December 19, 3:30 pm MST - Final Dispatch

After 12 days with no showers everyone is happy to be down and in Penitentes. All are feeling well and ready to head home. The original itinerary had 3 days built in for possible summit days to allow for weather complications. They did summit on the first day so there will be some waiting back in Mendoza. Everyone will be back with family for Christmas.

 

December 17, 1:00 pm MST – Back at Berlin

Gavin is safely back to Berlin. He made it down in great time.

Now for the summit story - When Stephen decided to descend Gavin was totally on his own. There was a team ahead of him and a team behind him. He overtook the team ahead of him at the Canaleta. He made first tracks through the Canaleta and was the first person on the summit today. He would have waited for the team behind him to summit so he could get some photos but he estimates they were an hour behind him. The camera would not power up on the summit so he had to change the batteries. Note to self, check the batteries before leaving for the summit. There was snow the whole way up and he wore his crampons (outdoor footwear that are made from spikes and are worn on boots to provide traction on snow and ice) the entire way. The snow on the very top had been blown off but otherwise there was snow all the way. There was one section that if he fell he would have fallen a very long way. At this point he did get his ice ax out for safety.

It is quite a scramble coming off the summit. He said his legs were tired and rubbery getting off the top. He was keen to get back down and stayed focused. He did not stop on the way down.

Ferdinando (hired guide) said to Gavin when he pulled into Berlin, "You Old Man, but You Strong Old Man". Gavin turned 50 in November. As Gavin’s wife, I am very proud of his accomplishments today and the team’s accomplishments. It has been very exciting, and a privilege, to follow this journey. Each team member, family and friend has been apart of this journey. I thank you all for your support and excitement for the 2009 Aconcagua Summit Xperience Team.

Dispatches will continue until the team is off the mountain and in Mendoza.

 

December 17, 9:55 am MST, 1:55 pm
Argentinean Time – Summit

Gavin has reached the summit of Mt Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America, 22,841 ft/6,962 m. This is the fourth of the Seven Summits (tallest peaks on each continent) for Gavin.

He was on his own on the summit so he took a picture of his backpack with the Summit Xperience banner attached and one of himself. He was excited but wished his teammates were with him. He used the radio to call back to Berlin to speak with Stephen, Bonnie and Melanie and also radioed Nick at Plaza de Mulas.

Now comes the descent. This could possibly take up to 8 hours as descending is no easier than ascending. He is half way through with his summit day.

Here is a link to a youtube.com video taken from the summit. We do not know the people on the video but it gives you an idea of the wind and the view. Keep in mind Gavin had the summit to himself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNZF7EOyv2o&feature=related

Picture - Summit and Sunrise on Summit Day

 

December 17, 7:45 am MST - La Canaleta

Gavin has traversed the West Face and is at "La Canaleta", a 1,000 ft/305 m couloir at 21,450 ft/6,538 m which leads to the summit ridge. Gavin is expecting to be at the summit in approximately 2 hours.

Stephen is safely back at Berlin.

 

December 17, 6:30 am – One Left

Stephen has decided to turn around. He turned a little ways past Independencia 20,790 ft / 6,337 m. He is descending with one of the hired guides named Ferdinando. Stephen is doing fine but he said he is done. He still has about 3 or so hours to go to get back down to Berlin.

Gavin is on his own now. He said he is feeling strong. There is an expedition team ahead of him and behind him. The other teams are aware that he is on the mountain solo at this point. Gavin is looking to summit within the next 4 hours. He said he was about an hour from the Canaleta and then it should take him about 2 hours from there to the summit. It was hard to hear him over the satellite phone because of the wind. He did sound good and strong and ready to keep moving.

 

December 17, 5:30 am – The Team Splits

Melanie and Bonnie have turned back and are descending to Berlin. They made it to a camp called White Rock that is over 20,000 ft/6,000 m. Melanie could not keep warm. The wind is very fierce this morning and she was being buffeted back constantly. She was concerned because she was losing feeling in her feet and they were about an hour out of Berlin with many, many more hours to go. Bonnie was feeling okay with warmth but suffering from being very breathless. She made the decision at White Rock to also turn around. Bonnie and Melanie descended together and have checked in to say they are safe and back in the tent warming up at Berlin.

