31st – Down

Today we left El Salto and descended all the way back down to the hut at 2700m. During the night a couple of rock slides had been heard in the distance. When getting up in the morning it was quite windy which was impractical when trying to get our tents under control, but it also meant that the sky was clear which meant we had an unobscured view of where we had been going yesterday. We packed up and left the campsite and after only 2 hours we were back at the hut where we had half an hour of doing nothing (apart from having a coke from the hostel and wifi’ing) before the bus arrived and picked us up.

We drive a couple of hours through a mountainous landscape before arriving at the restaurant where we were to have lunch. Beef de Chorizo was ordered. Take a look at your open hand (male, above average size), add 6-8cm of thickness and you are getting close to the size of the steaks arriving on our plates. For lunch, even. I almost felt bad about eating it all. But only almost.

An hour’s drive later we arrived at the hotel and checked in. It felt great having a shower for the first time in 8 days. Dinner was at 2030 and our guides informed us that because most people lose their appetite at higher altitude you need to eat as much as possible when further down, so despite our sizeable lunch we also had a full dinner with dessert. Our guides told us to do so!

Tomorrow we will be heading to camp Confluencia at 3409m. Our sleeping bags and pads have been handed over as they will be transported by mule to the camp. Our large bags will be packed with what we need from base camp and up, so these will be handed over tomorrow and brought by mule directly to base camp. This means that we the next two days (the walk to Confluencia and the walk from there to base camp) we will only have to carry a small bag with what we need for the one night by ourselves.

The next couple of days will be relatively easy; tomorrow a short walk of 3-4 hours and the day after will be flat a long bit before ascending – and while the distance will be 17-18km the limited time we are ascending combined with the small bags the days aren’t expected to be too hard despite the potentially long second day.

The view in the morning. Things could have been worse.

Pleasant weather on the way down.

STEAK! 

30th – Calle Vallecitos (5461m)

We were woken up at 0500 and breakfast was distributed half an hour later (after the guides got our plates last night). At 0600 we were more or less ready to go with a few surprises. First of all there wasn’t a single cloud; we had an amazing view of the stars and the Milkyway. If it had been a “normal” night I would have tried to get some shots of the view. The other surprise was despite the strong cold winds the guides informed us that the temperature apparently was higher than usually experienced. So we were to see the summit under optimal conditions according to them.

Off we went, and soon we reached a small camp 400m above ours where we had our first short rest. Despite the winds it didn’t feel too cold walking – it was actually almost comfortable, considering the current conditions. After having continued for a while after the break the wind started dying down and it was getting light. We had a few other minor breaks before we reached a small plateau which also brought us out into the sun. With almost no wind at this point and the sun getting a hold the weather I started seriously considering using our next break getting rid of some of my 5 layers. The plateau led us upwards towards the col at app. 5100m which was the start of the ridge we would follow the rest of the way up to the summit which we from now on would have a direct view of. We also had the first clear view of Aconcagua in the distance. The first thing I thought when seeing it was “holy crap that’s a huge rock”, intensified by the fact that it is much taller than the surrounding mountains. When nearing the col I began feeling a drain in energy and the walk became more and more labored. I also knew the reason for this, though; the lack of appetite prevented me from drinking and eating enough despite knowing how important that is in these situations. I was hoping that when reaching the col it would change when getting rid of some of my layers, but reaching the edge we got hammered by the constant winds coming in from the other side. There was no question I had to keep on my layers and even had to put on my large mittens to avoid freezing my fingers.

Slowly but steady we walked towards the summit along a path that from a distance looked like it was clinging to the side of the ridge trying to not fall off. I ended up moving slower than most of the others and fall back with a guide and another group member at a slower and more pleasant pace.

Reaching the end of the path you face a block of rock app. 10-15m tall. One of the guides climbed up with a rope and one by one we were secured in said rope and climbed up to the summit of Cerro Vallecitos, reaching 5461m. The view was amazing, but holding on for my dear life (it felt like that, anyway) I didn’t get to take any good photos even though a 360 would have been nice. I did manage to have the guide take a shot of me, though.

The way down was obviously much easier. When reaching the col we had a break just when getting out of the wind. An eagle had apparently learnt that that exact point was a popular spot to stop and have something to eat as it was standing around and waiting for scraps. It wasn’t very shy, either, as sandwich meat dropped from an arm’s length was also grabbed and enjoyed.

