Hey everyone. This is JJ and Steve here with Team One on Aconcagua. Merry Christmas everyone. Happy Holidays. We had a great day moving camp from Camp 1 to Camp 2. We made it here early afternoon at 18,000 feet, set up camp and have some hot soup on the stove. And now we're just relaxing and taking it easy on a nice sunny day here on Aconcagua. The team is doing really, really well. The weather is pretty darn nice and we have a decent forecast. It's looking like after the 28th, the winds might pick up a little bit, so hopefully, we're knocking on wood, keeping our fingers crossed. We have a little bit more work to do but the team is really, really strong and really, really fun to hang out these guys on Christmas and we of course want to say hi and hello and give our love to family and friends back at home. We will send another dispatch here on the days to come. But tomorrow our plan is to take a nice rest day and relax here at 18,000 feet. Take care everyone. Again, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and stay tuned.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman calls in from Aconcagua Camp 2
Hey everyone!
Today the team made it to Casa de Piedra, our second camp of the trip. Everyone did well with the hike up the valley despite being blasted in the face with 25 mph winds! We even got our first view of the mountain right before we entered camp. I would guess that we shot well over 100 pictures between all of us.
Now it is dinner time, I think Walt is whipping up a stew with lots of fresh vegetables. The winds are calming down so I think we'll have a few laughs, head to bed, and try to envision sugar plum fairies as we hope for a visit from Santa.
Happy holidays folks!
RMI Guides Walter Hailes, Ben Liken and Stoney Molina
Hey Darrin,
The pics look great! I’m sure the views real time are crazy….keep hammerin away I wiil all be worth it at the summit!
John Bone
Posted by: John Bone on 12/25/2014 at 6:10 pm
Merry Christmas Colin! We miss you here, celebrating Christmas with Mom & Michael. I am following your climb & eager daily to get updates. We love you, Stevi, Curtis & Eboni
Hey everyone. This is JJ with Team One Aconcagua. The team is up here at Camp One; we're doing great. We actually all wrote an elaborate email wishing family and friends Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc. But wouldn't you know it, we're having a little bit of technical difficulty sending that email so I'm calling in this dispatch instead. Everyone here sends their love to all their family and friends. We'll get this little glitch sorted out, and we'll send that email so all of you can read the words of of your loved ones here on Aconcagua. The team is doing great. We had a rest day today, but tomorrow it's back to business. We're gonna enjoy a great Christmas Eve dinner here at 15,500 feet. And then tomorrow we're going to head on up to Camp 2, which is at 18,000 feet. Everyone, like I said is doing wonderful and they all say hello. Happy Holidays and they send their love to all their family and friends. You guys take care. Stay tuned and hopefully will have some more exciting news for you in the days to come. Take care everyone, bye.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
RMI Guide JJ Justman calls in from Aconcagua Camp One.
First day on the Aconcagua trail and even though it was hot, we had a nice breeze blowing most of the day. We were all very thankful to have that wind. We moved well on the trail enjoying the rigid high desert beauty. We also continued to tell stories of loved ones at home and a few misadventures.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
New scenery is always a welcome site on an expedition and the carry to Aconcagua Camp 2 (18,000ft) is always one of my favorite parts of the trip! The route from Camp 1 had us traveling west across the flanks of a broad basin until we eventually made a sharp turn north and headed towards the col between Aconcagua and fellow neighboring peak Cerro Ameghino. This is where it gets good! Crossing over the col the high Andes open up in front of us and we're left with stunning views of big glaciers and 6,000m peaks.
Everyone woke this morning to the sound of silence... Ah, yes! The winds finally died down and we were left with a breathless morning and we couldn't have been more thrilled. Higher elevation, new views, warm temperatures and no wind. Couldn't have asked for a better day! The crew did a fantastic job navigating new terrain and thinner air today and with a rest day planned for tomorrow the team will prepare for the move to Camp 2 on Christmas Day! What better way to spend Christmas than with a headache and a rough nights sleep!? No, in all seriousness the team has been handling the altitude like champs and they're excited to be just a little bit closer to the summit. Everyone sends their best regards to their loved ones and stay tuned for the always riveting rest day blog update!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
This is always a big day, permits, buying last minute supplies, traveling to Penitentes, gear checking, and packing. Luckily it went as smooth as possible. Our one hiccup was accidentally ordering everyone the same special at lunch which was made for two people. So each of us ate a two-pound steak, papas Freitas, salad, and two empanadas. Or as much as we could handle of the giant meal.
Well it's off to bed for our final night in a bed for several days... I can't wait
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
Team One Aconcagua has made great strides! We are at Camp one at 15,700 feet. Everyone did a great job today in moderate winds. The forecast calls for decreasing winds which is a welcome for us. Tents are up and we are organizing gear for a carry day to Camp Two. Stay tuned!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
The first step of having a great mountaineering trip is having a complete team with all our bags and I am happy to report that both our team members and all our bags arrived today in great shape. Once in town we were all able to buy last minute items here in Mendoza while enjoying an unseasonable cool but sunny day. Great summer weather. After a quick meet and greet we talked about what will happen over the next few weeks both on and off the mountain then headed out to one of the great eateries close to our hotel. We all shared the first, of what I am sure will be many funny, stories with each other and with bellies full of Argentina beef we all crashed at the hotel ready for another great day tomorrow.
RMI Guides Walter Hailes, Ben Liken & Stoney Molina
Today was another rest day at Aconcagua Basecamp and we could not have picked a better day! The wind is howling, the sky is obsolete shrouded in clouds. But! And it's a big But! The team is doing great! We are sleeping, reading, eating quesadillas and simply enjoying being in the mountains. After all, isn't that what it's all about?!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Well...there's a first for everything. And going on 22 Aconcagua expeditions here, I had a first today. Our team awoke early, had a good breakfast and then we loaded our packs and made our way uphill. Everyone did a great job today and we are all well. Except...a little bit of windburn! Man o Man was it blowing strong today! The wind was so strong we were unable to make it to Camp 1 at 16,200 feet. Instead we thought wiser and we cached our gear lower at 15,700 feet. And the team did great! Adversity is part of every climbing adventure and we all handled it very very well. The winds are supposed to be close to the same so base camp is looking very appealing for tomorrow.
Go Packers!!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
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Merry Christmas JJ from Kalani and Dom
Posted by: Dom on 12/26/2014 at 11:35 am
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