The wind battered our tents for most of the night but tapered towards the morning. Today our goal was to reach the col in between Aconcagua and Ameghino at 17,100 ft. With the winds at camp blowing at a strong 20 MPH we bumped up and prepared for the few hour climb to our destination. Shortly into our ascent we put our crampons on for the first time this trip as the brisk wind kept the snow frozen an firm. The team did great with yet another push into higher altitude and we found the winds to be very manageable. We passed through the col with little effort and walked a few more minutes to where we get a massive view of the Andes stretching out to the North. Furthest in the distance is Mercedario, the 5th tallest peak in South America at roughly 22,275 ft. It's early afternoon now and we're all back at camp safely. We'll take a few hours to rest and re-hydrate before starting the stoves for dinner. Tomorrow the winds are expected to increase yet again and we'll take this opportunity to rest and prepare for lighter winds and our move to Camp II (18,000 ft.) on Friday. RMI Guide Steve Gately and Team