The team moved quickly up to High Camp this morning. They had a nice day for their hike and the weather was kind enough to remain pleasant while they set up their tents. About an hour into their post-hike nap, the snow began to fall and the wind then began to pick up. Chris reports that they are all tucked into their tents and finishing dinner, while 25 mph gusts and falling snow make for a winter wonderland outside.
Everyone did well, and although they are feeling the altitude a bit (who doesn't at 20,000 feet?). They will waken before dawn to check on the weather. If the wind dies, they will make a push for the summit! I've been keeping an eye on some weather models, and they all predict a nice day tomorrow. Hopefully they are correct and our crew can make a bid for the top.
Summit day is a long one. The team will get up at about 5:30 a.m., eat breakfast and pack up their summit gear. What they wear will really depend on how chilly the morning is, but it is not uncommon to wear every stitch of clothing you brought with you for the first hour of hiking, primarily because you are hiking in the dark.
The first hour ascends a scree field and joins the summit route shared by the two most traveled routes on the mountain, while it ascends the east side of the north ridge of the mountain. After the sun hits, temperatures often rise and make for comfortable climbing as they ascend to the skeletal remains of the Independencia Hut at roughly 21,500 feet. Just above this point, they will cross over the north ridge to the shady west side of the mountain (brrr!) and make along traverse across the top of the West Face of Aconcagua to the base of an 1300 foot gully known as the Canaleta. The Canaleta can be tricky, as it is filled with loose rocks. Chris will pick a route through the boulders and they will reach a point where it is possible to look down the dramatic 9,000+ foot South Face. There are few views in this world which take you breath away as literally as this one.
The final climb to the summit has a couple of rocky steps that need to be negotiated. Once on top, they will need to pay heed to the old climbing adage that, "the top is only halfway." The descent can be quick and straightforward or long and tricky, depending on snow conditions and on how everyone is feeling. Hopefully, they will make good time and get back to their High Camp in time for a nice dinner and a good night's sleep before descending the west side to the Plaza de Mulas Base Camp.
Good luck up there everybody. We'll keep you all in our thoughts. I'll post an update as soon as I hear from the crew.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Merry Christmas to the team who celebrated the holiday camped at 18,000 feet above sea level, on the eastern flank of Aconcagua.
Chris called to report that the acclimatization day seems to have really given everyone a good bump in spirits and appetites. It is a beautiful day with the blend of light snow falling on a sunny day that you are occasionally treated to in the mountains. The mix makes for a fairly ethereal atmosphere with the neighboring beaks illuminated in sunlight while flakes waft down on their tents.
Speaking of atmosphere, 18,000 feet is about where the climbers will encounter one-half an atmosphere, or an atmospheric pressure that is roughly one-half that at sea level. You are high enough that should you spill boiling water on your hand, you will not burn yourself, due to the much lower boiling point. It makes brewing good coffee easy, as you won't scorch the grounds, but boiling pasta can be a real disaster.
Hazel treated the team to back rubs, further improving everyone's Christmas cheer. I have been doing my best to keep up with passing messages along to Hazel. I think she's about the most popular person we've ever had on a trip, and Chris affirms that her popularity is contagious even on a big, cold mountain.
To the team, and to everyone reading this post, have a very enjoyable, and safe holiday. You climbers are all in our thoughts and we wish you all the best tomorrow when you head up to High Camp.
Chris called to report that the acclimatization day seems to have really given everyone a good bump in spirits and appetites. It is a beautiful day with the blend of light snow falling on a sunny day that you are occasionally treated to in the mountains. The mix makes for a fairly ethereal atmosphere with the neighboring beaks illuminated in sunlight while flakes waft down on their tents.
Speaking of atmosphere, 18,000 feet is about where the climbers will encounter one-half an atmosphere, or an atmospheric pressure that is roughly one-half that at sea level. You are high enough that should you spill boiling water on your hand, you will not burn yourself, due to the much lower boiling point. It makes brewing good coffee easy, as you won't scorch the grounds, but boiling pasta can be a real disaster.
Hazel treated the team to back rubs, further improving everyone's Christmas cheer. I have been doing my best to keep up with passing messages along to Hazel. I think she's about the most popular person we've ever had on a trip, and Chris affirms that her popularity is contagious even on a big, cold mountain.
To the team, and to everyone reading this post, have a very enjoyable, and safe holiday. You climbers are all in our thoughts and we wish you all the best tomorrow when you head up to High Camp.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The team made a carry to High Camp!
Chris just called and the team made a carry up to their High Camp this morning. Chris says it is a beautiful day up on the mountain, and that the rumors of an impending snowstorm have yet to materialize.
The route up to high Camp departs Camp 2 and climbs steeply up a short hill, at the top of which used to be the remnants of the crashed Lama helicopter. Beyond this point, it follows a vague ridge line, which is actually the border of an old, mostly rotten and rock covered glacier.
