I returned from Mendoza, Argentina a few days ago. I had flown there in early/mid February in order to climb Aconcagua, a 22,800+ ft peak. Aconcagua is the highest mountain in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres. It is the tallest peak outside of the Himalayas.
Parque San Martin
Streets - Mendoza
I had wanted to climb the mountain since I was about 13 years old and had read an article about three climbers who had summited in the 70's (before tragedy befell them). That article had likely been my first ever read about mountaineering. And I was captivated by it.
Fast forward 40 years, and I found myself in Mendoza, Argentina, one of the loveliest little cities I have experienced. February is the middle of summer south of the equator. The temperatures were almost perfect 70's (F) throughout my stay. The streets were all broad, tree-lined avenues with ever-changing sidewalk patterns and designs. Like Paris and New York, every random block offered something to see or do. The town is bustling, vibrant, and yet also pretty laid-back. It's focal point outside of its main district is a park called Parque General San Martin. The park is one of the largest of its kind I have ever encountered. It felt as if it would give Central and Golden Gate Parks a run for their money size-wise. There were some lovely manicured portions near a long lake. But the portions I liked best were allowed to grow a bit wild. Creating a ceiling for the wavy green carpet was a canopy of beautiful leafy branches (these from a good variety of trees).
While I spent several days in Mendoza at the conclusion of my climbing trip, I only had 48 hours in the town before we left for the mountain. The time was mainly spent getting our gear in final order for the climb.
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| Cemetery - Penitentes |
We left the city and took a bus several hours through the countryside and mountains until we arrived at a small mountain village/ski resort called, Penitentes. It was just above the town that we stopped the bus and got our first glimpse of Aconcagua from the side of the highway. Before heading back to our (very) spare rooms at the village's hotel, we stopped by the Aconcagua climber's cemetery. The little cemetery was sobering (very much along the lines of cemeteries that appear near mountains like Everest). We also knew a Russian climber had been killed on this mountain a week before our arrival. And, while it would not dampen our spirits, the cluster of graves likely would remain in the back of our minds for the duration of the trip.
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| hotel pénitentes |
The next morning we were up relatively early (unlike other mountaineering trips, nothing in Argentina happened particularly early in the AM). We drove to a place called Punta de Vacas, put on our packs and took a 9 mile hike to our first camp on the way to basecamp for the Polish Glacier Route. This camp and the one that followed were both rudimentary places along a river. We pitched our tents, had dinner, and then went to sleep. The highlight of the hike to the second camp were several sightings of llama-like packs of animals called guanacos. These beautiful animals, along with fox, and massive jack rabbits can be found from trail head all the way through to basecamp (and slightly above).
Punta De Vacas
On the third day of hiking, we finally arrived at the basecamp at a place called Plaza Argentina. We spent the next couple of days acclimatizing (the camp is slightly lower than 14,000ft), getting final gear in order for moving up the mountain, and being checked/approved by the camp doctor for ascent any higher up the mountain.
After the first doctor checks, a few members of our team (a relatively experienced team for what we were attempting) were flagged for further review. After day 2 at basecamp, the first member of our team to drop was airlifted to a hospital for AMS-like symptoms.
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| Basecamp - Plaza Argentina |
The next several days were spent carrying gear from basecamp up to the higher 3 camps. Usually a load would be carried to the next camp up. We would then descend and spend the night at the lower camp before repeating the process and moving higher. While we experienced incredible weather throughout our trip, the temperatures were still quite cold. A hot water bottle stuck in the foot of a sleeping bag was not something you wanted to forget to do before retiring for the night. There was also a lot of wind on a couple of occasions - once while we were climbing, and once overnight (the constant whipping of the tent made sleep impossible).
The night before we arrived at camp 3, we lost another member who was escorted off to the safety of the other basecamp, Plaza De Mulas, (this is the basecamp used for teams ascending by the normal route) where we would meet with him in several days.
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| Pool within a glacier |
While he was in some difficulty, he was not having a medical emergency, so he was able to remain part of the team. But sadly, he would not be around for the summit bid.
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| Among the penitentes on the mountain |
The summit day arrived a day early. Weather, which had been so kind to us for most of the trip, was now closing in. The decision as made to take a summit shot a day early in order to avoid snow, wind, and clouds. The team would have one less day of acclimatization, but would have a better chance at making the summit due to the forecast.
