Post 5: Camp 1 Canada 16,000ft

We make it to camp 1 Canada today and after reading my last few posts I thought I would add this especially once the effects of the high altitude take over I will sound like a crazy person.  

I was very negative about the cold and wind,my aches and pains, I know what I am getting into and love every minute of the trip.  I sounded like I was complaining too much and not sharing the beauty of what is around me.

The push to the summit comes in 3 high camps and a long summit push day, these high altitude peaks come with more pain and more beauty than anyone could ever imagine.  Hope didn't paint a bad picture since my next 5 days are without Comunications and haven't been able to post many pictures showing the good.

We are expecting a storm while acclimatization and walk to camp 2 and 3 will bring a few inches of new snow.  The temps are getting colder as we go up but they also are much better than last few weeks.  Camp is clearing many frustrateed teams defending from high camps beat up less than 1 in 10 are making it to the top many falling short of camp 3.  Most driven by bad timing with weather on the summit push they have to make the decision to rest, restock and make another attempt or start their 20 mile walk out. My tent is by the com tent and I hear it all.

We also give up our dome tent and meals together with rest of the team.  The next few days we stay in 2 man tents and when we get out we start walking when we stop we go back to our tents to get ready for tomorrow, cook our dehydrated meals, and get ahead of the cold night.  We don't start until 10 am except summit day that starts at 3am.  My tent is the envy of all.  We have solar panels and a IPad with all seasons of Dexter and Fargo loaded. 

I am now with pencil and paper write my notes for this blog.  The talk around the dome is about everything science, politics, religion but mostly about the mountain.  Other than the g outchos maybe? I am the least educated of the group executives, engineers, 3 surgeons If I need bones set, lung transplant, or a boob job I have the team. 

Post 4: Posting from Plaza de Mules

Post for from plaza de mules
Yesterday was our first Cary climb to camp 1 Canada at 16000 ft and then a descent back.  We had a beautiful  day with light wind. We made it up and left equipment for high camp by 3pm.  Today we are doing glacier training since we will have snow and ice most of the way and will be using crampons and Ice axes.  The biggest thing is to be able to self arrest if you fall on the glacier the area called the traverse is at 22k and very ice you have 3 seconds to arrest your slide or you take a long ride over the south face.

I feel ok woke to sore back from sleeping on the ground.  Getting better with the clothes and managing my temp in the sleeping bag.  The secret is to get everything organized and in your bag before temperatures drop and keep a hot thermos in the bag to warm it and keep my phone and camera from freezing.  Temp below freezing for the rest of the trip and your in your tent from 9pm till 9am.

In sleeping my bag before sunset this was the day I hurt my knee last year and I am trying not to compare days.  Edu and Max say I am stronger than last year but I was blowing pretty hard at 16k.  We have 2 windows for the summit both very cold and the wind subsides on the 21st and 24th with bad storms before both windows. Worst thing would get stuck in high camp waiting out the storm that is expected between the Windows.  We will be either walking up or down in the storms but not exposed on summit. I am going to have to carry most of my gear so will be slow with large back and high winds.

I may not be able to post until 5 or 6 days.  We have pictures and updates on www.summitclimb.com and go too news and look at Aconcaugua.  You may hear about summit success on that before this post.  It has been a bad season yesterday was the first good window and several people made it.  Camp is crowded due to people waiting for a window.  My tent is close to the Communications tent so I hear people calling home with the news.  Best one was a group from Nashville that just made it to camp 2 before giving up the summit for a week of dove hunting.

Post 3: Plaza de Mulas 14000ft

Rest day after the 2nd hardest day of the climb.  Few wake with headache and everyone has to go to a med checkup before we leave my blood ox was 96, which is better than last years with 2 much harder days than I expected. Chris is sick with a stomach thing and barely makes it to next camp. He hasn't eaten anything for 2 days and takes 10 hours to get to next camp with a 14mile 4000 ft climb.  He is a very strong climber and should be ok.  We dodge mules along the trail. Winds strong with the temperature not too cold.  I got ran over by a stray mule on the way but luckily didn't get hurt.

