Archive for the ‘aconcagua’ Category

Carry to Camp 1

Friday, December 24th, 2010

Hey all– Happy Holidays to you all.  Jason Sissel here and I am back to post on behalf of Erik and his team.  According to their itinerary, today the team did a carry to Camp 1.

I will start off by saying, when I climbed Aconcagua earlier this year, this was my least favorite day on the mountain.  It was quite challenging, mostly due to the winds.  Some very harsh crosswinds upwards of 60mph knocked me over a few times and we really had to earn every step forward.  Also, when things get calm and a random wind starts blowing or the wind abruptly changes direction it can catch you off guard!  Having a large, 55lb pack on your back is almost like a sail that can catch the wind.

Moreover, the terrain gets a fair bit steeper than anything experienced on the trek into Plaza Argentina.  However, about the last quarter- to half-mile before arriving at the camp begins the daunting work.  There lies a very steep scree slope (loose rock) that you must negotiate for a few hundred meters.  My first time up, I generally netted one step forward for every two that I attempted to take.  To put it mildly, it can get quite frustrating.  Fortunately, the next day I figured out how to step so I didn’t sink into the rock as much and I could walk faster.  (I didn’t really give Erik much of a heads-up about this part of the day insofar as I didn’t want to spoil the fun for them!)  The only silver linings here are the spectacular views and that you are walking parallel to a fascinating field of penitentes, or glacial stalagmites.  The whole trip should take somewhere around 3hrs to go up, and about an hour to go back down.

You might be saying, “wait, all that work and you’re going back down?  Is that right?”  Yes, there is a motto in the mountaineering world that says, “climb high, sleep low.”  That is the essence of a carry.  It not only gives climbers a chance for their bodies to acclimatize to the higher altitudes for a brief period of time, but it also is imperative for them to move up food and supplies that will be needed for the rest of the climb.

Once they drop off the gear, they probably will take a well-deserved break and then head back down to the camp from which they started the day–in this case, base camp.  Tomorrow morning they will wake up, have Christmas breakfast, break down their tents, pack up and then repeat what they did today and move the camp to Camp 1.

This process of having a rest day, doing a carry, and then moving will be repeated one more time to Camp 2.  I will be back in a few days to tell you about what the climb from Camp 1 to Camp 2 will be like for them.

Happy Holidays to you all!

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Base Camp Rest Day: What Happens Here?

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

Hello, Jason Sissel here to provide you with some insight on Erik’s climb of Aconcagua.  According to the team’s itinerary for today, they should be enjoying a rest day at the Plaza Argentina base camp.

So what goes into a rest day and why is it important?  For starters, the body undergoes numerous changes at higher elevation in order to increase oxygen delivery to cells and improve efficiency of oxygen use. These adaptations begin almost immediately and continue to occur for several weeks. People vary in their ability to acclimatize–some adjust quickly while others may fail to acclimatize altogether, even with gradual exposure over a period of weeks.  Taking this one step farther, even an individual themself may vary in his or her ability to acclimatize relative to previous experiences at altitude.  It really is one of the true “x-factors” in mountaineering.  Failure to properly acclimatize (which includes climbing slow, rest days at camps, hydrating well, eating high-carb foods, and acclimatization hikes) can obviously lead to altitude sickness to varying degrees.

So how does acclimatization work?  In general, the body becomes approximately 80 percent acclimatized after 10 days at altitude and approximately 95 percent acclimatized by six weeks. The respiratory rate peaks in about one week and then slowly decreases over the next few months, although it tends to remain higher than its normal rate at sea level. After 10 days, the heart rate starts to decrease.  The reverse is true on the decent: we begin losing the hard-won adaptations at approximately the same rate at which we gained them; 10 days after returning to sea level, we have lost 80 percent of our adaptations.

This rest day, as mentioned, will give the team a chance for the body to acclimatize to the higher altitude.  It also will allow them to reload their equipment and supplies that they will need to carry up to and use at the higher camps, and also become more informed about the conditions at higher altitudes.

As you might imagine, this doesn’t take much time so you really find yourself sitting around, journal, read, eat, drink lots of water, ponder your life (you would be surprised how many people make life changes after being on a mountain!), and bonding with your team to name a few.  Some people may talk to climbers on other teams, though I personally have avoided doing this simply to reduce my chances of possibly catching a sickness from somebody else.  If they are feeling overly ambitious, they may go out for an easy hike around the camp just to keep the blood flowing.

Tomorrow I will be back to provide a little color on what the team’s carry to Camp 1 entails and why it is another vital contribution to the success of the climb.

On behalf of Wanderlust, have a great day.  ~Jason Sissel

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Aconcagua: Day 2

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

We complete the approach to Base Camp as we follow 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.

Notes from Jason Sissel: When I climbed Aconcagua earlier this year, our team did the approach to Plaza Argentina in 3 days.  I didn’t realize until now that Erik’s team was doing the approach to base camp in two days.  That said, today will surely be a long day–I would estimate at least 10-12hrs give or take, depending on fatigue and weather conditions.  The winds in the valley can often be very strong and despite the terrain not being too difficult, the headwinds can surely wear you down!   The second half of their day as they move from Casa Piedra (the normal second camp on the approach) to Plaza Argentina is quite serene, to say the least.  They will cross a cold river and move up through the narrow Relinchos Valley where the team will catch their first glipses of Aconcagua and its beautiful neighbor, Ameghino.  This was my favorite part of the approach on our climb.

