Aconcagua, Jan 6th 2008
>>>DAILY DISPATCHES
Guide: Hector Ponce De Leon
Team Members: William Haney, Matt Sherman, Joseph Hoffman, James Crosslin, Pete Wiedler, Carol Castellani, Steven Garrett, Simon Edwards
Aconcagua, often referred to as the “Stone Sentinel,” is the highest peak in South America and the highest peak in the world outside of Asia. Climbing this beautiful mountain, which rises 4,000 feet above neighboring peaks, is a great way to experience the spectacular Andes of Argentina. All of our equipment is carried to base camp by mules. We follow the philosophy of climb high and sleep low as we establish a series of higher camps while ascending Aconcagua. We have also built in numerous inclement weather days to the schedule to allow more time to attempt the summit climb. These factors enable proper acclimatization and greatly increase our chance for success.
Aconcagua is an incredibly diverse mountain offering interesting routes for climbers of all abilities. For our ascent of the mountain we offer trips on two different routes. The Polish Traverse, which is often referred to as the False Polish Glacier Route, is a beautiful high altitude climb of moderate difficulty for the mountaineer with intermediate climbing skills. After our ascent we have the option to descend into the Horcones Valley and return to our starting point at the small town of Puenta del Inca by a different route, thus completing a circumnavigation of the mountain. For those desiring to climb on Himalayan expeditions to the 8,000-meter giants this climb provides excellent training and experience at higher altitudes.
Day 1:SANTIAGO 1,800 feet
Day 2:MENDOZA 2,428 feet Elevation gain-628 feet
Day 3: LOS PENITENTES 8,500 feet
Day 4:PUNTA DE VACAS 7,628 feet / LAS LENAS 9,240 feet Elevation gain-1,612 feet
Day 5:CASA DE PIEDRA 10,560 feet Elevation gain- 1,320 feet
Day 6:PLAZA ARGENTINA 13,800 feet Elevation gain-3,240 feet
Day 7: PLAZA ARGENTINA 13,800 feet
Day 8:CAMP I 16,400 feet / PLAZA ARGENTINA 13,800 feet Elevation gain-2,600 feet
Day 9: PLAZA ARGENTINA 13,800 feet
Day 10: CAMP I 16,400 feet Elevation gain-2,600 feet
Day 11: CAMP I 16,400 feet
Day 12:CAMP II 19,350 feet / CAMP I 16,400 feetElevation gain-2,950 feet
Day 13: CAMP II 19,350 feetElevation gain-2,950 feet
Day 14: CAMP II 19,350 feet
Day 15: CAMP III 19,500-20,000 feet Elevation gain- Approximately 1,000 feet
Days 16-17: ACONCAGUA SUMMIT 22,841 feet / BERLIN CAMP 19,300 feet
Day 18: PLAZA DE MULAS
Day 19: PENITENTES
Day 20-21: MENDOZA/ HOME
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Dispatches
January 21, 2008
Summit Success!! Today Simon Edwards, Matt Sherman, Pete Wiedler and mylselff all stood on the summit of 22,841 foot Aconcagua! The temperature throughout the day was mostly below zero making for an extremely cold day. Our success was well earned! We are all back safely now at Camp III and we will descend back to Plaza de Mulas tomorrow. More to come from basecamp.
Hector
January 20, 2008
Greetings from Camp III! Yesterday our ever persistent group made our final carry to Camp III and have set-up shop for our summit bid. We have been blessed with good weather this expedition with only whisping clouds and slight winds giving us any real concern. Today we will rest and prepare ourselves for the big summit day Manana! So far everyone is feeling strong in mind and body so our summit day should be a succesful one. Wish us luck and I will report back once we have bagged the big one!
Hector
January 17, 2008
Hola from Camp I on Aconcagua!! We are now down to a group of 6 since Carol had to descent back to Mendoza due to illness. Today we made a carry up to Camp II and then descended back to camp in order to rest for our move tomorrow. Everyone is feeling pretty good but our time on the mountain is of course exhausting, I guess that is to be expected when climbing a 22,841 foot peak!
The next few days we will continue to stock camps and prepare for out summit bid. Wish us all luck!!
Hector
January 12, 2008
Hello! Hector here from Plaza de Argentina, Aconcagua base camp! We reached basecamp yesterday with the group feeling great. We did have one set back however and Kirk Haney had to return to the US due to family, we all wish Kirk safe travels and will miss him on the trip.
Today we rested and prepared for our carry to camp 1 and should have great weather for our ascent. So far the skies have been clear and we have had great views of the mountain. Everyone is in high sprits and should acclimatize just fine. Wish us luck!
Hector
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