Aconcagua 22,832 feet (attempt) by Brian Schultz December 26, 2006- January 17, 2007
Jason Mayfield and I've had Aconcagua on the wish list for several years. When we began inquiring in June of 2006, time slots were already filling up for December so a quick commitment was necessary if we were to climb this year. After corresponding with the director of Aventuras Patagonicas, Rodrigo Mujica, we agreed to sign on with his group because their summit success rate is very good and Jason also knew someone who'd used them. Life became very hectic working out the details while mixing in climbs to Colorado, Peru, and Hawaii, traveling to see family in Texas, and dealing with the busy holidays.
I bought all kinds of gear for this trip but would rent a down jacket and sleeping bag in Argentina to save room in already overloaded suitcases. When Christmas Day arrived, I was excited as my wife drove me to the airport and nervous at the thought of being gone for three weeks but I settled down after she dropped me off. It didn't last long and it's a good thing I allowed an extra day to get to Argentina because things took a turn for the worse as soon as I checked in.
December 25 - December 27, 2006:
Here's the condensed version of my airport woes: My Minneapolis flight to Houston on Monday was on time as scheduled but the Houston to Buenos Aires flight was canceled because of the Christmas holiday and rescheduled for Tuesday. I didn't want to spend an overnight in Houston so I shuffled back and forth three different times between Northwest and Continental counters to find another way to Buenos Aires from Houston, each pawning me off on the other because I was using Northwest frequent flyer miles but flying on partner Continental. I finally got rebooked on a new flight via Sao Paulo, Brazil but it took too much time and I wasn't allowed to board the Houston flight. I checked other airlines but no flights were available to Houston so I asked for the original Houston direct to Buenos Aires flight back but the seat was already bought by somebody else. Totally exasperated I rebooked a new flight for Tuesday- Minneapolis to Houston to Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires with all new times and hoped the flights would be on time to make the final flight to Mendoza. As it turned out, my flight from Minneapolis to Houston departed late, I barely made the flight to Sao Paulo, the flight from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires departed late, I missed the connecting flight to Mendoza (all flights to Mendoza leave from a different airport in Buenos Aires, minimum 45 minute taxi ride in between) and had to book a new flight on an Argentinian airline, which departed late because of a baggage handlers strike. I made it to Mendoza at 10:00 pm on Wednesday, nerves completely shot.
In the meanwhile, I'd called Rodrigo while in Buenos Aires and he had only two questions for me: where was I and did I have my luggage? It was a miracle my bags made it all the way through. He arranged to have me picked up by his driver and delivered to our hotel, and then to the restaurant where everyone was eating and waiting for me. I was a wreck but happy to be there.
Introductions were made. Our climbing group consisted of: Hillary and Karen (California), Steve, Gary, and Tom (Connecticut), David (Colorado), Jason (Colorado), Lee (Ohio), Marc (Belgium), me (Minnesota) and the three guides: Allie (Australia), Laura (Oregon), and Martin (Argentina). The three guides were all younger than the rest of us but had plenty of experience and many successful summit ascents. Martin (full name Emilio Martin Cugnini) holds the distinction of being the youngest climber to ascend Aconcagua, at age 15. After a fine dinner and a late gear check, Jason and I turned in.
Thursday December 28, 2006:
Everyone else had picked up their permits yesterday so Laura and I headed downtown to get mine. This was a slow process as mornings are generally busy with other climbers doing the same. Afternoons are a better time to get permits.We shopped for a few more things, exchanged some money, and at noon our group departed for Penitentes. A stop was made along the way for lunch and upon arriving in Penitentes, we prepared our duffels for the mules. We stayed at the Hotel Ayelen, which has a nice lobby, bar and dining area, but very tacky rooms. Showers are okay as long as you aren't assigned to a room on the third floor because the antiquated heating system either makes for long waits or provides no hot water at all. If you stay at this hotel, demand a room on the first or second floor. At dinner that evening, Rodrigo stopped by to wish everybody well on the climb.