If their experience is similar to mine and most clmbers, the excitement level starts elevating greatly here, and even more so as you roll into Plaza Argentina.  Getting to base camp is the first goal accomplished on the climb.  They will be greeted by a staff who will cook real meals (not the dehydrated mountain food or peanut butter sandwiches!

However great the sense of accomplishment experienced in getting to base camp, the team must be sure to put it behind them.  Base Camp is where the climb and hard work really begins!  They will need to get a good day of rest tomorrow, regroup, research weather conditions higher up, and focus on reaching their next goal–a carry to Camp 1

The winds easily could and likely will get a bit stronger, the terrain much more demanding than the approach, and the mules will not transport gear and supplies.  As such, each team member will be carrying loads likely between 40-50lbs from this point all the way to high camp and back down to base camp after their summit bid(s).

Tomorrow is a rest day for the team, but I will be back online to blog a little about why this day of rest is important and what a “carry” to the next camp entails and its functional importance.

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Aconcagua: The Climb Begins

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Today we begin the 3-day, 40-mile trek to Base Camp at Plaza Argentina. We will make our way into the heart of the Andes as we ascend the gentle, winding trail of the Vacas Valley.  The hike is not particularly difficult, but the valley can often experience high winds accompanied by dust storms which could make it challenging and make us a bit dirty.  Team members carry 20 to 25 pounds in their packs while mules carry the remaining personal and group gear all the way to Plaza Argentina, which serves as base camp on the Vaca Valley approach. We continue towards Base Camp as the Vacas Valley opens up and the surrounding mountains grow taller. Our first night’s camp is at Casa de Piedra (10,550′).

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Final Prep

Monday, December 20th, 2010

Just bought fuel and maps. Lots of good climbing shops here, but they are pricey.

Word from other climbers is that the glacier is completely impassable. Looks like we´ll be taking the traverse up – which means we may or may not be taking our technical climbing gear onto the mountain. We might bring it along just to practice with during downtime.

Carly is getting Jeremy from the airport. Once Nina gets in, we´re off!

ciao.

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Hello From Chile

Sunday, December 19th, 2010

Made it to Santiago – so far, so good. The flight was uneventful, and with the help of some Ambian and my mp3 player I was even able to drown out the lady from Jersey sitting next to me talking about her cruise and get some sleep.

After arriving, I got into the VIP club at the airport, so I´m eating fresh fruit, drinking a rasberry mimosa, and just got moved to an earlier flight into Mendoza. Here´s hoping the rest of the trip goes as well as this leg! Carly sent a note confirming she made it to Mendoza, so as long as travel with Jeremy and Nina goes well, we’ll be in great shape for an early start Tuesday morning.

I also finished reading Dharma Bums on the plane – a great book. Now starting on a book Dad gave me called Havana Nocturne. So far, so good.

I’ll be pretty busy in Mendoza, so I may or may not have time to send an update from an internet cafe before we start the hike and climb.

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Special Guest Blogger for Aconcagua

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

I have already described how to follow us online, but that will only be a spot on a map. Luckily – a close friend has volunteered to add some color commentary along the way.

Jason Sissel will be guest-blogging for me while we’re gone. Jay is an Ultraman, an Ironman, and a fellow Seven Summits aspirant in addition to the founder of Endure to Cure – my charity partner on these endeavors. Jason has been a source of advice, counsel, and inspiration as I have been looking to push my limits, and runs the aptly named No Limit blog. He has also been as high as Camp 2 on Aconcagua – so he knows what he’s talking about. He’ll be posting my trip itinerary as we move, and hopefully adding some of his thoughts and color commentary as well. Feel free to ask him any questions in the comments – and be sure to check out all the other cool stuff that other Endure to Cure athletes are doing to raise money to fight pediatric cancer.

I’ll try to get a some additional posts before we embark, but know that I am leaving you all in good hands!

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Google Earth view of the Trek

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

So, I was this close to leaving for the gym, when I stumbled upon this. If you use google maps v6+, you can literally fly through our route up the mountain (pretty close anyway), as well as overlay it with topo maps and real photos that people have taken. Seriously, I could sit and play with this forever.

It’s going to be much cooler to actually experience it, but this is pretty awesome in its own right.

Anyway, download the latest version of Google Earth, and then download this file. Open the kmz file with Google Earth, and you’ll see the route, camping locations, etc. It’s incredible.

Now, I’m off for the the gym. For real this time.

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Aconcagua Google Earth Video

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Although a little glitchy, this video is pretty cool in that it shows our trip, exactly. It follow the hike through the Vacas Valley, to Base Camp, and then up to the Summit. It’s pretty cool to have a visual video after everything I have been reading.

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Aconcagua – Pack Lists, Itinerary, etc.

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

For anyone who is interested, those of us on the Aconcagua expedition are working from a Google Doc for lots of the particulars. These include things like our itinerary which has two versions – an aggressive and a conservative version. We expect to fall somewhere in the middle. I also have pretty much all my gear packed, and have a detailed list of everything that has gone into each bag. I like to do this a few days before I leave, which gives my mind time to think of all those little things I might otherwise forget.

The success of trips like this in no small part hinges on the coordination of a plethora of logistical issues. You need to be prepared for things you don’t plan for, but doing the comprehensive planning up front can make a huge difference in whether you succeed or fail.

If you’re interested to see some of what goes into a trip like this, I have shared the google doc here. There are tabs at the top for the itineraries, packing list, and GPS waypoints. Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts!

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