We arrived back in camp at around 1430, 8,5 hours after departure. The walk to the summit had taken us app. 5,5 hours which was the fastest the guides had ever managed to bring a group of tourists to the summit. Suddenly I don’t feel so bad about being exhausted and being slow. The normal time is apparently 7 hours. Ascending from 4288m to 5461m only having acclimatized to the starting point in only 5,5 hours is not a bad feat at all.

Tomorrow we will break down camp and descend all the way to the Vallecitos hut where we started this leg of the tour. Here we will be picked up and driven to a hotel where we will spend the night before continuing to Confluencia camp at 3409m, the first step in the ascent of Aconcagua. The hotel is at 700-800m so it will be amazingly relaxing and breathable.

We will also visit a restaurant on the way to the hotel. One of the guides described it as being a very nice place, but one of the others had to correct him, saying that the place wasn’t that good but their steaks were very good. That’s good enough for me.

Bo climbed Cerro Plata, almost 6000m on the way down from Cerro Vallecitos. When reaching Vallecitos he quickly climbed up and down the rock, and almost ran down along the ridge to the col before making a turn towards the other summit. He arrived back at camp a couple of hours after us after successfully taking his second summit of the day. The extra 900m ascent from the col had clearly worn him, but he was obviously very happy about it, rightly so.

A couple of hours after departure, looking towards where we came from.

Looking up towards the ridge from the small plateau. We are coming up on the left side (after having gone almost in a straight line towards the ridge we made a sharp turn up to the left that brought us to the plateau).

Nearing the ridge. We followed the ridge on the other side within a couple of meters from the edge all the way to the top. Aconcagua can be seen to the left in the distance.

A view from the rock on the top. 

Thanks to Preben (I hope I remember that correctly!) for taking the shot.

The eagle waiting for the tourists.

29th – Moving to El Salto

We started the day a bit earlier than usual as the morning also included packing up the camp. When waking up it seemed very dark when lying in the tent, but it wasn’t due to the sun not having risen but rather due to dense mist and rain. Thinking it was impossible the mist was actually even denser than it was yesterday and adding the rain into the equation it all felt quite miserable. But the guides came by the tents and collected our plates, and soon after we had breakfast in bed! Great service.

Slowly but steady the rain decreased in intensity and the camp equally slowly came alive, we packed our bags and tents, and we were soon ready to leave the location. The mist didn’t change character but as we ascended towards El Salto it eased up a bit.

Arriving at El Salto the weather was better than we had been warned it would be; only a breeze and despite the mist conditions were comfortable. Tents were pitched and we quickly fell into the usual routine; relaxation and doing as little as possible. Bo & Preben took a walk further up to have a look, but they were the exception. Even the guides were kicking back. Everyone seem to be mentally preparing for the summit attempt tomorrow of Cerro Vallecitos. It shouldn’t be a big problem compared to what I have been doing in the past, but a climb of 1200m from camp to summit still manages to get on one’s nerves – even if the summit isn’t the final conclusion of the trip but rather a warm-up.

As the evening progressed the mist got once again denser to the point where it felt like a gentle constant rain. This meant that anything not inside a closed tent (or in a waterproof bag) would get moist. It was almost like being back in the Amazon; the difference being the humidity was cold here as opposed the Amazon’s heat. We hadn’t been prepared for this so inside our tent all surfaces have a thin layer of moisture.

I found out a small quirk with my new camera, or rather; a small quick with the combination of my new camera and my polarized sunglasses. Holding the camera horizontally there are no problems, but vertically the screen gets extremely dark. Scared me quite a lot the first time I experienced it but I calmed down – though quite annoyed – when I found the cause. 

We were greeted in the morning by low clouds.

Pablo relaxing in El Salto.

Dina relaxing the best way she knows - by knitting.

28th – Visiting El Salto

With the same morning schedule as yesterday we left at 0830 with some low hanging clouds and mist. We had two guides with us and one of them was planned to stay at El Salto for tomorrow to keep an eye on the stuff we chose to bring with us. This is the camp from where we will be climbing Cerro Vallecitos in a couple of days. Bringing equipment to the camp before we actually move camps will make the move easier as we won’t be carrying the entire load at once – but coming down we will still have everything at once. Everyone seems to have brought their big boots and crampons with them, and some have brought some extra things like their down jackets and the like.

