Aconcagua Jan 2010 Mountain Trip Expedition

Note from Heidi

2010-02-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Heidi emailed this from the DFW airport on her way home:

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for following our progress during the climb, and also for sending all of your best wishes for our success! We had a great adventure and our success is directly linked to the support that we received from home during our climb.

We will be posting photos as soon as I get back home to Colorado, so be sure to check back in!

Although we did not all stand on the summit of Aconcagua, I believe that we all found a new bit of high ground in each of our own lives. I would personally like to dedicate this climb to my father, Albert, who passed away from cancer on the 10th of January. He had always loved being in the mountains, and his spirit was ever present for me on this climb. May his spirit soar among the mountains of the world forever.

Namaste, Heidi

Mendoza

2010-01-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

Reports keep filtering in of big steaks and big red wines...

Mendoza is a very nice place to decompress after the rigors and challenges of a big mountain. It's amazing how easy it is to just kick back on a sidewalk cafe with an espresso and spend a couple of hours watching the lives of Mendocinos pass by, after having been on the go for two weeks on end. The human body has a remarkable way of knowing just what it needs, and calories and niceties are pretty easy to come by in Mendoza.

Heidi might add some of her thoughts to this blog, and we'll definitely make certain to post a heap of photos, so please check back over the next week or so. In the meantime, I'll sign off after giving a hearty congratulations to all of the team members.

Saul, who unfortunately experienced one of the most disappointing aspects of big mountain climbing- having the decision to continue taken out of your control, you did great and we hope your foot heals well.

Claudio, congrats on reaching the summit. This was your second go at this big, challenging mountain, and by all accounts, you did wonderfully up there. We'll see you on Denali in May!

David, what a job hanging out for four days at 20,000 feet! Not many mortals have stayed so high, for such a stretch of time. 20K is one heck of a high point, and you did great up there.

Heidi, if the litmus test for a mountain guide is the quality of sleep the program directors get while you're on the mountain, then let me thank you for a couple weeks of blissful slumber. We can't express how thrilled we are that you are a deeply rooted member of our Mountain Trip family.

From the Mountain Trip office in snowy Ophir, CO,
Todd signing off...

Back at Penitentes!

2010-01-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

Heidi just called to say that she, Claudio and David are all back at the Penitentes Hotel after a nice six-hour hike down from the Plaza de Mulas Base Camp. The weather was perfect and they made good time for the 18 mile trek. Fortunately, it's all down hill (well, mostly- there is one real kicker of an uphill bit...).

They are gathering themselves and their thoughts and might jump in a van and go to Mendoza this evening. The food is better in Mendoza, and the water pressure is greater, so they need to weigh their level of motivation.

Great job everyone!!

Stay tuned, as we will post a lot of photos from the climb when Heidi gets home.

Summit of Aconcagua!!

2010-01-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

Heidi and Claudio reached the highest point in South America yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. They left under pretty clear skies, and the clouds built up all day and they descended in a white out and snow. They made it in about 11 hours round trip, and were tired, but happy when they called from high camp. David remained in camp yesterday.

The team will be descending to Plaza de Mulas basecamp today for hot meals and a good night sleep before hiking out to civilization on Thursday.

Congratulations, and way to stick it out up there at high camp. 19,800 ft on Aconcagua is not a comfortable place to wait for good summit day weather.

Hanging out at High Camp

2010-01-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

Heidi just called to say that the team is spending the day at High Camp today. She awoke during the early morning, pre-dawn hours and did a weather check, but found the temperatures disconcertingly warm. She reasoned that with the amount of moisture in the air yesterday, combined with the forecast for snow this afternoon, that they would have a relatively short weather window to make it to the top and back to camp.

Sure enough, the morning dawned warm and clear, yet with a thick cloud cover below them. This layer of clouds rose quickly and enveloped high camp by 11:00 am and it began snowing quite heavily. It sure is nice to have a positive reaffirmation of your weather call!

The team also felt that an additional day would help them acclimatize more fully, and alleviate the minor headaches that are associated with sleeping at almost 20,000'. Everyone is feeling great right now, all headaches are gone, and they just feasted on a lunch of eggs and hash-browned potatoes, followed by a dessert of Toblerone chocolate. I reckon they'll have plenty of energy when they awaken tomorrow morning.

The plan is to hit the trail early, as the temperatures are remaining very warm. Heidi said she slept with her tent door open last night, it was so mild. They will probably be a couple of hours up the trail before the sun crests the eastern horizon, and hopefully, we'll get a phone call from the best vantage point in South America by mid-morning.

Wish them luck, send your best thoughts and check in tomorrow!

At High Camp!!

2010-01-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

Heidi called a bit a go to say that they were hunkered down at High Camp at just under 20,000'. The weather is a bit rough right now, with snow, thunder and lightning down below them! Heidi described it as exciting and pretty wild.

