kahi ka.
Posted by: Sheri Kindred on 1/19/2022 at 11:49 am
After three nights of strong wind gust, fitful sleeping and high altitude we were all ready for a full mountain rest day today. Rest days are simple and look similar to your cat’s daily routine: eat, then nap, then casual stroll, then eat, then nap. Today, our highlights were hot quesadillas for snacks and we walked across the valley from camp to an abandoned hotel to enjoy even more spectacular views.
All around a great rest day and everyone is ready for more climbing tomorrow.
Let’s go Boys! Congrats on your progress, see you at the TOP!
Posted by: Craig Straub on 1/19/2022 at 1:59 pm
Great job fellas! You will make it!
“The wonderful things in life are the things you do, not the things you have.” Reinhold Messner
Posted by: Dirk Gilliard on 1/19/2022 at 1:37 pm
Monday, January 17, 2022
What a crazy 36 hours! We arrived at Aconcagua Camp 1 excited for the true expedition to begin, but little did we know, the mountain had other plans. We crawled in our tents after dinner with moderate winds slapping the tent walls, but what began as moderate mountain winds soon grew into freight train roars. Gust after gust battered the tents as we scrambled to secure more guy lines and add more rocks to the anchors. What started as 40 mph gusts soon grew to 80 mph and greater! It felt as if the mountain was unhappy with our presence on its flanks. The wind was relentless all night, making the guide's job tireless as we constantly left the safety of our tent to check on the security of the others. No one slept a wink as we all constantly felt the need brace the walls of our tent as the roar of the train built high in the mountain and finally crashed angrily into our camp. As the sun rose, the wind flowed unabated but with less severity as it had throughout the night. With the light increasing we were able to survey the damage. One out of the three tents didn’t survive, but all climbers woke unscathed, albeit a little sleep deprived. Despite their experience, it was the guides whose tent was left broken and battered and who had to seek shelter in the emergency dome tent set up by our logistics company for just such an occasion. With the sun rising, the group sipped coffee with 1,000-yard stares until the caffeine kicked in and we were able to process what just happened. With a broken tent and the forecast changing for the worst, the mountain forced our hand. The guides made the tactical decision to retreat back to basecamp to regroup and pick up our spare tent we had left behind. However, this does not mean the adventure is over. We plan to rest where the air is thicker, wait out the bad weather, and continue on up the mountain in two days. Everyone is tired, but in good spirits after such a trying night on Aconcagua. Wind is what this mountain is famous for and it delivered in spades. Two nights of good sleep in basecamp will have us rested and ready to give it another go. Let’s just hope the mountain decides to let us pass.
Wow! So happy everyone is safe and sound! Will be praying for better weather and mild winds for the rest of your trip!!
Posted by: Coeli Scott on 1/19/2022 at 12:24 pm
Since this is Wednesday, I’m hoping that Steve and team are back on track and making that mountain their B*tch! Stay safe. Love, Susan
Posted by: Susan Dietz on 1/19/2022 at 4:49 am
Monday, January 17, 2022
After a windy night with little sleep we awoke to a beautiful and sunny day. After a delicious breakfast we packed light packs to head up hill for an acclimatization hike. The wind lingered as we hiked and we remained bundled up even with the sun shining upon us. The air felt thin as we reached Aconcagua's Camp 1 at 5000m (16,000ft). After a quick lunch break the team was feeling good so we continued uphill for another hour to take full advantage of our day. Once we reached our high point we turned around and scooted downhill to a hearty meal of carne asado grilled by the porters. Tonight we hope to sleep like rocks.
We are so glad the winds calmed so that you and the team were able to hike yesterday! We are so proud of you and we love following the blog and updating everyone on your progress! Go Team Aconcagua!
Posted by: Rahim's Cintas Family on 1/18/2022 at 6:29 am
We are living your adventure vicariously except we are not having the pleasure of your company, the weather, great meals etc. Pace yourselves, which I am sure you are doing and stay safe. All well at our end.
Hugs to you all
Posted by: Norman and Phyllis on 1/18/2022 at 4:31 am
Sunday, January 16, 2022 4:01 PM PST
After a rough first night at base camp because of the big jump in altitude, we started the day a little slow. We went for a nice casual walk to check out the local penitentes and breathe off the slight headaches that lingered from the night before. It was beautiful walking into the 15’ tall glacier spires. After lunch we got to work sprucing up our camp. The whole team worked really hard shoveling, hoeing, and raking the rock filled dirt into plush flat platforms for our tents. We will sleep better tonight partly because the tents will be more comfy and partly because making the tents more comfy was exhausting. Another beautiful day in the mountains with a great team!
RMI Guide Walt Hailes & Team
Congrats on making it to camp 2! Sounded like a grueling climb. Hoping tomorrow brings good weather for your summit.
Way to Steve and gang
Susan
Posted by: Susan Dietz on 1/22/2022 at 3:28 pm
Enjoying all the updates, keep up the good work and hope the weather is in your favor for the rest of the trip!
Posted by: Anne Morehead on 1/21/2022 at 5:53 pm
View All Comments