Entries from Aconcagua
The southern solstice treated us to a long, restful, and relaxing day here at Camp 2. We waited until the sun reached camp before stirring and then had a relaxed morning, watching the long shadows coming off the mountain above us gradually fade as the sun rose higher. From camp, we have perfect views of a good portion of our climbing route on summit day. There was hardly a puff of wind coming off of the top of Aconcagua and we could make out our trail crossing the wide scree slope called the Acarero and up the gully known as the Canaleta to reach the summit ridge. The perfect weather, views of the route, and time to rest and recover has motivated us and we are excited about the coming days. Tomorrow we plan to move up to Camp 3 at 19,500' in hopes of making a push for the summit in the following days. We are all feeling strong, rested, and ready for the next push. We'll check in tomorrow from high camp.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Hello everyone in the lowlands! We thin-air breathers are now back in base camp after a terrific day. The team carried gear up to Camp 1. Aconcagua is a big undertaking which requires a lot of food, fuel and gear.
We established Camp 1 at 16,200 feet. The team is honestly doing so well! We moved as one unit up and down. I like this because it keeps people motivated and we can pass the time with chit chat.
Once we arrived at Camp 1 we emptied our packs and then Leah and I filled a couple of duffel bags full of food and gear. Now back at base camp we are surviving the heat and several climbers are in a championship round of Yahtzee.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Awesome work team!!! Sounds and looks like ya had an adventurous and exciting day. Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Best of luck trekking back to Camp 1 tomorrow. Josh - I am so very proud of you. Mom and I spent the day with lily in St. Louis!!! We talked about you the entire trip. We miss you bunches!!! Keep up the great progress.
Love you - Jess
Posted by: Jessica on 12/21/2013 at 8:12 pm
We were treated to another wonderfully calm, clear ... and cold night last night at Camp 1. The almost full moon hung huge in the western sky, just above the edges of the Horocones Glacier below us when we poked our heads out of the tents this morning. We dragged our feet a bit getting out of the tents but once the sun reached us we warmed right up and soon had our packs loaded and were heading up the trail. The climbing today was perfect, not too warm and hardly a breeze. Our acclimatization at Camp 1 was noticeable as we moved smoothly across the difficult sections of trail where the bedrock is covered by a thin veneer of gravel and loose stones. The time and the altitude ticked by with us hardly noticing until we found ourselves weaving between the large boulders that mark the entrance to Camp 2 at 18,330'.
No afternoon clouds were forming in the west and the weather was perfect so we took our time setting up camp, soaking in the views, sipping on water, and erecting large rock walls around our tents in case the do winds pick up. The rest of the afternoon passed with little action other than relaxing in camp and getting used to the new elevations. The approach of the longest day of the year down here (tomorrow!) means that even approaching 8 o'clock in the evening the sun still hangs high in the sky right now and is keeping the tents pleasantly warm.
We are all definite feeling the new jump in altitude up here - everything takes just a bit more effort - but are all feeling good. It is exciting to be moving higher on the mountain and suddenly the summit doesn't look, or feel, as far away now. We are planning on taking a stroll above Camp tomorrow but largely using it as a rest day to adjust to the new elevations and recover a bit from the days we've had since leaving Base Camp. We'll check in tomorrow afternoon.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Happy winter solstice!! Stay strong and take lots of wide angle shots of Aconcagua. You can never have too many (-;
Posted by: Monsieur Homme on 12/21/2013 at 8:28 am
Buenos Dias from Plaza de Argentina (4,200m). We had a wonderful rest day. Sunshine, salad, and Christmas movies have kept us entertained. But don't forget the very important medical check up. The top notch doctors at base camp checked out the group and of course everyone is healthy and ready to climb.
In light of the Christmas spirit the group was given the gift of a shower to clean off the dust from the long trek in. A hot shower and clean socks are a hot commodity down here.
Tomorrow we will carry some gear to camp 1. We're all looking forward to stretching our legs and seeing more of the mountain!
