RMI Expeditions Blog
Leaving Papallacta behind today wasn't easy. We only spent a single night there, relaxing our muscles in the natural hot springs, but I'm sure many of us were ready to call it home. Wifi, beds, good food, cozy cabins... But alas, we must move on and continue what we came out here to do. The glistening white slopes of Antisana are calling out to us!
Our day did began with some sad news, however. Two of our climbers made the difficult decision to head home early due to a debilitating illness. We will miss them on the rest of our journey and we hope for a speedy recovery once they get back.
On paper, today's objective was to establish base camp at
Antisana. In practice, however, it felt like our objective was to eat as much food as possible! After packing our gear, we ate a hearty breakfast at our hacienda, complete with fresh fruit, cheese, eggs, and bread. We loaded our gear and headed down the road toward Antisana. En route we stopped at a beautiful eco-lodge nestled at the base of a rocky cliff, famous for its native condor population. There, before our breakfast really had a chance to digest, we sat down for a delicious four course lunch. In truth, most of us probably could've stopped eating after the appetizers, but our insistent hostess made sure we finished the full meal. From there, another thirty minutes of driving brought us to the field that we'll call home for the next few days.
We spent the evening setting up camp, practicing various knots, hitches and bends, and (you guessed it!) more eating! Now the night is coming to a close, and everyone is inside their tents, resting up for another full day of training tomorrow.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Today was a big day for the team. Our 9 a.m. launch saw us cruising down the Relinchos Valley in good style and at a good pace, with a little bit of swagger in our step. The first river crossing was enough to wake up the feet, and by the time we hit the bottom and started across the Vacas River we were in full stride.
After a nice foot/leg bath in the cold and swift Vacas River, we were on the good track that runs down and out the valley. It was a long hike, and while the scenery helped occupy some of the time, by the 9th hour most folks were ready for the welcome sight of
Pampa de Leñas, our campsite for the night.
We arrived and promptly set up tents. Good thing, too, as a rain squall passed up the valley and forced our crew into the small stone shelter next to the guardaparque hut. The rain couldn't dampen our spirits or our appetites, though, and we feasted on fresh asado (beef grilled over wood coals) and vegetable salad, washed down with delicious red wine.
The expedition is almost over, and the laughter drifting out of the cramped little shelter told the tale of new friends made, challenging experiences shared, and a bond that has turned this group of strangers into a strong, cohesive team. We'll finish the last little hike tomorrow, head into town, and rejoin the ranks of the civilized folks. Thanks for watching our progress, and keep it tuned in for the last of our updates.
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
Hello folks! It's JJ and the
Aconcagua Team reporting live from Pampa de Las Lenas at 9,000 feet. It's phenomenal to finally hit the trail with the team. And what a team it is! We have brothers and sisters, old climbing buddies and now new friends.
We had a hot and blistery day trekking in the heat. Sunscreen and lip balm was in full effect. However now it is cloudy and we received a few drops of rain, which we welcomed with open arms. The guides are busy chopping fresh vegetables that we are going to grill along with a big slab of beef.
It's one of my favorite things...hanging out with the cowboys and the team. The cowboys like it when you ask questions and it's interesting to learn about their lifestyle. They work hard for it and it's nice to enjoy a great evening of food and their favorite drink...orange Tang.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
The rumor mill was definitely flying around the
mountain yesterday about some big, bad weather system coming in next weekend... Luckily it has been pushed back out of the extended forecast and our intrepid team has been able to stick to our prescribed acclimatization schedule. Which means we're resting today! Laying around in the tent at over 16,000' isn't as exciting as it sounds but the rest will serve us well as we climb higher tomorrow. We are in good spirits and hopeful that the weather will cooperate as we move in to striking distance over the next couple days.
Laying around, eating jamon y queso, drinking coffee...
It's a grand life,
RMI Guides Billy, Walt, Katrina, and the gang
On The Map
It is the end of a long, long day that technically began yesterday. I know this sounds a bit odd but my alarm was set for 10:45 pm last night, the 12th. This is one of the least appealing parts of climbing big mountains, knowing you have a huge day to come on average with three hours of sleep. But lucky for the guides and each other, our team was totally motivated. So began the ascent of the equators only snow covered place, Nevado
Cayambe at18,997 feet.
