READY TO GO
Tomorrow afternoon,
the adventure begins.
As always, I will have to endure several hours of travel before reaching
the final destination. I will fly from Toronto to Miami, change planes
and continue my trip to Santiago, Chile. I will arrive there early in the
morning. My final flight will be from Santiago to Mendoza. It is a short
flight over the Andes. I am hoping for a good weather and a chance for
the
first view of "my mountain".
After arriving in Mendoza,
I will check into the Mendoza Hyatt Hotel. I have to visit the office of the
Aconcagua National Park to buy a climbing permit. Hopefully, I will get a
chance to do some filming and take some photographs. The leader of the
expedition will check my equipment and introduce me to the other members of
the expedition. In the evening, all of us will have a chance to taste
gourmet Argentinean cuisine consisting of fresh beef and delicious wines.
The next morning a van
will take us to Penitentes, a ski area located on the Argentinean side
of the Andes. It is a 4-hour drive ascending over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) through
rugged mountain scenery. In Penitentes, we will prepare our duffel bags
for the transport by mules to Base Camp.
In the next three days, we will trek from
Penitentes to Base
Camp located at 3,960 m (13,000 ft). Mules will carry our gear and we will enjoy an
easy travel carrying some food, water and a change of warm clothing. We
will cover a distance of about 56 km (35 mi) through a
spectacular, colourful high desert scenery. The first day
after a 4-5 hour hike, we will camp at Pampa de Lenas at 2,720 m (8,900
ft). The
following day, we will cross Vacas River and continue up the Vacas Valley
to Casa de Piedra, a camp located at 3,120 m (10,250 ft). From this camp we will get
the first view of the mountain. The next day, we will abandon the traditional
route up the Relinchos Valley (used in 1934 by polish climbers) and
continue up the Vacas Valley. After 6-7 hours of hiking, we will reach Base Camp at Plaza Guanaco.
After a rest in Base Camp, we will do a carry
of loads to Camp I located at 4,630 m (15,200 ft). We will carry heavy packs
approaching 25-30 kg (55-65 lbs). At Camp I, we will cache our loads and descend
down to Base Camp for the night. The following morning, we will
either have a day of rest or move up to Camp I. Our next step is to
establish Camp II, at 5,030 m (16,500 ft), with first a carry, then a move. We
will have fantastic views of the Andes from this camp. The next step
will follow a carry to Camp III, at about 5,425 m (17,800 ft), and then a move to
Camp III hopefully the next day. Our High Camp, Piedras Blancas (White
Rocks) at 5,850 m (19,200 ft), follows the same procedure consisting of
a carry to High Camp,
return to sleep below at Camp III, then a move to High Camp.
For the summit day, we will have to start at about
1:00 am. The climb to the top and return to the High
Camp may take up to 18 hours. The Polish Glacier is approximately 1,100 m
(3,600 ft)
high and has an average inclination of 30-35 degrees. There are a few
sections with a 50-60 degree inclination. After reaching the Summit Ridge at
6,700 m (22,000 ft), the final ridge to the summit is very long and gentle. After
summiting, we will descend down the Normal Route and at Idependencia, we
will traverse back to our High Camp.
The next day we will descend to the Plaza de Mulas
Base Camp and the day after, hike back to Penitentes. Our expedition will
end back in the Hyatt Hotel in Mendoza.
This picture shows a satellite view of Aconcagua from the north-east.
