Now that it's said and done, and I've had a little time to reflect on the primary purpose of this trip, I wanted to write a brief disclosing about the mountain. Aconcagua was one of the biggest challenges, both phyically and mentally I have met yet. The mountain itself is dominated by weather, as are most high altitude environments, but particularly Aconcagua. It catches a lot of weather being blown in off the coast due to it's proximity, that makes a bad combination with the altitude. Somewhat predictable storms came through almost everyday in a certain pattern. In the earlier part of my trip, the summit was clear every day until about 11 or noon, and then all hell seemed to be breaking loose up there, which would have made for a difficult descent for anybody up there at that time. Luckily this trend seemed to change a day before I was ready to summit, making for a crystal clear, yet exceptionally windy mind you, summit day. Wind. Wind. Wind. I have never been so happy as to be OUT of the wind. I'm not talking about that summer breeze that cools you off. I'm t
alking about the kind of wind that if you aren't prepared to adjust your balance when it shifts, will straight up lay you over. The kind that makes sleeping in a tent nearly torturous. The kind that blows sand in your face when there's sand, and snow when there's snow. The kind that is really annoying when it doesn't stop for 10 days straight. There's two temperatures on Aconcagua....hot....and really cold, with almost no in between. If the wind isn't blowing and the sun is out, it makes for a pleasant day, as long as you don't have to work in it, and have plenty of sunscreen on. However, Aconcagua is a big mountain, and this is the weather you can only expect while playing within it's boundaries, and part of what makes it fun and challenging. That said, you can be in great shape, have acclimated well, and be healthy, but the mountain is still king when it comes to deciding who summits and who doesn't. My last mild complaint would have to come from eating freeze dried meals. Barf.....if I have to eat another one of them anytime soon. Now don't get me wrong, Mountain House freeze dried meals are as tasty as they come for their sort, but when your apetite is minimal, and you are eating them everyday, they sometimes can be quite difficult to choke down.
The Aconcagua park is well run by the Argentine National Park Service. They have a climber accountability program, a waste management program, a minimal impact program, and a search and rescue program, all well run and implimented. I was very happy to pay the cost of the permit after seeing what the funds go towards. It's basically your insurance policy on the mountain. The park was very clean, with minimal garbage and human waste left around, particularly considering the amount of impact the park recieves, and the lack of places to hide it due to lack of glaciers, trees, etc...
I've grown a slight distaste for big group comercial expeditions after this trip. Several times I was camped next to them, and they seemed to be exceptionally loud at all hours of the day or night, with litt
le regard for other climbers in the area. It was often times difficlt passing them on steep or narrow trails when their pace was much slower than other climbers, and they were sometimes hesitant to let you pass. They tended to carry an arrogance with them belonging to such a group, particularly the guides. After observing some of their tactics on the mountain and while climbing, I think I would have a difficult time being apart of such an event. I personally would prefer to keep it to a couple of friends or solo, however I do understand that for some people that may not be an option, so I´ll keep an open mind.
In closing, I would highly recommend Aconcagua to anybody looking for such a challenge. The training I did before hand had definitely paid off, and made being there a pleasurable experience. The final count on my weight loss when I got back down was slightly over 10 pounds. A pound a day.....not bad if you're seeking that sort of thing, which in my case I am definitely NOT! I had great timing with the weather and acclimating, making for an exceptionally quick round trip outing. Now I'm left with plenty of time to explore
some of the depths of South America.
alking about the kind of wind that if you aren't prepared to adjust your balance when it shifts, will straight up lay you over. The kind that makes sleeping in a tent nearly torturous. The kind that blows sand in your face when there's sand, and snow when there's snow. The kind that is really annoying when it doesn't stop for 10 days straight. There's two temperatures on Aconcagua....hot....and really cold, with almost no in between. If the wind isn't blowing and the sun is out, it makes for a pleasant day, as long as you don't have to work in it, and have plenty of sunscreen on. However, Aconcagua is a big mountain, and this is the weather you can only expect while playing within it's boundaries, and part of what makes it fun and challenging. That said, you can be in great shape, have acclimated well, and be healthy, but the mountain is still king when it comes to deciding who summits and who doesn't. My last mild complaint would have to come from eating freeze dried meals. Barf.....if I have to eat another one of them anytime soon. Now don't get me wrong, Mountain House freeze dried meals are as tasty as they come for their sort, but when your apetite is minimal, and you are eating them everyday, they sometimes can be quite difficult to choke down.
The Aconcagua park is well run by the Argentine National Park Service. They have a climber accountability program, a waste management program, a minimal impact program, and a search and rescue program, all well run and implimented. I was very happy to pay the cost of the permit after seeing what the funds go towards. It's basically your insurance policy on the mountain. The park was very clean, with minimal garbage and human waste left around, particularly considering the amount of impact the park recieves, and the lack of places to hide it due to lack of glaciers, trees, etc...
I've grown a slight distaste for big group comercial expeditions after this trip. Several times I was camped next to them, and they seemed to be exceptionally loud at all hours of the day or night, with litt
le regard for other climbers in the area. It was often times difficlt passing them on steep or narrow trails when their pace was much slower than other climbers, and they were sometimes hesitant to let you pass. They tended to carry an arrogance with them belonging to such a group, particularly the guides. After observing some of their tactics on the mountain and while climbing, I think I would have a difficult time being apart of such an event. I personally would prefer to keep it to a couple of friends or solo, however I do understand that for some people that may not be an option, so I´ll keep an open mind.In closing, I would highly recommend Aconcagua to anybody looking for such a challenge. The training I did before hand had definitely paid off, and made being there a pleasurable experience. The final count on my weight loss when I got back down was slightly over 10 pounds. A pound a day.....not bad if you're seeking that sort of thing, which in my case I am definitely NOT! I had great timing with the weather and acclimating, making for an exceptionally quick round trip outing. Now I'm left with plenty of time to explore
some of the depths of South America.(The pictures from top to bottom: Exiting the Aconcagua Park, my tent at Camp Canada, Camp Nido Condores, Goodnight Camp Canada, and Hotel Refugio)
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