From the hut, our route began with an hour and half of rocks and scree ascending 1,000 feet to the start of the glacier. Once on the glacier, newly accumulated snow, which had softened and then frozen, provided perfect climbing conditions up the long sustained glacier. By the time we reached the summit head wall, the temperatures were in the low teens, the wind was blowing and we all climbed to the top in our down parkas. And people thought we were going to
Ecuador to get out of winter.
The summit was beautiful offering grand views of our next two mountains, Antisana and Cotopaxi, as well as Quito and Chimborazo. This is what makes the early wake up call, freezing temperatures and exhausted bodies worth it. We took seven hours to get to the top and rallied down in three. Unfortunately, both phones carried by
Nick and me died in the cold before the top so a group photo will be coming later.
After getting down and packing up, we hiked 30 minutes down to meet Victor and the magic bus to be carried off to our next accommodations, Papallacta. Here we enjoyed a fantastic meal but most importantly, natural thermal hot tubs. Which reminds me, it's time for a soak.
We are off to
Antisana later today. Wish us luck.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
On The Map
We are continuing to plod our way slowly but steadily up this mountain. Our team woke to beautiful blue skies this morning and took advantage of the good weather by putting in another cache up at our
Camp 2, which also goes by the names "Guanacos Camp 3," and "Chopper Camp." No matter what you call it, it sits at over 18k' and is one of the last spots with running water as you ascend. We made short work of the carry, climbing the 2,000' or so in 3 stretches and made even shorter work of the descent back to Camp 1. The skies clouded up this afternoon so we got to enjoy some comfortable napping temps in the tents. We spent the rest of the day eating napples, reading, and listening to tunes. Rumors of deteriorating weather have us pondering our next move but our plans call for another rest and acclimatization day.
We'll see what Mother Nature has in store for us,
RMI Guide
Billy Nugent
We awoke in Campo Colera to clear blue skies and light winds this morning, ready for the big pack down back to Plaza Argentina. Within a few short hours we were packed up, ready to roll and heading downhill. There's nothing like using gravity to ones advantage, and the crew did just that throughout the day.
Unfortunately we did have to recover all the gear we cached along the way, so our packs got heavier and heavier as we descended. By the time we got to
Plaza Argentina, though, the weight didn't matter, and we bellied right up to waiting juice, crackers, olives, and cake bites as soon as the packs hit the ground.
Despite being tired from the past couple of days of work, the crew is doing well and still has the energy for yet another spirited round of hearts. Everyone sends their love and thanks for following along! Until tomorrow.,,
RMI Guide
Garrett Stevens
The gang is all here! It certainly has been an adventure already for half of our team. However, we are all ready to go. For the other part of the team we had a great day in Penitentes, which is a small ski area.
We had our first glance of Aconcagua as we took a 4-hour hike up to 10,000 feet. It's a beautiful view of the south face of
Aconcagua. The team finished packing our duffels for the mules and we are ready to walk!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
We said our bittersweet goodbyes to the good life at
Plaza Argentina this morning as we headed up on the mountain to begin our climb. No more steak or lasagna dinners but it sure feels good to be finally doing this! The team climbed extremely well and made even better time up to Camp 1 than we did on our carry a couple of days ago. Everybody is a bit tired but in good spirits... Looking forward to a good night's sleep and another work day tomorrow as we try and push a load of supplies further up the mountain.
Also wanted to make a shout out to Garrett's team, who made the summit today! Nice work guys...
Buenas noches de campo 1,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Well...I've always said, "the hardest part of any expedition is just getting to the mountain". And that certainly is the case for my second team here on
Aconcagua.
We have everything from missing bags to missing half of the team. Well, they're not missing just really late due to Tormento de Estados Unidos 2014!
However, all the team members are in Argentina. Half the team is in Penitentes and the other half is in Mendoza. We will all join up tomorrow and begin the journey.
We want to congratulate the recent team under Garrett Stevens on their recent summit. We are at 100% expedition success. I feel a trend coming on.
Stay tuned for another exciting adventure with me, Mike "the lion" King and Steve "fresh outta da" Gately.
RMI Guides JJ Justman, Mike King & Steve Gately
So proud of you Stefan and all the team. Have enjoyed this blog so much. Knowing you have been safe and having a good trip has taken a lot of stress off everyone here at home. Can’t wait for you to get back so we can hear all the stories. See you soon friend.
Posted by: Martha on 1/15/2014 at 4:15 am
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