Gavin and Stephen are feeling strong and if they keep moving are doing fine with the cold. The morning sky is crystal clear with no cloud. The wind is relentless but the two are moving forward confidently. They just passed a point called Independencia 20,790 ft/6,337 m. The next section is called "El Paso del Viento" (meaning the Pass of the Wind), where often there is a strong wind even on calm days. This pass is entirely in the shadow at this time of the day and it is critical to move with efficiency through this section to avoid frostbite, and in the worse scenario, to abort the summit attempt due to severe cold.

The next point reached is called "La Canaleta", at 21,450 ft/6,538 m. This can be the crux of the entire climb depending on conditions. It is covered with hard pack snow today and snow in the Canaleta is ideal. Pacing becomes difficult due to altitude and some loose scree and boulders underfoot making upward progress frustrating and challenging. After the Canaleta they will reach the Summit Ridge, just 300 ft/90 m from the Summit. This last section takes normally about 1 hour. From the Summit Ridge you can look down the spectacular South Face of Aconcagua that they looked up to on their day hike out of Penitentes to Plaza Francia on December 8th. Then to the summit for a little celebration and photos.

Often times on summit day the decent is harder than the ascent. The body is tired and a bit unsteady and gravity is pulling you down. The summit is only half the challenge on Summit Day.

Pictures - View from Berlin, Map of Normal Rout - White Rock is just below the tag that says Normal Rout.

 

December 17, 2:30 am MST – Leaving Berlin

Gavin, Melanie, Bonnie and Stephen have left Berlin. It is 6:30 am in Argentina. They have been delayed leaving by one hour due to the winds picking up considerably over night. They wanted to wait until the sun came up to maybe get some warmth. It is extremely cold.

 

December 16, 9:05 pm MST - Clarification

Clarification needs to be made on the last dispatch. The team can only stay at Berlin and rest for the 12 or so hours before summiting. It is too high to stay and rest for a couple of days before pushing for the summit. The summit attempt should take about 18 hours round trip from Berlin. They will not have the time or energy to descend any further than Berlin in daylight so they will hold again at Berlin before descending to Plaza de Mulas on Thursday morning.

 

December 16, 1:00 MST – Berlin

Gavin, Melanie, Stephen and Bonnie have made it to Berlin 19,360 ft/5,900 m from Nido. They are resting now and will leave for the summit at 5:30 am Wednesday morning. Nick has descended back to Plaza de Mulas. He has a mystery bug that he has not been able to shake over the last two days. His energy has been depleted and he made the decision this morning not to continue onto Berlin. He is descending with another team and being well looked after should he need medical attention. The rest of the team are feeling the effects of the altitude, breathlessness mainly, but feeling confident for the summit push tomorrow.

Summit day is a very long day. They will gain 3,484 ft/1,062 m in elevation from Berlin to the summit. The gain is double what they have done each day leading up to this point. They are so high now they can not stay and rest at Berlin without risking illness from altitude.

The weather still looks good for Wednesday. No snow is forecasted for the entire week but the winds are the concern. Right now the winds are forecasted to be relatively low through Wednesday. To give you an idea of the temperatures the high for Wednesday is 1° F /-17° C and the low is –8° F/-22° C with the wind-chill around –20° F/-29° C.

Please check back regularly as any updates that come in will be posted immediately.

 

December 15, 5:30 pm MST – Berlin

The team had a good rest day today. They are all feeling better after yesterday’s hike up to Nido de Condores. There were some issues with the satellite phone charging properly so most of the day was a blackout with communication. The entire team will be pushing to the final camp tomorrow, Tuesday, and then onto the summit Wednesday.

Berlin, 19,360 ft/5,900 m, is the last camp before the summit. That is an elevation gain of 1,640 ft/500 m from Nido de Condores. They will leave for Berlin around noon on Tuesday and hold there until about 3:00 am on Wednesday when they will start their summit push.

The weather window is looking the best for Wednesday. All indications show the wind dies down on Wednesday. Aconcagua is known for the wind and the wind makes everything so much colder.

As stated above, the entire team will be pushing to Berlin. All are feeling good and have successfully acclimatized to this point.

