Aconcagua is the highest peak in Argentina, South America, the western and southern hemispheres. Its height is 6,962 meters – a nearly seven-thousand meter peak. The mountain is part of the “Seven Peaks” program – climbing the highest peaks of the continents.
Hello friends! For me Aconcagua was not an end in itself or a big dream, rather it was the most comfortable mountain for the next, record high, for myself.
Why comfortable – because technically it is not difficult, and now for me it is one of the main factors. In general this summit was in my plan for a smooth ascent to 8,000. Next on the plan is Lenin Peak (7,134 m) in July 2017, and then if everything works out – Manaslu (8,156 m).
Here is a diary report of the Aconcagua climb in January 2017.
I’m used to going to distant countries for a long time. The ticket is expensive, so I don’t want to rush back and forth. So this time I went to South America for a month and a half. First we had a very interesting trekking tour in Patagonia, you can read a review about it here. And after the trekking we said goodbye to the group and flew with Roma to Mendoza.
At home we had no time to read the information and prepare the climbing of Aconcagua, hoping to do everything on the spot. To begin with we went to the local company Aconcagua Mountain Guides and ordered mules for transportation. A pleasant bonus of the mules was the help in registration of permissions, the possibility to use the company toilet in the base camp, a place for a tent, a cabin-room (if it was free), transfers to the place, tea with cookies, and just any help. Truly a service that is more expensive to refuse. Although one mule costs $240 for the day.
We went to the marked points on the map to pay and arrange the permissions. Well, congratulations! The paperwork went very quickly and smoothly, all that was left was to rent gear and buy groceries. But it’s siesta time and everything is closed. Let’s go rest, and we.
Closer to the evening got out to the nearest store for rent. They had completely idiotic rates – not per day, but for 1, 3, 7 and 20 days. We need it for 10 days, so we end up renting it for 20. The stuff is good, but expensive. Boots, sleeping bag, cats and uppers cost me 300 bucks. That’s a bitch. Good thing we don’t need a deposit, since we work through AMG.
We go grocery shopping. There is no rationing, we buy everything in the supermarket by eye and with a small reserve. As it turned out later, we ate only 20-30 percent of what we bought.
At last everything is ready, we pack heavy backpacks (we got 80 kg load for two people) and go to sleep.
In the morning, we take the bus to Puente del Inca – here we have to hand over the baulks to be transported by mules. The mule carries only 60 kg, so we have to take some of the load on ourselves. Inca is a small town (142 people) with an interesting attraction called “Bridge of the Incas” – a scaling of natural origin across the river Mendoza. Local craftsmen are not confused – they put bottles, sneakers and other things into the springs, wait until they are covered by the scaling, which happens very quickly, and sell them as souvenirs.
It was not until that evening, in a small and cozy hostel, that we sat down to write out a plan for the climb by day. We had enough days before going home, but we wanted to climb faster. The baseline was that a month and a half before Aconcagua I had been to Mera Peak (6,461m) and Island Peak (6,189m) and Roma to Chimborazo (6,384m). The only difference is that in Nepal I spent several months at high altitudes and Roma in Ecuador for only a few days. I think it was this factor that played a crucial role in the future.
And so, we got our hopes up for residual acclimatization and put together an optimistic plan. We had a Himalayan style plan. We had shuttle-carried our gear from one camp to another, going up the mountain step by step. The ascent was planned for day 6, after entering the park:
Day 1 – hike to Camp Plaza de Mulas (4,350 m), with no stop at Confluence
Day 2 – first tent and high altitude gear drop to Camp Canada (5,050 m), descend to the base for the overnight stay
Day 3 – dropping high altitude gear and the second tent to Camp Nido de Condores (5 550 m), overnight in Canada
Day 4 – dropping first tent and gear to Camp Berlin (6000 m), overnight in Nido de Condores.
Day 5 – trek to Berlin, walk a little bit higher, overnight in Berlin
Day 6 – ascending Aconcagua, descending to the base camp with all stuff.