Friday December 29, 2006:
We were dropped off at 11:20 AM at the Vacas River Valley trailhead, elevation 7,900 ft. Our original itinerary would have us continue along this trail, (photo 1, photo 2) into the Guanacos Valley, a longer route better suited for acclimatization but now closed by the government. Allie said we would spend an additional night at base camp to compensate. The day was heating up quickly, being summertime in the southern hemisphere, and we lathered on the sunscreen before embarking on the dusty trail. The hike along the river was nondescript but for one stream crossing where active mud flows made the crossing interesting due to the melting snow on Aconcagua. We'd find out the next day how melting snow can alter route conditions to a stronger degree. We pulled into Pampa de Lenas camp, elevation 9,190 ft, at 5:40 PM, and a wonderful dinner was prepared by Martin while Allie instructed us on how to properly stake down the tents. High winds aren't a problem at lower elevations but tents at higher camps have blown away because of poor tie-downs. In the late evening, lightning flashed in the sky on the other side of a ridge but nothing came of it. The hot temperature kept me from sleeping well.
Saturday December 30, 2006:
Everyone was eager to get going but we had to sit a long time after the mules were loaded up because the river crossing past camp had a raging current and the foot bridge normally used further up the river was washed out. Allie decided to move us across by mule after getting permission from the ranger and signing a waiver releasing liability. We departed camp finally at 11:50 and spent an entire hour to cross. A skittish mule carrying a fellow and his heavy pack from a different group slipped and both mule and rider tumbled into the current. It was a tense scene and our muleteer shouldered our packs after that so we wouldn't bobble on our respective rides across. We heard later that this stream crossing was no longer allowed and subsequent groups had to find a different spot to cross upstream.
The excitement continued as we crossed another side creek, stopped for a break, and heard what sounded like an airplane coming up the valley. As the sound got louder we soon witnessed not an airplane but a huge mudslide moving down the creek we just crossed and watched in amazement as it continued all the way down to the river.
So far we'd been able to keep our feet dry but as we followed the river valley and neared camp, we had to finally enter the river. We were soon treated to our first view of Aconcagua looming above a side valley. The peak looked dangerous with clouds swirling about its summit and made me nervous about weather conditions once we got higher. Arrival time at Casa de Piedra camp, elev 10,650 ft, was 6:50 PM. Dinner fare was soup and ravioli, both tasty, and I slept much better that night.
Sunday December 31, 2006:
The river's strong and deep current necessitated another mule ride across. With everybody on the other side we began our new route up the Relinchos River Valley at 9:10 AM, finally starting to climb after two days of slow and steady mileage gains. I was elated when Aconcagua (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3) revealed itself again under clear and sunny skies, not looking anywhere near as dangerous as it did yesterday. Water shoes were finally put to use on an easy and fast river crossing after the lunch break, and at 4:05 we pulled into Plaza Argentina base camp, elevation 13,780 feet.
Our group was meshing together comfortably by now and the next four days of eating together in the mess tent would draw us even closer. Steve from Connecticut had us laughing all the time, endearing himself to everyone with his quick wit and good nature, and making meal times always something to look forward to. The meals at base camp were prepared by a crew hired to work during the December to March climbing season. These men and women also performed other camp chores and several were training to be guides themselves.
Our guides regaled us with Aconcagua stories at dinner that first night. Fascinating was the story about a fellow who'd brought a tent to the summit and stayed on top for 3 months to set a record for the longest summit stay. Food was brought up by porters and a priest even climbed to provide communion for him, but the poor soul was emaciated upon his eventual descent. We also heard about deaths on the peak, rescue missions, and that the ideal age for successful ascents on Aconcagua is between 35 and 45. Half our group, including me, was over the age of 50.
New Years Eve festivities were planned for the evening but nobody in our group felt like drinking except the guides. Allie, Laura, and Martin partied past midnight and some group set off fireworks but I didn't hear a thing. I was sound asleep long before midnight.