This ridge delineates two huge bowls that comprise much of the West Face of Aconcagua. The southern bowl is topped by the Polish Glacier and drains down into the Plaza Argentina drainage. The more northerly bowl is very broad across its top and drains down into a series of glacially sculpted valleys which bottom out at the head of the Vacas Valley.
The team ascended the ridge to a point where they could do a gradual traverse across the top of the northern bowl and then ascend up to their high Camp on the crest of the North Ridge of Aconcagua. The final several hundred feet to High Camp is a surreal landscape of bizarre purple hued rock towers and boulders, sculpted by the wind into curved, twisted forms very reminiscent of an early Star Trek setting. High Camp is surrounded by white versions of these towers, hence its other moniker, White Rocks. Located at just over 20,000 feet, the team could look down the west side of Aconcagua at the upper camps used by the thousands of climbers ascending the normal route. The rocks provide some protection from the wind, which, as you might well imagine can be severe at that altitude.
Everyone is doing well, although they are feeling the effects of the altitude. They will celebrate Christmas at Camp 2, so that Santa won't have to fly his sleigh quite so high to deliver their presents. hopefully, he keeps any gifts light weight! The additional day of acclimatization and rest should put them in a better position for a summit bid after moving high on Friday.
The route up to high Camp departs Camp 2 and climbs steeply up a short hill, at the top of which used to be the remnants of the crashed Lama helicopter. Beyond this point, it follows a vague ridge line, which is actually the border of an old, mostly rotten and rock covered glacier.
This ridge delineates two huge bowls that comprise much of the West Face of Aconcagua. The southern bowl is topped by the Polish Glacier and drains down into the Plaza Argentina drainage. The more northerly bowl is very broad across its top and drains down into a series of glacially sculpted valleys which bottom out at the head of the Vacas Valley.
The team ascended the ridge to a point where they could do a gradual traverse across the top of the northern bowl and then ascend up to their high Camp on the crest of the North Ridge of Aconcagua. The final several hundred feet to High Camp is a surreal landscape of bizarre purple hued rock towers and boulders, sculpted by the wind into curved, twisted forms very reminiscent of an early Star Trek setting. High Camp is surrounded by white versions of these towers, hence its other moniker, White Rocks. Located at just over 20,000 feet, the team could look down the west side of Aconcagua at the upper camps used by the thousands of climbers ascending the normal route. The rocks provide some protection from the wind, which, as you might well imagine can be severe at that altitude.
Everyone is doing well, although they are feeling the effects of the altitude. They will celebrate Christmas at Camp 2, so that Santa won't have to fly his sleigh quite so high to deliver their presents. hopefully, he keeps any gifts light weight! The additional day of acclimatization and rest should put them in a better position for a summit bid after moving high on Friday.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
At Camp 2!!
Well the team moved up to Camp 2, otherwise known as Helicopter Camp (there used to be the remnants of a crashed Lama helicopter just above camp). Camp is at 18,000 feet and the team made great time moving up.
Everyone is resting in their tents and plan to make a carry up to high camp tomorrow. Chris says that it looks like a snow storm might be brewing, so they are going to play each day by ear from here on out. If everyone feels good tomorrow, they will carry to high camp and then they will either move up the following day, or remain at Camp 2 for an additional rest/acclimatization day. There are pros and cons to both and this is the time on an expedition where good communication is crucial between team members, so that Chris can best assess everyone and make the most informed decision possible about how to proceed.
Everyone is resting in their tents and plan to make a carry up to high camp tomorrow. Chris says that it looks like a snow storm might be brewing, so they are going to play each day by ear from here on out. If everyone feels good tomorrow, they will carry to high camp and then they will either move up the following day, or remain at Camp 2 for an additional rest/acclimatization day. There are pros and cons to both and this is the time on an expedition where good communication is crucial between team members, so that Chris can best assess everyone and make the most informed decision possible about how to proceed.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
At Camp 1!!
The team moved up to Camp 1 in just over 3 hours today! They are really doing great. Everyone feels good and they are set up in a nicely fortified camp site a full two minutes walk from their water source. Nicely done, team!
Tomorrow's work will consist of hiking up to the next camp at about 18,000 feet and caching their extra food and fuel. They have a good view of most of the elevation gain, nestled as they are in a fairly deep cirque. The big, snow covered peaks to the north are just starting to come into view over the edge of the cirque. Tomorrow's views will expand tremendously, and they will be looking across at the glaciated Cerro Ameghino just to the east.
I received a nice email from Hazel yesterday! There is limited internet access from the Plaza Argentina basecamp and she took advantage of it to communicate with some of her friends. I'm going to take some liberty here and post from her email:
"Dear Todd,
Tomorrow's work will consist of hiking up to the next camp at about 18,000 feet and caching their extra food and fuel. They have a good view of most of the elevation gain, nestled as they are in a fairly deep cirque. The big, snow covered peaks to the north are just starting to come into view over the edge of the cirque. Tomorrow's views will expand tremendously, and they will be looking across at the glaciated Cerro Ameghino just to the east.