Day 7 – trekking from the base camp to the gate, check out. Overnight in the hostel in the village.
And there were 8 more days to reserve in case of bad weather.
As you can see, the optimal plan looked very optimistic, but we believed we could do it.
Further reports on the days, as it was in reality.
It was a hard day, we left the park gate at about 9 a.m. and arrived at base camp by 6 p.m. We walked quickly, with only three short stops. It was good that our backpacks were light. Our AMG representatives met us in the camp, gave us our luggage, gave us tea and a tent for resting. They gave us a tent to rest in. Today we had over 25 km with a climb of 1400 meters. Yes, at the entrance we had signed a paper, that we did not need normal acclimatization and we took all risks in case of evacuation. Both of us felt great..
After the stressful day yesterday we decided to sleep in, the more so that today should be relatively easy. At 11 am we started the expedition with our laden backpacks, a big pile of food, a tent and all the high altitude gear. The ascent took about 2.5 hours, 700 m elevation gain along a good serpentine. Half an hour to set up camp in Canada (5050) and some rest. I was going down very fast – half an hour and I was in the camp. Condition was very bad, I lay down.
In the evening we go to the medical center for a mandatory check-up. The doctor looks at it and says everything is fine. At night the neighbors had an incredibly noisy party in honor of someone’s birthday. I try not to hate them and develop humility. Didn’t get much sleep as a result.
We pack up our base camp and head for Canada. It was much easier than yesterday. We quickly arrive, pack our backpacks, rest and leave for Nido de Condores. We began to suspect that we took too much food stuff.
Above 5000 it is harder to climb. The last 200 m of the set I sink into my thoughts. They fly by unnoticed. And meters and thoughts. During the hundreds of hours of walking you can think about everything many times. And forget everything.
Nido de Condores is located at an altitude of 5550-5600 and it is windy. We set up our tent, well secured with rocks. I didn’t bring gloves and my fingers start to freeze. But setting up the camp was completed, we could drop down. It took me about 25 minutes to get to Canada, it was much warmer here. We have coped with today’s task for 8 hours, fatigue is not felt at all. Great mood and feeling. Very beautiful sunset.
The night that everything did not go according to plan. Roma got mountain sickness very quickly, so in the morning we called off the camp and went down instead of up. We descend slowly, for a long time. It becomes lighter in the camp. We discuss possible scenarios of events and our plans. We spend most of the day lying down. I have to confess, I am glad to go down. In Canada I did not sleep at all. This is the state of mind, when at altitude you are dozing off, and your brain is actively thinking something and does not let you fall asleep.
I almost finished reading “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Marquez – how long since I haven’t read fiction that is not about the mountains!
Day 4 – Plan Failed
In the morning Roma is not much better, he decides to go down to the bottom, go to Mendoza and wait for me there. I’m going to Kondores today, tomorrow to Berlin, and the day after tomorrow to the summit. And so it was settled.
I climbed quickly to Condores, feeling great – a good night at the base camp told me.
From nothing to do I start to write down vidosikas about the ascent. I go for a walk up 200 m, and in the evening I talk to the Argentinean guide. He says I shouldn’t bring my stuff to Berlin, and if I feel good, I’d better climb to the summit from here. Well, I had that thought in my head too, but I thought it was too daring. And if the local guide says so, it’s okay – he knows what to do. His group leaves tomorrow at 4 am, I plan to go somewhere nearby.
I pack my things for the climb and go to bed.
I feel calm in the soul, but I can’t sleep anyway. What the hell my brain is thinking about. I am shivering but at least I am not freezing. At 3.00 I heard the gathering of the next group. At 3.15 I got up myself and started to boil water. At 3.30 the group of the neighbors leaves, the guide asks how I am and what plans I have. I tell him, that I will be out by 4.00.