Monday January 1, 2007:
A relaxing day at camp. David from Colorado and I hiked up the trail a ways to get a view of camp, gaining 300 feet in elevation and a little exercise to boot. Helicopter landings were daily occurrences at camp and fun to watch as they picked up and dropped off gear for parties but they also carried out filled-up latrine barrels and one had to be on the watch for flying pieces of toilet paper. The water supply nearest to camp was muddy but a 15 minute walk to get fresh water straight from the mountainside was worth the effort. The water was excellent and ice cold and it was the first time on the trip I didn't treat the water- everyone else had been drinking water from day one without treating. In the afternoon we divided up our gear for a carry to Camp 1 in the morning.
Tuesday January 2, 2007:
Today marked our first load carry and we departed base camp for Camp 1 with full packs to drop off food, fuel, and gear. Ice axes and crampons in particular wouldn't be needed until summit day, so up they went along with heavier clothes, mittens, etc. This was a grueling ascent through penitentes and scree but we used the rest step to pace ourselves. After several stops and a lunch break we arrived at 3:45, staked our spot, and stayed for about a half hour. Elevation at the camp is 16,200 ft. The descent was fun and fast for those of us short-cutting through the scree. I thoroughly enjoyed boot-skiing the soft, loose junk and twelve minutes later Jason, David, Martin, and I sat down and waited for the others, some taking the scree slowly, the rest weaving back through the penitentes. We managed to lose the route briefly on the descent but arrived in base camp at 7:05 with plenty of time for dinner and further comraderie. Jason set a personal high elevation record today.
Wednesday January 3, 2007:
This was the extra rest day to make up for the lost day in Guanacos Valley. David and I hiked to the other river to get drinking water and to wash clothes. He also braved the ice cold water to clean up but my hands were so numb from washing clothes that I gladly paid $10 U.S. for a hot shower later at camp. The river was running clear in the morning but turned muddy later on my second trip back for more water. Our afternoon weather included a brief snow shower. We had burritos for lunch and shepherd's pie for dinner, both excellent, and I called home on the satellite phone in the evening, a $20 charge for a four minute call, to let my wife know all was going well.
Thursday January 4, 2007:
This was an eagerly awaited day. Jason and I were glad to finally get moving to a higher elevation, and at 10:35 AM our group began the trek to Camp 1, packs even heavier than our load carry two days ago. All gear no longer needed from this point on had been packed into duffels to be carried by mules back to the town of Penitentes and would be picked up at the end of the trip. The day was beautiful but cold and once again we used the rest step to pace ourselves up to the higher camp. We arrived at 5:00 PM and I had to finally break out my down parka while we ate soup and pasta outside because the weather was freezing cold. We got word that two students from a neighboring Colorado State University group had to descend back to base camp, one suffering from pulmonary edema. An extremely large group of 20 Canadians and their 10 guides were staying just below Camp 1 and had our guides concerned about them hogging up the better camp sites higher up. Tonight I wore my down booties for the first time while walking about camp. They were wonderful.
Friday January 5, 2007:
We were on the move again with another load carry to Camp 2. Departing at 10:20 AM and using the familiar rest step, we trudged up through miserable scree and arrived at the camp at 2:50 PM. Elevation at this camp is ~ 17,600 ft and the altitude affected Jason with a pounding headache. I myself was feeling dizzy when we left at 3:25 to return to Camp 1 but 400 mg. of ibuprofen helped. Jason, however, found little relief from anything he tried and was unable to shake the high altitude headache for the next seven days. Camp conditions were extremely dry and dusty.
Saturday January 6, 2007:
Continuing our progress up the peak, we began the next move to Camp 2. We left at 11:45 AM, all of us dreading the ascent up the scree slope again, and arrived at Camp 2 at 4:45 just as a snowstorm pummeled the area. Jason and I hurried to set up our tent, brushing off the snow as it piled up, and jumped in our sleeping bags to warm up. We slept for an hour. Dinner was served to everyone in their tents, it was way too cold to eat outside.
Jason couldn't eat though, certain he was getting sick from something he ate earlier, and began throwing up. He was totally miserable but fortunate in that we had a scheduled rest day tomorrow. The snow had relented but the wind continued blowing hard, and as glad as I was to be getting higher on the mountain, conditions were becoming more grueling. I was staying well hydrated, but having to put on all my warm clothes and then taking them off each time to go out and pee two or three times every night was time consuming and not much fun.