 

December 14, 4:30 MST – Nido de Condores
(Condor’s Nest)

The team hiked up to Nido de Condores from Camp Canada today. It was not just a load carry; they went with the intention of staying for a couple of days. It was a hard day with very heavy packs. The team is feeling the affects of the altitude but all are fine. Today's altitude gain was 1,640 ft/500 m. Putting them at 17,720 ft/ 5,400 m. The trail was well defined and the terrain was gentle scree. The main challenges were the altitude and carrying heavy packs.

Once they arrived into camp the chore of melting snow began with everyone taking their turn. Proper hydration after a strenuous hike is a crucial element to recovering quickly. It is hard to get up and boil water when is all you want to do is lie down, get warm and sleep. The wind seems to be never ending. It is not blowing too hard but it is constantly there. The wind is known for being wearing and it also brings the temperature down considerably. The last few nights sleep have been very broken for everyone because of the wind. The tents rattle and shake and make for a very noisy sleeping environment. Add all the noise from the wind to lying on top of a relatively thin piece of mat on top of hard ground. Not ideal sleeping conditions. To help stay warm overnight each person boils and fills one of their big water bottles and puts it in the sleeping bag with them. Not only is it used for warmth, but also it will not freeze over night so they can carry on hydrating throughout the night.

Monday will be spent resting, hydrating and acclimatizing. Tuesday the plan is to carry a load to Camp Berlin 19360 ft/5900 m.

Picture - Nido de Condores. Notice tents towards the low right of the picture.
Nido as the sun is going down.

 

December 13, 11:30 MST – Acclimatizing

The team hiked up about 1,000 vertical ft/305 m towards the next camp, Nido de Condores 17,720 ft/5,400 m. That was a bit over half the distance to the next camp. This was an acclimatization hike. The rest of the day was spent resting and continually taking turns melting snow. They have to melt snow for drinking and cooking. Water is too heavy to carry so they melt enough to keep hydrated and for next day’s hike. The chore of melting snow takes a lot energy at this altitude. That is why they take turns. Everything is harder at 16,080 ft/4,900 m. The weather was nice today but still a bit windy and chilly. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to the next step to Nido de Condores tomorrow.

 

December 12, 2:30 pm MST – Camp Canada

Everyone arrived safely and in good time at Camp Canada 16,080 ft/4,900 m today. The weather was partly cloudy with some wind.

Tomorrow is a rest day at Camp Canada. The team will spend the time acclimatizing and melting snow for drinking and cooking water.

On Sunday they will carry a load to up to Nido de Condores at 17,720 ft/5,400 m.

 

December 11, 2:30 MST – Successful Carry

The carry to Camp Canada 16,080 ft/4,900 m was a success today. The weather started to come in as the team was descending back to Plaza de Mulas. They were safely back at camp before it started to snow. The weather forecast shows the snow will move out by tomorrow afternoon. The team will move up to Camp Canada tomorrow and spend the night there.

The penitentes at Plaza de Mulas. Penitentes are snow formations found at high altitudes. They are shaped like tall thin blades of hardened snow or ice closely spaced with the blades oriented towards the general direction of the sun. They can be as tall as a person.

Two maps from www.geody.com showing the location of Plaza de Mulas.

 

December 10 - 5:30 MST - "All Clear"

The team was given the all clear today by the Argentinean medical group. Each person planning on moving up the mountain, beyond Plaza de Mulas, is required to have a medical check. Blood oxygen saturation, lungs and blood pressure are checked.

The wind died down today and was an added bonus to the rest day. Hydrating and packing to move up the mountain tomorrow was the focus. They leave in the morning to take a load of gear to Camp Canada, 16,080 ft/4,900 m and will return to Plaza de Mulas to sleep. That is an altitude gain of 1,969 ft/600 m. The trail terrain is gentle scree and is clearly defined, zigzagging towards the Camp. The hard part is dealing with the altitude and carrying very heavy packs.

One note about yesterday’s trek to Plaza de Mulas - it included three river crossings. The first two were approximately ankle deep. Everyone removed their socks and boots and was able to cross comfortably. The third was deeper and trickier to get across. The water was extremely cold, as it was snowmelt coming off the mountain.

 

December 9, 5:45 MST - Plaza de Mulas

Everyone made it today to Plaza de Mulas. It took them 9 hours to trek the 14 miles up the valley. There was a relentless headwind the entire way. Tomorrow will be spent at Plaza de Mulas, 14,110 ft/4,300 m to acclimatize and rest.

