All good at Camp 1. Team One rested and discussed the next few days of climbing. Tomorrow they head up to the Camp 2 they established yesterday at 18k’.
Rob called and said the weather was getting a little cloudy. Rob described the people that passed their team today. As we all know, Dad loves a visit with a stranger now and again. He sounds positive and says he’s looking forward to the next day.
Day 12: Rest and acclimatization at Camp 1. We rest in camp for the day as we prepare for higher altitudes.* Friday, December 14th, 2012
Rob just left two messages from Camp 1. Today they stashed gear up at Camp 2 (18k’). He said the climb was quite steep. He said they had to navigate through more skree and penitentes (see the image below). And then they went up to 18,5k’ to sneak a peek at Camp 3. Tomorrow is a rest day, then they’ll move up to Camp 2. It was below freezing last night and constantly windy. And even though his camelbak froze, he seems cheerful!
The last few seconds of this is lost to sat phone distortion.
here is a picture of some random dude walking thru penitentes… they are kinda like upside down glacier-cycles…
Day 11: Carry to Camp 2 (Guanacos Camp at 18,000’). Today we get our first view to the north across the expansive scree fields above the Guanacos Valley. The snow covered peaks of the central Andes spread out in the distance.* Thursday, December 13th, 2012
The team (aka “Team One”) settled at their new digs at Camp 1 (16.8k’) today. The climb begins!
Ryan and Rob banter during a recorded conversation this afternoon.
Rob describes a pretty difficult skree climb today that took alot of energy. Though the interview runs long, it seems cut short by a toilet bag that blows away in the wind up the mountain.
Ryan: “Are you happy?” Rob: “Well I dunno if “happy” is the word. We’re doing well. We’re moving along.”
Rob describes the grub and identifies the rest of “Team One”: JJ and Geoff (the guides), Peter (seattle who did elbrus with dad), Mike (seattle originally from houston), another Robert (sacramento), Spencer (recent college graduate), and Tim (canada).
Guide JJ Justman also audio blogged today from Camp 1, and his sat phone cuts out just as much as Rob’s. Sometimes it takes a guide to find happiness. It turns out Team One is happy because there’s a sit-down toilet near where they are camping!
Day 10: Move to Camp 1. We leave Base Camp and climb back to Camp 1 with our remaining gear.* Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Rob just left a very windy dispatch. It clears up after the first 45 seconds. Big wind!
If you’re extra-curious, here’s a random youtube video from 2010 of an american giving a quick tour of the “tent city” at Plaza Argentina.
Day 9: Rest and acclimatization at Base Camp. We continue to build upon our acclimatization today with a hike outside of camp. We rest in the afternoon and make the final preparations for our move to Camp 1.* Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
Rob just left another voicemail. He says that today’s 4.5 hour climb up to Camp 1 was “a heckuva climb”. Very windy with lots of scree and rain. He says everyone’s feeling well. They rest tonight and tomorrow.
He says, “I know I sound like a broken record but our Aconcagua team is both rocking and rolling! Today we woke up early and laced up our mountaineering boots. With hefty packs in hand we slowly made our way up to Camp 1 at 16,360 feet…officially.
For Geoff and I today gave us an opportunity to visibly see how each climber is doing. And it was obvious that everyone has climbed before. And climbed well. The team was in sync with breaks, rest stepping, good footwork and most importantly everyone was having fun.
We spent a half an hour at Camp 1 and we left quite a bit of gear that we will need for the upper mountain. So we are now officially ready to move up the mountain. But first we will take another rest day here at base camp. There’s no need to rush. The tortoise always wins the race.”
Day 8: Carry to Camp 1 (16,200’). Our trek ends and the climb begins with our first carry of the expedition. We climb to Camp 1, caching a portion of our supplies and equipment. We descend to Base Camp to sleep.* Monday, December 10th, 2012
Rob says things are going good. The team met with doctors to get their bio-stats and everyone passed with flying colors. Tomorrow they travel up to 16.2′ to set up their cache for camp 1. He says everyone’s getting along. Its windy, clear, and chilly (not chile, har!). Dad-humor intact!
So here’s something kind of amazing… the website Aconcagua Now has a live webcam at Plaza Argentina (Base Camp) so you can see the whole day in three minute increments if you go to their “history pictures” section. So here’s 221 images from today’s live feed at base camp (click the image)! And if you spot Rob, leave a comment with the timecode that’s posted in the top right of the photo.
Day 7: Rest and acclimatization at Base Camp. We relax and adjust to the new altitudes while we focus on packing and organizing our gear for the mountain.* Sunday, December 9th, 2012
After three days of hiking, Rob is happy and healthy at the base camp (aka Plaza Argentina). He says one of the highlights of the day was crossing an ice cold river on a mule for $5.
Day 6: We complete the approach to Base Camp by following the Relinchos Valley to Plaza Argentina. Base Camp (13,800′) is on a glacial moraine overlooking the river valleys of our approach. We unpack our climbing gear carried by the mules and establish camp. * Saturday, December 8th, 2012
Rob checked in this evening… he says the sun is out and the sky is clear, it’s just very windy. Oh, and he reports that they are eating well!
Day 5: We continue towards Base Camp as the Vacas Valley opens up and the surrounding mountains grow taller. We are greeted by impressive views of the Eastern Face of Aconcagua as we reach our second night’s camp at Casa de Piedra (10,550′).* Friday, December 7th, 2012
here’s a youtube video of mules racing towards casa de piedra where the team is camping tonight…
here’s a nice view of the summit in the distance in another sweet random youtube video…
A very windy phone dispatch from today’s camping spot. Rob says, “I’m feeling fine and looking forward to another day tomorrow!”
Day 4: We begin the approach to Base Camp at Plaza Argentina. We make our way into the heart of the Andes as we ascend the gentle, winding trail of the Vacas Valley. Team members carry 20 to 25 pounds in their packs; mules carry the remaining personal and group gear. Our first camp is at Pampa de Las Leñas (9,000′).* Thursday, December 6th, 2012
