Home at last - photos from Aconcagua '11

After 28 hours of travel, they made it home safely on Sunday, January 16th.

Here are just a few pictures from summit day:

Sunrise in the Andes

Aaron on the way up

Sick View!

Summit 22,843-FT

Man it's bright up here with the shades off

View of gnarly South Face from the summit

Back at Camp 2

Back at Base Camp (Plaza de Mules)

Scott called yesterday to let me know that they arrived at Plaza de Mules just before dark at 8pm.  [Can you believe it stays light so late?!  That's what happens when you're so close to the equator, I suppose!]

He was exhausted after the long hike down with their heavy packs filled with all their gear.  He said it was a relief to get down to 14,000 ft. where it was so much warmer and where they could sleep so much better at lower elevation.

They were both excited to have someone else cook their dinner for them and glad to have something other than what they could make on the Jet Boil.

Today they were able to relax and enjoy their last day in the park and check out views of the gnarly South Face of Mt. Aconcagua (only a handful of climbers each year attempt this very dangerous route).

Tomorrow they will offload most of their packs and gear to the mules and hike out of the park to Penitentes.  There they will stay in a hostel and take the shuttle on Saturday to Mendoza where they will fly home and arrive in Portland late Sunday afternoon.

It's a huge relief to know that they are back down at a lower elevation, and we are excited for them to come home.  Thank you to everyone for all your prayers, love and support!

Safely Resting at Camp II

Scott called this afternoon to put my mind at ease that they made it back to Camp II where they made themselves something to eat and boiled hot water for tea before they bundled up in the tent and called it an early night.  They will get their rest tonight after the grueling climb today, and tomorrow will be a long day of trekking back down to Base Camp on the Normal Route.  Base Camp on this route is called Plaza de Mules since this is where climbers meet up with their muleteers and mules carrying their gear.  The hike out on the Normal Route is about 8 miles shorter than the Polish Glacier Route that they took on the way in.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers for the guys on their expedition.  I will post another update before they leave Argentina on the 15th and will post a link to photos sometime fairly soon after they return safely in Portland on the 16th.

Summit Success!

Scott called me this morning from the top of South America!  They made it there around 11am (local time) and spent 45 minutes enjoying the view and their accomplishment.  He said that the last hour was a real push due to the altitude and the cold.  They were ascending the west side of the NW ridge, so they were in the shade the whole way up.  It's hard to imagine that in a few days they will be back down to lower elevations (it is 91 degrees in the city of Mendoza today!).

I will be sure to post another update once they have safely reached Camp II, where they will rest and spend the night.

Climbing Mt. Aconcagua presents all kinds of challenges since mountaineers have to handle rock, ice and snow, in addition to high winds and extreme temperatures.  Since it is the highest mountain outside of Asia, it is also very challenging due to its high elevation at 22,841 ft.  Some expert climbers also argue that because of its geographical location, the atmosphere is thinner and humidity is lower, making it even more physically challenging than other mountains.  Vegetation in the Central Andes Mountain range only reaches 13,000 ft., while Asia's Himalayan Mountain range has vegetation up to 16,400 ft., which is a testament to the sparse and severe conditions of Aconcagua.

Great job, guys!  Now descend safely please.

Heading to the Summit

I talked to Scott at 3:45am (local time) as they were boiling drinking water for the trip and making final preparations to leave for the summit.  They will continue climbing northbound and traverse over to join the Normal Route at 6,200 m, a point found between the Independence refuge and Camp Piedras Blancas. From there they will continue on the Normal Route up to the Independence Refuge (6,500 m). They will ascend the "Portezuelo del Viento" where there are always strong winds even on calm days. From there they will pass by the superior part of the Western face and climb "La Canaleta," a 300 m chute that borders the final approach of the climb to the summit. They will travel about an hour through the Filo del Guanaco that leads to the summit. From the Filo del Guanaco they will have an amazing view of the Southern Wall of Mt. Aconcagua, considered one of the largest walls of the world, directly under their feet.

When they reach the summit at 22,841 ft., they will have an indescribable sensation of total satisfaction that they were able to overcome the challenge and meet their goal.  They will also be rewarded with a 360° view of the Andes Mountain Range and surrounding area. After sharing these emotional moments of accomplishment on the summit, they will carefully descend to Camp II.

Go for it, guys!  And be safe.

Hunkered Down at Camp II (18,400 ft.)

Scott was hoping that they would go for the summit tomorrow (Monday), but a storm started to roll in yesterday when they left Camp I and it continued today.  The blustering wind and snow will keep them grounded at Camp II tomorrow where they will rest up and get organized for their summit bid, which will probably be on Tuesday if the weather clears up.  The weather is supposed to improve on Monday or Tuesday, so hopefully they will be able to go for it on Tuesday.

It remains to be seen whether all this new snow will make the Polish Glacier direct route worse or better, so they will decide tomorrow whether they will traverse over the normal route to go up to the summit or straight up to the summit from their current route.

He said they are warm now that they are bundled up in the tent and tucked in their sleeping bags, but their meal tonight consisted of what we would consider to be party appetizers:  cheese, sausage, crackers and olives!  Since it is a blizzard outside, they can't fire up the cookstove and enjoy a hot meal.