RMI Guides Leah Fisher & JJ Justman
On The Map
Posted by: Linden Mallory
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
2,200' higher in the Andes is a noticeable change in temperature! While our mornings at Base Camp were chilly before the sun reached us, it was downright cold this morning at Camp 1 as we prepared to leave. The cold nip was softened a bit by the views: there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we watched the entire range around us soak in the morning light as we packed our bags. Once again we hit the trail as the sun reached us, following a long traverse out of Camp 1 towards a shallow basin at the head of the slope. After a few minutes we settled back into the rhythm of climbing and the time ticked by as we ascended. After several hours of climbing, traversing rock slopes, crossing small snowfields, and weaving around large boulders, we crested the gentle saddle on the Northwest Ridge of Aconcagua and arrived at Camp 2.
Known as Nido de Condores, or Nest of the Condors, Camp 2 sits along a ridge line of distinct rock towers and the views are impressive: to the north stands Mercedario, another 6000m Andean peak, to the east lies Chile, and to our south: our climbing route up Aconcagua. We sat up there in the good weather for a few minutes after unpacking our gear just to enjoy the panorama and get used to the ever higher altitudes. Once satisfied, and with our packs nearly empty, we descended back to our tents at Camp 1. Yesterday's snow squalls are a thing off the past and we've enjoyed sunshine all afternoon.
Tomorrow we will pack our gear and move up to Camp 2.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Hey, hey, hey it's RMI Aconcagua Team 2 on the way! What a gorgeous day to make our final journey into Basecamp. We had a thrilling mule ride to get us across the Vacas River and then it was smooth sailing into camp.
A lot can be told of how our climbers are doing as they near 14,000 feet. And they are doing great! Every one of them. Now in Basecamp we are setting up our new home and simply relaxing. We earned it. Tomorrow we will have a rest day. So stay tuned for Leah and JJ's secret quesadilla recipe!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Cindee— Hope you’re getting acclimated, resting, and enjoying the view! Since you’ve been out a few days, thought you and the group would appreciate some light news from this week. For starters, Robin Wright (Princess Bride actress) just got engaged to boyfriend Ben Foster… Donations have exceeded $100,000 to help a NY blind man keep the guide dog who rescued him from a potentially fatal subway fall….Former NBA star Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea on Thursday to meet leader Kim Jong Un and finish plans to bring 12 ex-NBA players to Pyongyang for a January exhibition for the leader’s birthday….. and Justin Bieber says he’s “retiring” (yay!). How’s that for an update? Hope you have a great weekend!
Hugs, Rebekah
Posted by: Rebekah Mitchell on 12/20/2013 at 3:51 pm
KK—Mules, stars,hiking and mexican food? You’re living the dream, my friend. Lots of luck to you and your fellow team members. Will continue watching your trek. Love ya.
Posted by: Helen on 12/20/2013 at 12:57 pm
Once again clouds hungover Base Camp this morning and the moisture and cold temps covered camp in a thin layer of frost. We broke down camp and packed up our gear in the cold early morning shadows, stopping now and again to warm our hands while brushing frost off of the tents and packing them away.
The first rays of morning sunshine found us climbing out of Base Camp on our way to Camp 1. The rest and added acclimatization from yesterday paid off as we moved up the trail, making switchback after switchback up the rocky slope. By midday we reached Camp 1 and taking advantage of the good weather quickly set up our tents. Camp sits on a gentle slope at 16,600', just above a series of spires and cliff faces that roll off below us. The slope meant we had to put in some work rearranging rocks and flattening the platforms but before long we had everything set up and tied down in case the winds picked up.
The rest of the afternoon passed building rock walls for wind protection and retreating to the tents when occasional squalls of snow blew through. Thankfully nothing major came about and by early evening the clouds lifted a bit, giving us amazing views of the glaciers and peaks above Base Camp while we had dinner.
