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