A couple of nights ago he saw a huge lightning storm off in the distance, but he said they did not feel any effects from the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Chile (Araucania, Chile ) and parts of neighboring Argentina.  The area that was impacted is some 900 miles southwest of Mt. Aconcagua.

Scott will check in again before they go for the summit, so I will post another update then.

Cleared for Take-off

Scott and Aaron passed their medical checks at Base Camp (13,800 ft.) and spent yesterday resting and acclimating to the elevation before they move upward on the mountain.  Scott was in great spirits this evening and told me that it was a beautiful night with a great view of the summit surrounded by stars in the sky.

Today they hiked up to Camp I (15,750 ft.), where they put up a tent and cached some food and supplies.  They spent a couple of hours building a "bomb-proof" tent shelter with rocks to protect it from the winds, and he said they both felt strong.  On their way back down to Base Camp, Scott said that it snowed a little bit but not much.  So far they have been trekking on scree (loose rock), which means that with every step forward you slip backward a few inches.  [If you've ever climbed Mt. St. Helen's, then you are very familiar with hiking on scree!]  Scott described the hike up to Camp I as a big slog.

Tomorrow they will pack up at Base Camp and move up to Camp I and spend the night there.  Part of the acclimation process is to "climb high and sleep low" meaning that in order to help your body adjust to altitude, you sleep at a lower elevation than you have climbed to that day to allow your body to recover at a lower elevation where the air is richer in oxygen.  Since they have already been up to CI today and spent the night at a lower elevation, they will be in fine shape to make it up to Camp I tomorrow and then overnight at that level.

I won't hear from Scott again until Sunday when they are at Camp II and ready to go for the summit the next day, but I will post more information tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

Safe Arrival at Plaza Argentina (Aconcagua Base Camp)!

After 6-7 hours of trekking today from Casa de Piedras (10,500 ft.), the guys made it safely to to Plaza Argentina (Base Camp) at 13,800 ft.  They checked in with the park rangers and tomorrow they have a medical check with the Base Camp doctors.  There have already been several climbers who had to be taken by mules down to lower elevations due to altitude sickness, so the doctors are being very precautious.

Scott said that he likes the Base Camp on this route much better than the one from the normal route that he took in 2008/2009.  Their trek has been much more scenic, and they have a good view of the summit from here.  Their 3-day trek to Base Camp took them along the edges of the Relincho Stream and to an ascent of a steep slope by the same name. This is where they were able to see the last native vegetation before climbing towards the glaciers, where Plaza Argentina is located. 

It has been a really dry winter this year.  In fact, Scott & Aaron stayed at a hotel in a very small ski resort in Penitentes (only 3 lifts - just a little bit bigger than Mt. Holly, according to Scott!), and they have had no snow at all there this winter.

It is extremely windy and cold – now that they have their tents set up, they are bundled up and going through their gear to plan what supplies they will cache at each camp along the way.  They will be hanging out at Plaza Argentina all day tomorrow to acclimatize and make sure they are healthy and feeling strong before they move to Camp I.

Scott said they have been constantly talking about which route they are going to take – it seems the Polish Glacier is not in good shape because it’s so bare (really just rock & ice due to the lack of snow).  This means they would have to set protection, so they would be much slower to summit.  He said they will make the final call when they get to Camp II.  They could traverse over and pick up the normal route once they are at 21,000 ft. and then head for the summit from there.  It would be 1.5-2 hr traverse on rock, so it would be high altitude trekking rather than a technical route.

Scott also said they have met some nice Canadians (are there any other kind?) along the way, though their group is disbursing as some of them have had health issues.  However, there are two (a guide and his client) from their group left at Plaza Argentina.

So for tomorrow they will enjoy their great view of the summit – windblown and massive as it is - and they are hoping the weather will clear up when they start climbing again on Thursday.  Scott said that yesterday was a bluebird day, so hopefully they will have similar weather for their summit bid.

The dry cold air has been a little rough on his throat, so they are trying to keep drinking hot water.  Otherwise, they are feeling strong.  

Gentlemen, Meet your Mules

That's right.  While you are checking this update from your smart phone, iPad, or "old-fashioned" MacBook or PC, Scott & Aaron are hiking along with their gear piled onto the backs of mules as they have begun their 3-day trek to Base Camp of Mt. Aconcagua.

Scott was relieved to find out that they are able to trek along with their mules and muleteers (human guides/caretakers for the animals) up to Base Camp since the last time he climbed on this mountain, the mules and his gear took a different route than he did.  This time they don't have to be concerned about the gear's safe delivery and they can also get into their packs whenever they need something rather than carefully planning out what might be required for this specific portion of the journey.

After a night in Penitentes, they were transported to the entrance of Aconcagua Park. They took a shuttle to Punta de Vacas, where the muleteers loaded the equipment on the mules and from there they hike to Base Camp, which takes three days.  Today they trekked 4-5 hours up to the camp Pampa de Leñas (2950 m/9,200 ft.) where they presented permits to the park rangers, reunited with their equipment and set up the tents. Everything is going very smoothly so far, and everyone is feeling great and in good spirits.  Hee haw!