Aconcagua Expedition: Wedel & Team Heading for Mendoza
Posted by: Jess Wedel
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
I’m typing this from the back of the sprinter van that’s hauling us and all our dusty duffels from Penitentes, the tiny old ski town just outside Aconcagua National Park. I’m watching the southern stars one last time out the window as Carlos (you may remember him from the beginning of the trip for sending us off with AC/DC) sails down the highway back to Mendoza.
We woke up this morning after a lovely night at Plaza de Mulas base camp - warm showers, wifi, a hot meal, and a gorgeous sunset. It gave us all the energy we needed for the ~16 mile walk out. We round it up to 20 miles so feel free to do the same when you ask us how it was.
We walked and walked down from over 14,300ft to the entrance at 9,500ft. You won’t be surprised to hear that the wind carried us out. Just as it carried us in and up and back down. Our faithful friend. Or something.
We mostly walked in silence, some with music, some with only the windsong but all of us reflecting on the adventure.
Most teams spread out throughout the day on the hike but we stayed together in our faithful formation, one in front of the other, moving as a team one last time.
We stopped to stare up at the south face of Aconcagua. We hadn’t seen it yet — fierce and gorgeous with its hanging seracs and vertical rock and ice.
You may wonder, why are you just now driving back to Mendoza in the dark? Well, sometimes things don’t go according to plan and today the mulas carrying all our gear were a little behind. So we waited for a few years, err hours, at the Grajales warehouse with all the other teams that hiked out today.
We stayed positive, mostly, and passed the time by learning the intricacies of Mate (the local beverage of choice) (pronounced Maaaa-Te) from Leandro. What to do — look your friend in the eye when you pass the cup. What not to do — never, ever ever touch the straw.
And finally just as we were finishing our last bag of Honey Nut Cheerios that went up and over the whole mountain with us — the duffels arrived.
Or most of them. But don’t worry, the rest will come tomorrow.
Soon we’ll be in Mendoza and back to a soft bed and hot water on demand and all the comforts we now appreciate a lot more than 2 weeks ago when we left.
RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the A-team
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