I received a nice email from Hazel yesterday! There is limited internet access from the Plaza Argentina basecamp and she took advantage of it to communicate with some of her friends. I'm going to take some liberty here and post from her email:
"Dear Todd,
Thank you so much for making contact with my friend Blanche .....and also for fielding all those emails from me ol' mates....would you mind just forwarding them to my email address as above? Then I can check out who loves me when I return to civilization!!!
Hey...Chris is great! Great style of leadership and tops today especially when we did a hard carry up to the camp 1...in horrid winds. We are a tight knit group and all doing pretty well....at least that is what Chris says but he would say that wouldn't he!!!!!
Any way thanks again...better offski
Cheers
Hazel"
I will email all of you who have passed along regards and warm wishes with Hazel's current email address, which I suppose is easier for her to access than her work(?) email.Saturday, December 20, 2008
The team carried to Camp1
The team made their carry to Camp 1 today. They took the majority of their food and fuel and loaded up their backpacks to make the tough push up to Camp 1. They departed basecamp and crossed a field of "penitentes" which are fins of snow that can sometimes stand 4 meters tall. They are essentially exaggerated sun cups of snow, which get further carved out by the wind. Occasionally, you will need to negotiate a particularly challenging field of these, and it is very much like being in a snowy labyrinth.
Following the penitente field, they climbed up onto an old, gravel covered glacier and wound their way toward the final snowfield that led them to Camp 1. the uphill portion took them about four hours, which is a really good time. They piled their supplies up next to an established rock wall, which they will use to help shield their tents from the wind when they move up to Camp 1. The descent took another couple of hours and they are pretty tuckered out right now.
The wind, which Aconcagua is so famous for, made its presence known today. Basecamp is receiving some substantial gusts and Camp 1 is really getting hammered.
Everyone is doing great and they plan to move up to Camp 1 tomorrow, weather permitting.
Following the penitente field, they climbed up onto an old, gravel covered glacier and wound their way toward the final snowfield that led them to Camp 1. the uphill portion took them about four hours, which is a really good time. They piled their supplies up next to an established rock wall, which they will use to help shield their tents from the wind when they move up to Camp 1. The descent took another couple of hours and they are pretty tuckered out right now.
The wind, which Aconcagua is so famous for, made its presence known today. Basecamp is receiving some substantial gusts and Camp 1 is really getting hammered.
Everyone is doing great and they plan to move up to Camp 1 tomorrow, weather permitting.
Acclimatizing at Basecamp
Chris called yesterday, but I was away from my computer due to a severe snowstorm in Colorado.
He reported that the team was taking the rest/acclimatization day that they had planned to take. They were eating like kings (ahhh, Argentine steaks!) and enjoying the interesting scenery around basecamp. Chris is a geologist by training and recognized that the area around basecamp is an old caldera, or "mouth" of a volcano which had exploded outward at some time in the distant past.
The distant part of that observation was reassuring, as Chris also reported that the area had been subjected to several minor earthquakes during the course of the 24 hours that the team had been there. Such tremors are not uncommon in the Andes, situated as they are along the leading edge of the South American tectonic plate, but I suspect they have caught everyone's attention!
The group spent the day hiking around basecamp and bouldering on some nicely featured rocks down valley a bit. the plan is to carry some of their food and supplies up to Camp 1 today and return to sleep at basecamp. The hike from their previous camp at Casa de Piedra gained a lot of elevation, so it is prudent to take things slow for a couple of days and allow their bodies to acclimatize. A couple of people were evacuated from basecamp yesterday for altitude sickness, so the team is being very conservative.
I might hear from the group in the next few hours and will post as soon as I am able.
He reported that the team was taking the rest/acclimatization day that they had planned to take. They were eating like kings (ahhh, Argentine steaks!) and enjoying the interesting scenery around basecamp. Chris is a geologist by training and recognized that the area around basecamp is an old caldera, or "mouth" of a volcano which had exploded outward at some time in the distant past.
The distant part of that observation was reassuring, as Chris also reported that the area had been subjected to several minor earthquakes during the course of the 24 hours that the team had been there. Such tremors are not uncommon in the Andes, situated as they are along the leading edge of the South American tectonic plate, but I suspect they have caught everyone's attention!
The group spent the day hiking around basecamp and bouldering on some nicely featured rocks down valley a bit. the plan is to carry some of their food and supplies up to Camp 1 today and return to sleep at basecamp. The hike from their previous camp at Casa de Piedra gained a lot of elevation, so it is prudent to take things slow for a couple of days and allow their bodies to acclimatize. A couple of people were evacuated from basecamp yesterday for altitude sickness, so the team is being very conservative.
I might hear from the group in the next few hours and will post as soon as I am able.
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