The lemonade from the storm lemons is that when they arrived at High Camp, there was very little snow, which they need to melt to make water. Now they have plenty of snow, right outside their tents!

The storm was not a surprise, because the forecast actually called for a flurry of snow and some lightning. The forecast for tomorrow is for clear weather and low winds in the morning, with building clouds and light snow in the evening. As Heidi put it, she'll wake up and look outside, rather than rely on the forecast, but they have been remarkably accurate lately.

The team is in a great position, with plenty of time. If the weather doesn't look great when they awaken, they can hang out in camp and give it another go on Monday. There is no pressure to head up if the weather doesn't look great. The challenge is that it is often hard to make a good weather call in the dark of the early morning hours...

Everyone is doing well and they made good time up to High Camp, so they should do well when they get a summit window. It only took them about three hours to hike from Camp to up to High Camp, which is a really good time!

Carry Day to Camp 2

2010-01-20T20:52:00.001-08:00

Heidi left a message to say that she, David and Claudio made a carry to Camp 2, also known as Helicopter Camp (for the remains of a crashed chopper, just above camp). Everybody did great and they are moving well, despite eating like kings.

It appears that the old theory of the "High Altitude Weight Loss Program" is not in application on this trip! Heidi said they ate pancakes with hashbrowns and bacon fro breakfast. After making their Carry our friend Jacob Schmitz treated them to pizza for lunch, and they washed all that down with a "Thanksgiving Dinner" of stuffing, followed by a cheesecake dessert... Wow. Heidi was not certain they were working hard enough to justify that caloric intake.

The weather was absolutely wonderful today, without a breath of wind. One of our other teams reached the summit this morning and radioed this crew with the good news.

Saul is back in Mendoza and headed home shortly.

Big Mountains Can Be Unforgiving

2010-01-19T21:28:00.000-08:00

We have some sad news to report. The Base Camp doctor has diagnosed Saul's foot pain as a probable broken bone in his forefoot. High on a big mountain is no place to play heroics, and not a place for good healing to take place. Saul boarded a helicopter and flew out from BC this morning. He is safely back in Mendoza, pursuing medical care.

We are all wishing him the best and hoping for a speedy recovery. It is very disappointing to spend so much time and energy training and preparing for a big climb, and have something completely beyond your control take your chance away from you. the mountains can be unforgiving that way. They are a truly magical place to walk amongst, but in the end, they demand you be in top form or they will turn you back.

Claudio, David and Heidi have all moved up to Camp 1 at roughly 16,300'. They will camp out for the evening with nice views out to the east. Tomorrow will be a moderate day of carrying loads up to Camp 2 at about 18,000'.

Saul, I'm really sorry your foot was injured. You worked so hard, it is disappointing that this happened. Safe travels home.

Todd

Rest and Acclimatization at BC

2010-01-18T20:42:00.001-08:00

Heidi called to say that today was a beautiful, warm, sunny day at Base Camp.

The guys are in good spirits, however; Saul is having some trouble with one of his feet. He was in quite a bit of pain this morning, and they are working to see what can be done to alleviate his discomfort. We helped with a medical consult with our company doctor in the States. Hopefully, they can resolve the issue and he will be heading uphill to Camp 1 tomorrow.

Sorry for the cliff-hanger, but I'll post more as I hear it.

Great "Carry Day" to Camp 1

2010-01-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

The crew loaded up their packs and headed up the mountain to Camp 1 at roughly 16,300 feet yesterday. The fellows must have been feeling good because Heidi reports that they kept asking her for more "stuff" to load in their packs! They did great and made very good time.

The route from BC to Camp 1 climbs up a moderately steep, rocky moraine and into a fairly narrow valley, left over from the Polish Glacier, which receded 3000 vertical feet over the past many millennium. At the far uphill end of this valley, the terrain opens up and they climbed up into a much broader hanging valley. They negotiated a field of penitentes, bizarre snow fins that can rise to several meters in height. they are sort of like snow sun-cups on steroids, sculpted by a combination of solar radiation, wind and the heat conducted by particles of rock and sand.

Above the penitente field, they hiked up a bit more and buried their loads under a pile of rocks at one of the higher camps that make up the area collectively known as Camp 1. Upon arrival, they were greeted with hot tea served up by one of our friends who guides for Mountain Trip on Denali. Thanks Jacob, for the nice welcome!!

Today is another rest and acclimatization day in Base Camp, where they are being served up delicious meals by the cook staff.

Hanging out at BC

2010-01-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

Heidi called to say that they were enjoying a bluebird day at Base Camp. It snowed about 4 inches yesterday, but most of that melted when the sun came out this morning. It looked like clouds were starting to build in the afternoon, but that is a fairly common trend on Aconcagua.