I come out. It seemed warm outside and I decided not to put on my fourth pants. I put on relatively easy clothes (as for such a height) and put warm clothes in my backpack. I found out that there was no light fleece gloves, I must have forgotten them in the base camp. Will go only in tops. This is not very comfortable, so often I just go without gloves – my hands are not actually freezing. And after 40 minutes I’m completely steaming and stop to change. I take off some thermal pants, a fleece, change the Nepalese hat for a warm buff, and double thermal socks for single ones. There! Much easier now.
In 1.20 I’m already in Berlin, another 10 minutes later in Kohler. Here I catch up with the group of my neighbors, we have a few words and wish me good luck. I go ahead – there are tens of torches, because the main part of the ascent goes exactly from Kohler.
With each hundred meters it becomes harder and harder to climb. After 6500 the relief becomes difficult, I had to climb over disgusting scree. I set the goal at 5-10 m from me and went to it. Each time I tried to make a few more steps. My eyes began to swim, the air was running out and my head was pounding. So it’s time to pause. 30-90 seconds to recover and again, to a new goal. So, step by step I overtake all the groups and single climbers.
It was getting noticeably colder after sunrise – the ascent went through the shadowy side. But I was lucky enough to see a very cool phenomenon – the shadow of Aconcagua. I knew that Teide had it, but I did not know about Aco. It was the first time I saw it in person, very beautiful.
There are moments when the mountain seems to be endless. But you look at the map, and there’s still just over 500 meters to go, which means less than 100 small crossings. We have to keep moving.
I got to the top at 10:40, which is very early. The summit was empty, just me and the mountains around me. Cool feeling. Enjoying the solitude and the scenery. Then I use my backpack and trekking poles to make a tripod and take a picture.
Forty minutes pass, the first movement appears on the trail, somewhere far below. I decide not to wait for anyone (it’s another hour and a half), and go down.
I put on my crampons and start descending. Hard firn continually alternates with hummocks, stones which get entangled in the teeth of the crampons. A couple of times I hardly managed to keep my balance. After that I decided to take off the crampons and descend without them, it was really much easier.
The descent is difficult, I have to stop to rest. I come to Nido de Condores completely exhausted, but at 13:30. I plan to get two hours of sleep, set the alarm and go to bed. But there is no sleep, I just lie there for an hour. Then I start to move, boil some tea. It dries very strongly, so I drink a lot of water. Gradually I come to my senses and start to gather the camp. I have to take my stuff downstairs for two people, it’s a lot, I can’t cram everything into my backpack. With great difficulty I hook it to the side of the harness. I carried 34 kilos of cargo (without foodstuff) with the rucksack and 1200 m more dropping. After climbing. At last in Condores I put 5 chocolate bars under the tent of Argentinean guide and 10 kilos of food under the tent of the Russian team.
The descent proved to be easier than I thought, probably during the vacation I recovered a little, and the height is lower. In 1.40 minutes I arrived at the base camp. The time on the clock was 18.40, I went out at 4:00, so I had almost 15 hours to do everything.
I have a rest, settle the formalities with the mules for tomorrow, drink beer and eat a semblance of pelmeni.
With a small backpack it was easy and quick to go down. Almost at the exit of the park I meet a group of friends, led by Sergey Bershov. Very nice meeting, we talk and say goodbye, each of us has his own way. I’m a little jealous of the guys, all the beauty and challenges of the mountain they have yet to face.
What can we say after the ascent? I liked it. I liked the mountain, I liked the Andes around and I liked the people on the mountain. During the whole climb I was absolutely calm inside, I had no worries, I never had thoughts that I can’t climb. And the mountain reciprocated my feelings. The ascent went relatively easily, quickly and safely. The weather was the best it could be.
As for the ascent schedule it turned out to be bearable for me because of the effect of a long stay at altitude in the Himalayas.
Roma safely descended to Mendoza, where I caught up with him a day later. Now we eat a lot of meat, fruit and drink wine by the bottle).
Aconcagua, thank you for the beauty, for the challenge of yourself, for the good people! See you soon!