I am now writing from PDM plaza de Mulas during our rest day.  Listening to descending climbers we got bad news weather was bad, temps were cold, and there was a lot of snow.  We still have 5 days till our push weather forecasts are too far out too be accurate.

Tomorrow is a carry day to our first high camp. We pack half our gear and descend to PDM.  I will have one more day of rest here at base camp and then go dark till I return in 5 days.  I have a satellite phone and will try to give a short update from high camps.

My tent is the one by the black bag. It got ran over yesterday as I dodged a mule, the bag wasn't quite as lucky.

Post 2: Pentintes to Confluenca

Today is a 6 mile walk I stayed in Mendoza last night and had a 4 hour ride this morning to get here.  Roi made it in and was good to see him.  We missed the mule train so we will have to pack a load to the first camp 6 miles and 1500 ft of elevation change.  Max said they would help split up the load my total weight is 75 lbs.  New summit suit and boots added some weight to last year.  Forecast looks bad extremely high winds and cold.  I rode from the airport with a guy from Denmark back for his second attempt missing his thumb from his first try.  We have several days of acclimatizing and we only need one to make it up and down. I have had a few training climbs with my new gear but haven't had it cold enough sweated my but off.  I don't think that will be the case when we get to our high camps.

Met the team and to my surprise Heidi and Christian that climbed Elburs are on this expedition.  We also have another old American named Joe from Texas, Igor and Marta from Poland, Alex and Tatchiana from Brazil, Carol from Germany, Austria, Chris from Australia, and mt tent mate Roi from Israel. There will be more English spoken this year.  Max has been on a 9 country climbing spree sanctioned by the national geographic society after this he will be on a lecture tour.  He is very thin and lost a lot of weight.  Edu and George are back we have a big group and I am sure there's more help.

We made it uneventful with it being sunny and warm. We cross the Horcones river on a bridge made for the Brad Pitt movie 7 years in Tebet that part was filmed here.

I was a little worried that going from 2 to 10k would hurt. Coming straight to the mountain without the extra night at 8000 ft is a big jump.  We had a climatic action climb from conflencia to the south face, a 3000 ft up and abut 10 mile round trip.  I took the light day pack and for the next 2 days I will just use it.  The rest of my gear meets me in 2 days at Plaza de Mulas. We had 50mph wind and cold in the 30s maybe.  Had dull headache from the quick change. We are sleeping in a hut with 8 will be warm, but noisy, and sleep will be hard.

Post 1: Flight from Atlanta to Santiago

Aconcagua 2016

    

24 hours flying plus 4 hours by van and I will be on this frozen rock again Aconcagua the highest peak in America and second highest of the seven summits. My tent mate and climbing partner last year from Israel, Roi called me and said we have unfinished business and would like to give Aconcagua another try.  I don't have any friends that enjoy the punishment these high peaks bring so after getting it blessed by wife and looking at work window I said yes.  

I have been accepted to climb Everest in April and have been training in preparation.  I climbed a glacier in Russia, Elbrus the highest peak in Europe, Kilimanjaro the highest peak in Africa and a few 14ers in Colorado. I get better every mountain I climb but I also get older and physical ability lessens.  I have been feeling the aches and pains my knees, back, feet and I enjoy every second of it. I have a long way to go before I stand on Everest and this will be a good test to see if my skills and conditioning are staying ahead of my tired old ass. 

I still am asking myself "Why" I have more answers than last year and every mountain gives me more reasons. I also for the first time will be climbing for a cause "Les wrestles MS". My college wrestling teammate. Fraternity brother, CMSU alum was diagnosed with MS a few years ago and a group of friends have reunited to help, the past year we have seen him push back the effects of MS in his words "without drugs but with a bike and friends"we created a fund raiser that raised over 40,000 dollars for the wrestling program and MS society, rode several trips on the Katy trail, and rekindled old friendships and even changed some people's lives.  I am climbing these mountains everyone thinks is hard but it is easy compared to the mountain Les and people with MS have to climb every day . Every time I start listening to the pain or the cold I think to myself how blessed I am to be able to do this and how people with MS will trade me spots any day.  So I will have a link to a fund raising sight and asking for donations.

Roi and me watching his IPad that has every episode of Breaking Bad