We're tucked into the tents and heading to bed to get some rest before tomorrow. Our plan is to make another carry to Camp 2, getting more supplies up there for when we move the following day. It's great to be out of Base Camp an up on the mountain. Tom and Thomas continue to climb very well and we are all adjusting to the altitude smoothly. Buenas noches from Campo Uno!
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
We awoke from our first night under the stars to another beautiful day in Valle de Vacas. The early morning light brought the return of our mules, who patiently awaited our heavy loads. Fortunately for us, and the mules, the weather quickly changed to scattered clouds and some reprieve from the scorching sun that successfully torched a few of us yesterday.
We had a great day walking to Casa de Piedra (11,000 ft) and we were able to catch our first glimpse of Aconcagua, or more correctly, parts of the mountain as it poked through the clouds.
Everyone is doing great and we are all looking forward to pulling into base camp tomorrow since life is so rough down here. Too much steak and packs that are way too light!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Happy trekking today! Can’t wait to hear about today’s adventure. Have fun! Josh we are so proud of you.
Jess
Posted by: Jessica on 12/19/2013 at 6:36 am
Wish I could enjoy your quesadillas! Safe climbing.
Posted by: Elsie Bemiss on 12/19/2013 at 5:52 am
Today was everything you could ask for on a rest day during a mountaineering expedition: we stayed burrowed into our sleeping bags until the sun hit the tents at Base Camp and then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, speculating about the outcome of the weekend's games that we missed and drawing out our meal well into the mid-morning. Taking advantage of the perfect weather, we spent a few hours spreading out our equipment and once again going through our gear, culling the unnecessary items and making sure that we had everything we needed for tomorrow's move to Camp 1. In the afternoon we wandered across the moraine to an old hotel built decades ago. Now boarded up, the stone and wood structure sits awkwardly in the middle of the landscape of rocks, glaciers, and snowfields. Despite its current state of neglect, it offers phenomenal views of Aconcagua's west side and while we stood there we were fortunate to have not a cloud in sight. By late afternoon the long shadows crept back over Base Camp and the temperature immediately began to fall as we wrapped up dinner. Base Camp's 14,400' elevation is starting to feel less challenging and we are feeling well rested and ready to move up the mountain. Tomorrow we will climb to Camp 1 at 16,600' and set up camp. While we've enjoyed being at Base Camp, we are ready to move onto the next portion of the climb, we'll check in tomorrow evening from higher up!
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Pampa de Lenas is at an altitude of 2,800 meters. And that is where we are sitting right now. It's our first day trekking and we had a beautiful day walking into camp.
The scenery towers above you as the condors soar high above. Pretty poetic huh? Okay, I'll stop. The team had a fun day stretching our legs. We'd like to lie and tell you it was arduous but after a picnic lunch of sandwiches, chips, fresh fruit, cheese, olives and cookies we all wobbled into camp.
There is no setting up tents here! Are you kidding! You will never see stars like these in your life. So we are all sleeping under the stars tonight. I'm just trying to remember who sang the song, "Southern Cross?" So help me out RMI fans!!
We are relaxing in camp and excited for dinner, which is being cooked over an open fire. Living don't get no better than this!!
RMI Guides JJ Justman and Leah Fisher
On The Map
Crosby, Stills and Nash wrote “Southern Cross”....great tune!
Posted by: Randy Christofferson on 12/18/2013 at 11:10 am
Wow!!! What an awesome experience sleeping! Sounds like you’ve had a great day of trekking. Love reading the updates. Can’t wait to hear what tomorrow brings. Love ya Josh
Posted by: Jessica on 12/17/2013 at 4:43 pm
Bill Dorn- Wishing you a Merry Christmas from Rita and Carol in sunny, hot Florida.
Posted by: Rita Powella on 12/22/2013 at 9:21 am
Bill Dorn! We are so proud of you and your entire team. Can’t wait until we can hug you on January 23 (our next breakfast club) and get all the stories. Climb safely. Love, Dav’ne
Posted by: Dav'ne Stahley on 12/22/2013 at 8:34 am
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