The walk up went fine; a gentle ascent until the last part which steepened quite horrifically. Arriving at the camp we managed to get a clear view of the summit for a couple of minutes before the clouds obscured the view for the remaining of our stay at the camp.

On the way back to camp the clouds got denser and dropped though they never gave us any rain. This meant that when returning to camp we had a visibility of less than 50 meters and we almost ended up standing in the camp before realizing we had arrived.

The rest of the day was spent like the rest with relaxation. The mist never really disappeared so the remainder of the day we had visibility of around 50m – sometimes less, sometimes more. The “more” part was limited, though, and when it happened it didn’t last long.

Tomorrow we will move camp to El Salto where we will be spending the next two nights. We will arrive there noon/early afternoon, and the following night at around 0500-0600 we will start our summit attempt of Cerro Vallecitos of 5461m.

On the way up to El Salto, looking back down you could see a thick layer of clouds.

El Salto - a slightly different kind of camp. The flat part straight ahead is the ridge we have to reach on the way to Calle Vallecitos.

Coming back down to the camp... It was a bit misty.

Spot the horse.

27th – Acclimatization

Breakfast at 0730 and departure at 0830 we started our ascent of Cerro Adolfo Calle, a small summit of 4270m with the purpose of preparing us for the altitude of the next camp and as a bonus bagging ourselves a summit.

Most of the ascent consisted of walking on scree, gravel and often loose rocks. There was a part where we arrive at a high valley when the walking was comfortable, but that was only for a limited time. The last part of the climb we abandoned our poles and scrambled to the summit. The ascent took app. 3 hours, something our guides seemed satisfied with.

As things had been going so well on the way down we took a small extra summit of app. 4100m. It was a lot of rocks and scrambling and on the way down gravel and scree. Coming back to the camp it was easy to feel the day’s exercise.

The rest of the day was spent on relaxing.

Tomorrow we will be going to the next camp, El Salto, bringing equipment we will be needing there but not necessarily here (i.e. large boots, crampons) and returning to this camp. Not all are feeling 100% so this walk is voluntary; you will be allowed to stay at the camp if you don’t feel up to the walk. I don’t expect to have any issues – a slight headache in the afternoon after returning from the walk but nothing that can’t be handled by drinking a bit of extra water.

The weather was amazing in the morning.

And looking down towards the camp on the way to Cerro Adolfo Calle the air was still clear.

Standing on the summit, though... Clouds with holes here and there where you could get a glimpse of the surrounding terrain.

26th – First camp

The day started the same as yesterday; breakfast at 0830 and departure at 1000. The similarities ended there, though. This is the first day of a 6 day camping trip so we had to bring everything we would need these days, including our double boots as recommended by our guides. A bag with sleeping bag, down jacket and boots get large and heavy fast, and you still need some extra clothes and various other equipment.

We were soon off and the plan was to ascend to the camp Vega Superior at 3448m. When staring the walk we had an almost clear sky and despite clouds occasionally rolling by it stayed dry until arrival, app. 3 hours after departure. On the way up we got a brief glimpse of a guanaco, a cousin to the better known llama, an animal commonly seen in these areas.

Upon arrival we set up tents and generally just relaxed. We had a pretty massive shower at one point with both rain and hail; I was worried that this would be an indication of what we would be getting the next couple of days, but after a couple of hours it passed. After this the weather switched between calm warm weather or cloudy and cool or misty and even cooler (and slightly clammy). But at least we had very limited precipitation after this.

The tents are very small; two people can just fit inside, but getting room for two large bags with equipment is a struggle. We spent quite a lot of time figuring out how to store them in the most effective way in the equally small vestibule.

Dinner yesterday was great; the grilled meat, apart from beef, included sausages and a bit of chicken (after our semi-vegetarian had had her share) with wine. That was not expected as alcohol is usually impractical when you have to perform on these trips, but we’re in Argentina and when in Rome do as the Romans. Today, at camp, we had burgers with grilled cheese and potato mash (or rather “”potato” mash”). No wine, though.

Despite the constantly changing weather there has been almost no wind in camp at all which has been a nice surprise. While it did starting cooling down when the sun disappeared behind the surrounding mountains at around 2000 not many layers were necessary.

Tomorrow we will be climbing Cerro Adolfo Calle at 4270m for another acclimatization trek. We can see the top and parts of the climb from camp, and it looks as if it will be a quite steep trek. Estimated 6 hours in total up and down.