 

December 8, 2:30 pm MST – The South Wall

Today the team trekked to Plaza Francia to view the South Wall. The weather has been good so far with plenty of sun. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to moving up the mountain tomorrow to Plaza de Mulas. Plaza de Mulas will be the base camp for the expedition.

Tuesday morning will begin with a walk across "Playa Ancha" (meaning wide beach) while slowly gaining altitude up the Horcones Superior Valley. It is a deserted and always windy valley. The trek ends with a long, steep and rugged slope to Plaza de Mulas, 14,110 ft/4,300 m. By the end of the day they will have walked 14 mi/22.5 km with an altitude gain of 3,280 ft/1,000 m. This day is an important acclimatization day due to the major gain in altitude.

Pictures – South Wall and trail to Plaza Fancia.

 

December 7, 6:00 pm MST – Acclimatization Begins

Today the team went from Penitentes to Confluencia, elevation of 3,500 m/11,480 ft. An elevation gain of approximately 500 m/1640 ft.

Today's hike followed an undulating track across some small scree slopes and a small river crossing. Two nights will be spent at Confluencia for acclimatization. Tomorrow, Monday, they will take a hike up the valley to see the magnificent 2700 m/8,858 ft high South Face.

Picture - First look at Aconcagua - Bonnie, Nick, Melanie, Stephen, Gavin

 

December 6, 2008, 4:45 MST - Penitentes

Friday was spent getting the permit to climb and renting gear like tents and stoves. They also shopped for some last minute food. Nothing is automated so there was a lot of back and forth from one agency to another and back again to get the permit.

Today the team traveled by bus for approximately three hours, 175 km/108 mi, from Mendoza to Penitentes. They are staying at the Penitentes Mountain Inn. Penitentes is a ski resort at the base of Mt. Aconcagua and very near the trailhead. The team begins hiking tomorrow on their way to Confluencia.

Everyone is doing great and ready to start up the mountain first thing in the morning.

Pictures – loading bus to Penitentes. Near Penitentes.

 

December 04, 2008, 6:30 pm MST - Team United

The team of five are now together and recovering from the long journey to Argentina. Once settled in at the hotel they went for lunch and some shopping. They also had some gear to pick up from the local outfitter. Tomorrow they will get their permits and pack for the mountain.
Picture - Melanie, Nick, Stephen, Gavin, Bonnie

 

December 04, 2008, 7:30 am MST - Mendoza, Argentina

All of the team, and luggage, have arrived safely in Mendoza, Argentina. This picture was taken in the Santiago, Chile airport during a short layover this morning on the way to Mendoza. Gavin, Nick, Melanie and Bonnie traveled together from Denver. Stephen traveled on his own from Sydney.

 

December 03, 2008 - Breathtakingly Awesome!

The past couple of weeks have definitely been exciting with all the last minute preparations (last minute gear, last minute supplies, Abby arrangements, etc.) that are going into this trip. There aren't too many times you can go into a store (REI) and walk out with an 8"x18" sack that is about half full of supplies and have a $200 bill to show for it (I asked the clerk at the register if it was a 'fill the sack full for $50' day - he laughed at me, not laughing with me, and continued to ring me up). The past three to four months have been filled with weekend trips hiking Colorado's 14ers, a memorable trip to Mt. Hood in Oregon, and many early mornings at the neighborhood gym to prepare. This will be an experience of a lifetime and I can't wait to get on the plane in a couple of days.

For anyone out there who would like to ask the question, "why would anybody want to spend their vacation living out of a tent for fourteen days in the cold, wind, and snow at over 14,000 feet above sea level?", I will tell you this, "Find a tall mountain, climb that mountain, and when you have climbed that mountain and you reach the top you will understand what it feels like to stand at the top of world - Breathtakingly Awesome!"

See you at the Summit and Happy Holidays!

Nick Lauters

 

December 01, 2008 - Meeting Mickey

I can't believe today is Dec. 1 and we leave in less than 48 hours for this amazing adventure. I have been dreaming about this trip for a year and a half, the day Bonnie, Gavin, the rest of our team, and I summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. Climbing a high-altitude mountain was such a challenging, but rewarding experience, I couldn't wait to take the next step and try something harder and Mt. Aconcagua seemed like the perfect choice--another one of the seven summits AND as everyone knows, there is great wine in Argentina!

