Ac – Rest day

Heard from Sean last night – everyone is well and in good spirits.  Today is a rest day at Base Camp (Plaza de Mulas) before they ‘load carry’ up to Camp Nido des Condores (the condor’s nest) at 5200m tomorrrow and then make a rapid descent back to Base Camp by tomorrow evening.  They will carry tents and food in their backpacks for caching (storing) at Camp Nido.  In the early stages of the climb, the plan is to move up and down the mountain a few times fairly slowly, while gradually stocking the two higher camps with food and equipment in preparation for the summit bid, at the same time allowing their bodies to acclimatise to the thin air.   This up-and-down process is about climbing high, dropping their loads and sleeping low.

Sean mentioned that there’s a virus going round the camp site so everyone’s doing their best not to catch it – washing their hands regularly etc.  Bad weather is also predicted over the next  few days which means the team will hopefully be in and out of Nido pronto!

Excerpt from ‘Freeze Frame’ –  Sean’s 2002 Aconcagua Expedition – ‘…the trip is a 21-day excursion.  A fortnight of that time would be spent actually climbing on the mountain.  This is roughly how long it takes to acclimatise before you attempt the 16-hour crack at the summit from the high camp.  The enormour size of the mountain and its proximity to both the coast and the equator has a strong influence on its weather….’

The neighbourhood

View from Base Camp

Base Camp

Base Camp