The weather at arrival at the camp site.

As soon as the tents had been pitched the clouds came in...

... and soon after you couldn't see much at all. (notice the horribly small opening in the tent).

Snacks like this was a daily treat in the afternoon when arriving/coming back in camp.

25th – Loma Blanca

Today was an acclimatization day where we would spend 5 hours climbing the nearby 3664m high summit Loma Blanca. This would be a walk that brought us 900m above the hut, a decent acclimatization.

We left the hut at 1000 and with a gentle and steady pace we quickly ate us up through the altitude meters. We had a great view – or rather; we would have had a great view if we hadn't been walking through clouds giving us a visibility of 50-100m. When reaching the top we had our lunch, and after that break we soon packed up again and started descending to get back to the hut.

Coming back we had a short briefing concerning the next 5 nights/6 days. We will be establishing 2 different camps (3 and 2 nights, respectively), ultimately acclimatizing to 5461m on Cerro Vallecitos. After this we will be descending all the way down to a Mendoza-like altitude where we will spend a night at a hotel before continuing and going to Aconcagua. As we will be coming back to the hut first where we are being picked up we will be able to leave anything behind that we won’t need the coming days. We have been asked to bring our double boots due to a potentially cold climb of Cerro Vallecitos so despite being able to leave equipment we will still have plenty to carry. Sleeping bag, boots, down jacket, a set of clean clothes (“a set” as in “1 set” – we are only gone for 6 days) and various equipment. But the days where we will be carrying our full pack – from camp to camp – will be relatively short so it ought to be manageable. And the first camp is already at 3448m so with today’s acclimatization that shouldn't be too hard.

A beautiful view from the summit of Loma Blanca

It was almost eerie coming down and seeing abandoned ski lifts appear in the mist.

Last night we had a slightly gooey version of pasta carbonara, extremely rich so after the meat pizza for lunch only half a portion was consumed. But despite the small amount there was still plenty of energy going in, no doubt about that. This afternoon Pablo has been putting chicken and large pieces of meat on a fire. Interesting!

50 meters from the hut there is a hostel-like place with wireless internet (our hut has it too, but as they didn't pay the bills the connection was cut) and of course that had to be used during some down time. I hadn't been sitting more than 20 seconds before being made into a chair by a very attention-seeking, hug-needy, cat. When done with what I wanted I put the cat down to get up, but I had barely had time to move before it had jumped up again. So I ended up staying online a bit longer. For the cat’s sake, obviously.

The cat is the boss. Can't move if not given permission to do so.

24th – Arrival at Vallecitos

We were to be picked up at the hotel at 1300 to be brought to the hut at Vallecitos where we are to spend the next two nights. This meant that we had the morning in Mendoza for ourselves which was spent on nothing but having a leisurely walk around town, relaxing.

The pickup was on time and after an hour’s drive we stopped for lunch where our guides had a recommendation for order. It’s what I’d call an Argentinian meat pizza, but with no meat on it. No dough either. Instead, it was a slab of tender meat taken from the stomach region as base, covered in tomato sauce and plenty of melted cheese. Side order today was actually potatoes as opposed to yesterday’s (more) meat. It was a glorious dish albeit a bit heavy. After an hour’s drive further after lunch we arrived at the hut at 2700m.

Lunch. 

After settling in we went on a small trek to app. 3000-3100m, a gentle 2-hour walk to start acclimatization. Coming back at 1900 we got some great sightings of lightning strikes in the distance.

We were informally subjected to a small medical check to check pulse, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. Informally, as the guides wanted a baseline for the group before we are checked at base camp. Or be prepared if the results are less than optimal – if the doctors at base camp consider one’s results as not good enough you will be denied permission to climb the mountain. My saturation was 85 which was a bit surprising as I am usually higher at “only” 2700m. On the other hand, we had almost just arrived from 700m so that could probably have something to do with it. I had no idea what to expect from the blood pressure as I had never gotten a test before. I have been told, though, that 110/60 isn’t too bad.

Tomorrow we will take the small summit Cerro Loma Blanca of 3600m, readying us for our first camp which is at almost same altitude. Taking this summit first, the day before going to the camp, will make it easier for us to reach and stay at the camp without any – or at least fewer – altitude-related issues.

View from the hut towards where we came.

View from the small trek towards the hut. The small green/blue roof seen in the left/mid-area of the photo is our hut.