Sunday January 7, 2007:
A rest day. All the snow had melted by mid morning but it was very cold outside. I enjoyed the spectacular view of Aconcagua and talked to whoever was milling about while Jason slept the day away. Allie had given him some medications to help with the nausea. Many in our group were suffering from headaches but I felt great and my oximeter readings were still over 80. My blood pressure was running high but not enough to concern Allie, and by nightfall Jason was finally feeling better. David, on the other hand, was suffering from a toothache that only seemed to be getting worse.
Monday January 8, 2007:
We were on the move again with a carry to Camp 3. The morning was chilly when we departed at 10:45 AM for this high camp, also known as White Rocks, and from which we'd push for the summit on Wednesday if the weather was good. Jason was feeling well, though still fighting a headache, and our slow but steady pace delivered us to camp 3, elevation 19,200 feet, at 3:45 PM. We had a scare along the way when Steve from Connecticut blacked out and fell down. Strangely, he had a cramp in his tongue before fainting, something he said he's experienced before. He was fine.
White Rocks was heavily populated when we arrived. The normal route on Aconcagua converges here also but we found an area to drop our gear and supplies and after a half hour rest we began our descent back to Camp 2. It only took an hour to get there and my head was pounding upon arrival. A satellite phone call by Allie brought good news- favorable weather was predicted for the next three days and we'd be moving up in the morning. If an unfavorable forecast had been predicted we would've stayed at Camp 2 another night because the terrain is so inhospitable at White Rocks. There's no running water up there and snow has to be shoveled and melted by stove, a long process at the high elevation.
Tuesday January 9, 2007:
We left Camp 2 at 10:40 AM for White Rocks. Our pace went a little faster than yesterday but the altitude was affecting me in a strange way. I couldn't remember words to songs in my head, no matter how hard I concentrated. I could get to one verse and that was it. We arrived at 2:50 to ferocious winds but the guides were pleasantly surprised at the sunny and otherwise warm weather as we set up camp. I was gasping for breath as we put up the tent and Jason and I both had headaches which lying down only marginally helped. Afterward, Allie gathered all of us together to prep us for the morning and to see how we were presently feeling on a scale on 1-10. Most everyone in the group responded with 4's, 5's and 6's, one said 7. I felt between 8 and 9, headache aside, and actually meant it. I was confident.
Hillary and Karen wouldn't be attempting the summit, satisfied with achieving the high camp elevation. The sunset that evening was superb but only Martin, Allie and I ventured out for pictures because it was so incredibly cold. We were advised to layer on our heavy clothing before turning in to save time in the morning, and to stow our plastic boot liners in our sleeping bags to keep them warm.
Wednesday January 10, 2007:
Summit day! Having anticipated this day for over two weeks, it was disturbing to not feel entirely ready upon waking. Everything felt rushed with getting gear together and trying to eat before departing at 6:15. I was having trouble fitting my hand warmers and gloves inside the bigger mitts, and I couldn't grasp my trekking poles properly once on the trail. Although my feet were comfortably lined with toe warmers and my headache was gone, I nonetheless felt disconnected. Anyway, as we ventured forth with headlamps shining in the brutally cold pre-dawn, skies were clear and winds were light. It looked to be an exceptional day for climbing.
At the first rest break, Tom and Lee were feeling the effects of the altitude and turned back with camp still in sight. I felt bad for Lee because this was his second attempt on Aconcagua. We continued on and shortly afterward, much to my dismay, I started getting dizzy. Falling behind the group and telling Laura I needed to stop, she had me sit down for a bit and asked if I could make it to Independencia just up ahead. My vision was not in good focus while struggling to get there and I immediately started drinking water and eating when I arrived. It was so similar to my experience on Kilimanjaro but this time the ibuprofen, water and food didn't work and I made the decision to turn around, convinced that something happening with help so far away wasn't worth the risk of continuing. The detached retina I suffered in 2005 was also weighing heavily on my mind, especially after feeling pressure in my good eye at Camp 2, so after sitting a while and receiving consolation from the others, Allie instructed Laura to accompany me back to camp. My spirits were quite good under the circumstances, and Independencia's elevation, at nearly 21,000 feet, did set a personal elevation record. She and I arrived back to camp at 10:30.
