Entries By mark tucker
Today is all about rest. Resting the body and resting the mind before we move to Guanacos Camp, our
Camp 2, at 18,000 feet. Anxious to move up, we are passing the time watching Netflix downloaded on our phones, reading books, taking cat naps and eating quesadillas. The team is also taking advantage of the sunny weather by taking light strolls around camp to stretch the legs. All this rest will pay off as we move higher up the mountain.
Buenos Dias,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker and team
On The Map
After a getting an inclement weather forecast last night our team was excited to awaken to blue skies which held for most of the day. Feeling strong, we took advantage of the clear morning and started up towards
Aconcagua Camp 2. With our packs filled we climbed up to our future camp at 18,000 feet in a little over four hours! Congratulations were shared throughout the team, Whynde and Brittni had reached a new height. After stashing food and gear we boot skied back down the loose rock to Camp 1 in no time.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Good afternoon everyone!
The team woke today to a fresh dusting of snow. It looked as if the heavens above had sprinkled powder sugar on all the peaks. We packed up all our belonging and hit the trail to our new home,
Camp One at 16,200 feet. After walking a handful of hours in an environment that looked like Mars we arrived at camp in some snow flurries. In no time our tents were up and we were enjoying some well deserved relaxation. The snow continues to lightly come down as we get ready for dinner. The team is doing fantastic and is climbing strong. We hope to carry to Camp Two tomorrow. Till then, enjoy your day everyone!
RMI Guides Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello, and Mark Tucker
On The Map
Our rest day at
Aconcagua Base Camp was just that. We slept late and then enjoyed some awesome omelets. We spent some time organizing our gear that will go up with the move to Camp 1. We may have taken some naps with the beautiful weather warming our tents. Lunch included some fresh potato salad and coleslaw not too bad for 13,800' feet, right?. The group discussed the itinerary and expectations over the next few days. And we even enjoyed a few card games in the big tent. Things are looking good for a move up hill tomorrow, weather permitting. Our team is in good spirits and excited about our next steps.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
It has been a nice leisurely day here at
Aconcagua Base Camp. We started out the day by putting a good dent in the 72 eggs we brought in, yummy. The majority of our day was spent gearing up for a load carry to Camp 1 tomorrow. On these expedition style climbs we take a portion of our food and equipment up and cache it, then we return back to Base Camp. It is just too much to carry in one push since we stay for an extended period up high on the mountain it also helps our bodies to acclimatize. We took a short hike after lunch in big boots with light packs to fine tune our systems for a smooth ascent tomorrow. Our team is looking good. All is well here in the high country.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
We were up early to catch the mule shuttle across the Vacas River. We could have waded across but that would have been a painfully cold start to our day. When do you get to be a cowboy in Argentina anyway? It made for some great photos. It took us a bit over six hours of climbing in beautiful weather to arrive here at
Aconcagua Base Camp. We are settled in. All of our gear is here and in good shape. It resembles the team, good shape that is. Another fine meal and a warm sleeping bag; it just doesn't get anymore basic or nice. All is well.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
We had a beautiful night and a gorgeous day here on our trek into
Aconcagua. We bid farewell to
RMI Guide Mike King and team this morning. Great work by all of them and what a job Mike and his crew did on their successful summit. Congratulations!
We had some scattered clouds and not much wind, which made for a very nice trek of eight miles to our new camp, Casa Piedra, at almost 11,000 feet. Fresh chicken over pasta and salad for dinner with a big bottle of Sprite to wash it all down. In the morning we will have an early river crossing with the help of our mule team. This will make for a nice start to the day. It will be a big day but no problem for this group of hearty souls as they all continue to do well. Basecamp here we come!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Our departure went as planed today from Los Penitentes. There was a bit of final packing, then a quick transfer to the park gate of
Aconcagua National Park. With our permits in hand we hit the trail. Today did not provide a lot of altitude gain but we did travel about eight miles to our first trek camp, Pampa de Las Lenas. Some high clouds throughout the day kept the heat down and upon arrival at camp it started to rain intermittently.
Tonight we are excited to share camp with the RMI Team led by Mike King who reached the summit on Friday and is now on their descent. Both teams were treated to a local barbecue, asado, by our mule team drivers. They do a very nice grill of various meats and treats. We are all doing well and enjoying camp life.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Great news! The team has now received all of our bags and we are ready to hit the trail... tomorrow!
We checked in with the
Aconcagua National Park Service to secure our climbing permits before leaving Mendoza. After gathering one more delayed bag, we made the three hour drive to Los Penitentes. We had plenty of time to re-arrange our gear and get it ready for the mule loads. Now after a great dinner, we are ready for our comfortable hotel and really looking forward to that pillow. Jet lag sucks. The team is doing great and we are having a good time.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hello from
Argentina!
The team all arrived in Mendoza, minus a couple of bags. We all got acquainted at our first meeting; sharing some stories and giving some background. After a fantastic meal we are well fed and ready for some rest. It will be a big day tomorrow- permits, more shopping and transfer up into the Andes.
Our next stop should be at around 9,000 feet. But first, the missing bags must arrive, which could show up tomorrow. Then we will finish our gear check and move forward with the adventure ahead. Everyone is A-OK.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Good luck, team on your move to Camp 2! Looking forward to some great pictures, Shannon Long!
Posted by: Mark Fisher on 1/23/2018 at 7:20 am
View All Comments