21st – 23rd – Arrival

Flying from Mendoza was quite uneventful. Madrid is a huge airport where you can keep walking straight ahead without seemingly getting anywhere. And Iberia isn’t too happy with installing seats in their planes with decent legroom. I guess it would be easier to have one’s legs operated shorter… The layover in Santiago, despite the short time we had, went surprisingly well. The flight to Mendoza was basically nothing but a half-an-hour jump over the mountains before landing again just on the other side.

Arriving in Mendoza we were greeted by Juan Carlos, our guide/contact and Pablo, a second guide. We were brought to our hotel followed by a walk in the immediate area where we had lunch and an afternoon by ourselves. The hotel is only a few minutes’ walk from the center, so we are close to plenty of restaurants and shops.

For dinner we met and went out to a steak restaurant, where I, obviously, had a steak (first of many). Being in Argentina I felt that choosing anything else would be heresy. To be honest it didn’t quite live up to my, admittedly high, expectations; great size and taste, but it wasn’t very tender and it was filled with tendons.

The trip's first steak.

The next day we went out to get our climbing permits. It felt a little weird, or at least bureaucratic, having to go to pay for the permit at a Western Union and taking receipt with us to show at the tourist center. Apparently the tourist center doesn’t have the money and security to handle the large sums that goes through the system for the numerous permits during climbing season.

The rest of the day was free, so a bit of walking around, lunch, buying stuff we needed (not much though) but other than that staying back at the hotel relaxing. Dinner was at a new place, and after the semi-failed steak last night I decided I wanted to try another one in an attempt to straighten up my impression of Argentinian steaks. Size and taste was just as good, amazingly tender and no tendons. Success! Yesterday’s steak was luckily just a random fluke. On top of that, the side orders where skewers with small pieces of bell pepper and onion, in-between chunks of meat. No complaints from me.

Tomorrow we will leave the hotel at around 1300 to drive to Vallecitos where we will be staying at a hut for two nights to start our acclimatization. It’s at 2700m, app. 2000 meters above Mendoza, so it will likely be felt. Until we reach Aconcagua the days we carry our own bags with all equipment from camp to camp will be relatively short, likely less than 4 hours, so that’ll be nice.

When getting picked up at the airport Juan Carlos mentioned that the temps that day where up at 32°C, and the following day they reached 36°C. The second and last evening in Mendoza we were told that the following day it would reach even higher temps. I am quite glad that we are going towards higher ground, effectively avoiding the high temperatures.

Light thingie at Plaza Independencia

Surprise Easter trip!

Due to quite a bit of overtime at work last year I have been allowed to take a little bit extra off this year. This has resulted in me deciding to take some extra time off before Easter which gives me 2 weeks + change off in a row. I have decided that the two weeks is to be spent on staying home and doing nothing, not going anywhere for once.

Pfff. Yeah, right.

This turn I am going back to Kenya and Tanzania, an 11 day camping safari going through all the big fun parts containing wildlife. After the trip to Argentina it’ll be nice to just relax on the savannah, lazily looking at the wildlife.

23^rd – 24^th of March

Flight to Nairobi via Amsterdam.

25^th – 26^th of March

We will leave the hotel in the early morning to go to Masai Mara. According to plan we will arrive in the afternoon where we will set up camp which we will be using as base for when we are there. Despite the slightly late arrival we will still be able to have a late afternoon drive.

27^th of March

We have time for the regular morning drive before having to return to Nairobi in the late afternoon.

28^th of March

Today we will leave Kenya and cross the border to Tanzania and go to the town Arusha where we will arrive in the afternoon.

29^th of March

Visit Lake Manyara. Apart from looking at wildlife we will be visiting a local village and seeing the Rift Valley.

30^th – 31^st of March

Crossing through the Rift Valley we go towards the Serengeti NP. This area is pretty self-explanatory. Spending time on driving around and looking at animals. What’s not to like?

1^st of April

After the last morning drive in Serengeti NP we leave and drive to the Ngorongoro conversation area and driving around the rim of the crater to reach our next camp site.

2^nd of April

With an early departure from the camp we travel into the crater where we spend most of the day driving around taking in the sights (i.e. more wildlife!). In the afternoon we will take our leave and go back to Arusha.

3^rd of April

Flight out from Kilimanjaro Airport via Dar Es Salaam and Amsterdam.