Saul was relieved to hear that his wife was nowhere near the epicenter of the terrible earthquake in the Caribbean.

Tomorrow, the plan is to head up to Camp 1 in order to gain some additional acclimatization and to transport some supplies to their first camp on the mountain.

In Base Camp!

2010-01-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

Heidi called to report that the team was in Base Camp!

She said that they had hiked to Pampas de Lenas on the first day on the trail and eaten "surf and turf." Yesterday, they hiked another 8 miles to a spot called Case de Piedra (House of Stone), where they grilled hamburgers and soy burgers and settled in for the evening.

The hiking on the first two days followed the Rio Vacas, first on the west bank and then crossing a bridge just past Pampas de Lenas and continuing on the east side of the river. The valley is very deep, and varies from being fairly narrow to opening broadly at Casa de Piedra. Just before arriving at camp on the second evening, they had their first views of the mountain, looking up the steeply walled, "V-shaped" valley of the Relinchos River, which pours off the southeast side of Aconcagua.

Today they crossed the Rio Vacas on horseback and entered the Relinchos Valley, making their way along its steep banks. Eventually, they needed to ford the icy waters of the Relinchos, mad even chiller by the fact that it had begun to snow on them! By the time they arrived at BC. about 4 inches had fallen.

They plan to take a rest and acclimatization day tomorrow and will make their first foray onto the mountain itself on Sunday.

Heading to Penitentes

2010-01-12T13:09:00.001-08:00

Heidi emailed this morning to say that she and the boys are heading up to a small resort called Penitentes, where they will assemble and further organize all their food and supplies for the mules to carry in to Base Camp.

The road up to Penitentes passes through a high desert town called Uspallata, made famous (locally) because Brad Pitt and crew filmed the movie version of Seven Years in Tibet outside the town.

They will be busy weighing their duffels and hard-sided blue barrels so as to more equitably distribute the kit amongst the mules. Tonight they will eat a nice dinner and try to get some sleep before heading to the trailhead at the mouth of the Rio Vacas tomorrow.

Packing food and getting ready

2010-01-10T07:20:00.001-08:00

Heidi is in Mendoza finalizing the food packing and making certain that all of the logistics for their trip are organized. Saul and David are also in town, and are out and about on a tour of some local vineyards. Claudio is arriving today and the whole crew will go out for a nice welcome dinner this evening.

Mendoza is a great place to spend a couple of days before and after working hard on a big, cold mountain. The streets are wide and lined with enormous shade trees which are irrigated by a series of canals that run along each side of the streets. There is little hustle and bustle in Mendoza, and shops close for three hours each afternoon for siesta.

Sidewalk cafes provide enjoyable spots to kick back at lunchtime and eat a Barros Jarpa (grilled ham and cheese sandwich) and wash it down with an icy cold Cerveza de los Andes. As the sun sets, the pace picks up a bit and the Mendocinos start to come out for strolls in the numerous parks. Bistek (steak!) is the king of dinner time in Mendoza, and there are numerous world-class steakhouses throughout the city. Ask any Mendocino and they'll tell you that if you're going to eat a big steak, it's just not healthy unless you wash it down with some of the local vino tinto. Mendoza is world-renowned for its Malbec, a grape imported from France decades ago, which thrives in the hot, dry climate of the high desert.

Suffice to say, the team is doing just fine and is probably getting a bit antsy to hit the trail after a couple of days of life in Mendoza!

Welcome to our Aconcagua Expedition

2009-12-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

Towering above the long spine of the Andes mountains, Aconcagua is not only the highest peak in South America, but also the tallest mountain outside of the Himalaya. At 22,834 feet (6959m), Aconcagua provides a stout mountaineering challenge for climbers from around the world.

In early January, 2010, a small team of climbers will meet in the small, lively city of Mendoza, Argentina to join an expedition to attempt to climb to the summit of this stunning peak. Let's meet the team!

Lead guide:
Heidi Kloos from Ridgway, Colorado

Climbers:
Claudio Campori currently from Dubai
Saul Mandel of Toronto, Canada
David Cole of Toronto, Canada

We will do our best to update this blog daily once the climbers begin their approach to the mountain. The vagaries of communicating from remote areas are often challenging and weather, satellite coverage and many other factors could contribute to delay our ability to post updates. Please keep in mind that "NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!" We have good communications on the mountain with our support staff and with the Park Rangers, so we will always hear if anything goes awry, but any of the above factors could conspire to prevent the team from reaching us with notification that they are about to climb into their sleeping bags, full of delicious food, happy, tired and content...

We encourage you to post comments on this blog. Please know that your comments will not always be relayed to the climbers, but that they will see them all when they return and it really means a lot to them to know that they have your support and encouragement, even after the fact... If you need to contact one of them, please call our Colorado office at +1-970-369-1153 and we will facilitate communicating with the team.

Enjoy the posts!!