As if trying to get ready for a 3-week trip, preparing for Christmas and working on projects at work isn't enough to do, I decided a few months ago I needed to plan a family trip and the only time that worked with our schedules was the week of Thanksgiving. My family (Kent, Sierra 12, Chase 9 and Dane 5) and I flew to Southern California for a week visiting Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World and La Jolla and Pacific beaches. We had a great time riding every ride at the three them parks, eating way too much food and relaxing in the sun by the hotel pool. As I laid in the sun reading a book a few days ago I realized what a contrast I would have in a week--likely piling on layers of down to try to keep warm.

As with any big event, I wish I would have found time to train more (other than sampling Malbecs and Tempranillos) and especially wish I had broke in those clunky, double-plastic boots better. I spent most of this summer and fall focused on training for the Chicago Marathon but was able to climb eight mountains. I am now up to 32 of the 54 Colorado 14ers, after a successful trip to Lake City to climb Red Cloud and Sunshine with Bonnie, Gavin and Nick. Chase and Kent joined us the second day to climb Handies Peak. It was Chase's second 14er and Kent's first. The two most exciting mountain climbs this year were Mt. Rainier in July and Mt. Hood the end of October. Nick flew to Portland to join our group to climb Mt. Hood. My friend Jason (who also climbed Mt. Rainier) led Nick and I to a successful summit of Mt. Hood but as every climber knows, when you are when you are on top, you are only half way there and unfortunately going down wasn't quite as smooth. After Nick had a very short, fall and was able to self arrest, I too slipped. I tried an unsuccessful self-arrest and my ice axe ripped out of my hand. I slid, tumbled and somersaulted about 600 feet down the glacier until the slope became less steep and I was finally able to dig in my crampons and self arrest. We are not sure which one of us was traumatized most--me or Nick who saw me fall and heard my screams. Luckily I wasn't hurt and it turned out to be a great learning experience. While Bonnie will never forget her sleeping bag again, I will be sleeping with my ice axe and dreaming of the perfectly executed self arrest.

If you are reading this, you are likely one of my friends, family members, co-workers or clients who has helped make this trip possible for me. Thank you to everyone for covering for me the next three weeks, for letting me borrow gear, all the goodie packages, and especially all the encouragement and good luck hugs!

Atrévase a soñar en grande (Dare to dream big),

Mel

 

Nov 28, 2008 - Saying Goodbye to Sydney

It is all appearing quite real now as I am only a few days away from departing Sydney for Mendoza. Training has been reasonably consistent except for some running down time due to an ITB injury, but this presented a good opportunity for some extra cross training on the bike. It seems the more I read on Aconcagua, the less certain I am of what to expect, but certainly recognize the altitude as the major risk to a successful summit for me and the rest of our team. The below photograph is taken from where I live in Sydney and obviously training at sea level is less than the ideal preparation for altitude acclimatization. Nevertheless, it will be a great place to return home to on Christmas morning, reunited with Judith and our six wonderful children.

What seemed like ages away is now just around the corner and these last few days will fly by as I wrap up loose ends at work, finish some Christmas shopping, secure those last few items for the trip and so on. And then, the focus will be on moving forward and on achieving something few people ever have the opportunity to attempt.

Stephen

 

Nov 26, 2008 - Bonnie's last couple of weeks

The last two weeks have just been a rush! A quick trip to Grand Junction to see my parents, last minute details to wrap up for work and home, family members and friends to see, and pies to bake for Thanksgiving. Do I have everything I need for the trip? How am I going to carry all that stuff! And, final training excursions. One great idea, sleep on a fourteener to get used to sleeping at altitude. Last Saturday Nick and I each carried 40 lbs up Grays peak to practice carrying a load. After summiting, Nick wisely went back because he had to study and write papers for school that night. It was cold and windy, but I was very excited to spend the night up there and the plan was to sleep in my new toasty sleeping bag and then pack up the next morning, climb Torries peak, and hike out. It was silent and very tranquil as I watched an awesome sunset from the summit. As I set up my bivey and inflated my down air mattress, I watched the lights of Denver light up the sky. I went to my pack to get my sleeping bag and....no bag! Needless to say, I packed everything back up, put my head lamp on and headed down the mountain in the dark. Lesson learned: Make a check-off list, like pilots do and never ever forget that sleeping bag!