I talked with Hillary and Karen before retiring to the tent to nap and we wondered how the others were faring on the peak. As it turned out, Gary made it as far as the Caneletta before giving up but Jason, David, Steve, Marc, Allie, and Martin all made the summit, at 3:00. David did an admirable job of summiting with what was by then an undeniably horribly abscessed tooth. Martin arrived at camp with Gary at 6:15 and the rest pulled in at 6:30. All looked terribly beat except Martin. Winds were nonexistent while they were on the summit, a rarity, but gusting winds raged on their descent and howled all afternoon and night at camp. I don't think anybody slept well because the gale force winds pummeled the tents relentlessly, so badly that Allie had to restake the bigger ones in the middle of the night. Snow was forecast for Thursday and we were all eager to depart high camp.
Thursday January 11, 2007:
Winds were still gusting in the bone chilling cold of the morning. We waited until 11:15 to leave and took judicious breaks as we passed by the camps on the Normal route before arriving at Plaza de Mulas base camp, elevation 14,435 feet, at 4:45. Plaza de Mulas (photo 1, photo 2) is a good sized tent city with many amenities but we were primarily interested in the pizza waiting for us, which we proceeded to wolf down. Shortly afterward all of us, except Lee and the guides, found a bar (a big tent with tables and dirt floor) and celebrated our experiences over the last two weeks. No altitude issues, (Jason was finally headache-free), no gasping for breath, and no rest step needed- it felt like we were at sea level.
Our 8:00 dinner time was approaching and it was humorous to see the look on Allie's face when we trooped back down to the mess tent. She had no idea we were all together and was pondering a search mission. After an excellent chicken dinner, five of us went out again while the others turned in. Steve, Tom, Gary, Jason, and I went back to the tent bar and stayed until 1:00, another memorable comraderie spent at 14,000 feet in Argentina.
Friday January 12, 2007:
After a breakfast of French toast, we packed most of our gear for the mules to carry. We departed at 10:35 AM for the 17 plus mile hike out the Horcones river valley, traveling lightly under warm sunny skies and eager to get back to town for a hot shower. We were lucky to see a condor riding the thermals and looking for a meal, an unusual sighting in this valley. We kept up a good pace, took a short break in the valley before stopping at Confluencia for snacks and beverages, and splintered into smaller groups for the remaining hike out. I hiked alone for several miles, keeping Laura and the first group in sight most of the time, and caught up to them at a long foot bridge. After everybody congregated, we split up again. This time Allie and I charged ahead and arrived at the ranger station at 6:35, exactly 8 hours after leaving base camp. On the ride back to Penitentes, all I could think about was a shower, and once we got there, to our total dismay, Jason and I were assigned a room on the third floor with no water, let alone hot water. The fellow at the desk said to wait a half hour but we demanded a different room, and though tackier than the first, we got one with hot water. We met the group for dinner, made phone calls afterward, and crashed.
Saturday January 13, 2007:
The 100 mile drive from Penitentes to Mendoza went quickly and we were all glad to be staying at the Hyatt hotel again. The five star luxury hotel was quite a contrast to the Ayelen in Penitentes and Jason and I enjoyed relaxing at the pool and taking a walk around Mendoza before meeting the group for our farewell dinner. Jason and I made reservations at the Hotel Aconcagua for the following two nights since we couldn't get early flights back to the US, and our next two days were well spent winding down from the climb and taking in the sights of town.
This was a great adventure despite not making the summit and Aventuras Patagonicas was well organized with top notch experienced guides. But I'm not sure I'll return to Aconcagua because even after sleeping well, eating well, staying hydrated, and feeling strong, the high altitude stopped me anyway. When the guides talked about the ideal age range of 35-45 for successfully summiting, they spoke of how the physiology of the body, for some inexplicable reason, works against those younger and older. But obviously there are exceptions and perhaps I might be one on another try.