We awoke between 3:30 and 4 in the AM. The temperature outside was single digits (F). We had a cold breakfast, geared up, and headed up the mountain with lights on around 5:30 AM. We had about 3,000ft to ascend over 1.8 mi - a journey that would take up to 8 hours in one direction. We started up the mountain. It was steep, but no more so than it had been over the past several days. The main difference was the cold. I had 4 layers on my legs, 4 on my torso, double boots, double guide gloves with gore-tex mitten covers, and I was still cold. My fingers kept going numb. I constantly shook my hands in order to keep the blood circulating. Unlike previous days, we carried very little weight. I had a couple of liters of water, some rain gear, and electronics. Everything else was left at high camp (camp 3) at just under 20,000ft. We hoped to return in many hours with a summit realized.
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| Ice formations on the glacier |
Just after the first stop of the day, another member called it a day. He had been atop Kilimanjaro and Elbrus. He had made it higher than he had gone before, but lack of sleep on summit night coupled with the altitude caused him to turn around while he felt able. Shortly afterward, at our second stop, one more of our team dropped out citing dizziness/light-headedness. While both of these were disappointing developments, they were the correct decisions to be made under the circumstances.
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| Paul Coughlin Camp 3 |
We had lost the two team members in a section that zig zagged through the upper reaches of the mountain. The next sections we faced were the traverse and the Canaletto. The traverse came just as the sun started to rise. It was cold, with somewhat more exposure than I had expected on the climb. It was tedious, but we made it across. The Canaletto was the final, intensely taxing portion of the climb. We started it after a short break. The altitude made speed almost impossible. The route itself was a bit sketchy due to the looseness of rocks and boulders. There seemed to be a very real danger of a person above you triggering a slide or a rock fall that could come down when you were below.
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| South Wall taken from Summit |
It is strange to be in a section like the Canaletto on Aconcagua. You are so near the summit, you can actually see it. It is several hundred meters away, then only a couple of hundred meters, and ultimately only 100 or so. But it takes forever to get there. You can only take a step every few seconds or you are completely out of breath. If it had not been for my teammates, I likely would have turned around with less than 100m to go. It was incredibly hard and I felt I was close to not having enough in the tank for a return to high camp - getting down always needs to figure into calculations. But, with some encouraging, I was able to struggle to the summit.
I was the oldest team member to make it to the top of Aconcagua. There were 3 of us on the trip who were 54, one who was 59, and another in his early 60's. I don't know why I was the only one over 50 to make the summit, but I was. I pondered that for a bit at the top. At least for now I've decided that Aconcagua will be my last 20,000ft+ summit, at least for a while. There are great smaller mountains with beautiful and exciting climbing opportunities. The time and effort needed to continue to climb the biggest mountains in the world may now simply be too much to bear at my age.
Aconcagua is a mountain unlike others I've climbed. It is colder, more austere, steeper (in some instances), higher, and a bit more dangerous (mainly due to rockfall - which seems to be caused by global warming). I normally come off of mountains raring to do more. Aconcagua changed that for me. The fun factor, present in most mountains, was missing from Aconcagua. It was beautiful and challenging, but I would describe very little of the climb as fun. It was mostly a bit of a struggle in a cold, inhospitable environment. Every moment on the approach to, and on the mountain itself, is spent coated in a fine dust. You are filthy from nose to toes (and inside your nose and ears as well). Your clothes, hats, shoes, and sleeping bag all carry the same dirt. If you take a shower at a basecamp, you will be back with a fine powdery dirt skin-covering within 24 hours.
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| Hiking 15 miles out with a sprained ankle - beautiful hike, though painful |
I had always wanted to climb Aconcagua and now it is done. But would I recommend it as a climb for other people? My honest answer is probably not. I would leave it for people who are driven to climb the seven summits. I'd do something easier that would take a bit less time and effort - Mera Peak, maybe. Or perhaps something else in the Annapurna region. There are beautiful mountains that don't require the pound of flesh that Aconcagua demands. Our team was tremendously lucky due to weather. We got 60% of the team to the summit - about twice the average. And even with the luck, I would still describe the climb as the hardest I have ever faced.
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| Estancia |
Ian Taylor Trekking was fantastic - Ian was along as was his top Sherpa from Nepal, Ang Kami, who was there simply as a climber. Aconcagua Mountain Guides did a tremendous job with logistics, safety, and food. I cannot think of a single negative thing to say about ITT or AMG - both organizations gave us the safest possible experience we could have on the mountain.
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| Wild horses on the estancia |
Our final days (and there were quite a few since we had summited early) were spent back in wonderful Mendoza and in the nearby wine region. I rode horseback through the countryside under Mt. Plata and an active volcano. Wine was consumed, massages were obtained, and injuries addressed (including a sprained ankle I got sliding into Plaza de Mulas on my way down the mountain). The region is truly lovely and worthy of a prolonged visit.
