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.

Reaching once again for the sky

Here we are again, planning another trip in the near future. This is going to be another climb – feeling confident after the trip to Stok Kangri and realizing that I am getting in gradually better and better shape with my regular workouts and runs, I wanted to try and push things a little. Deep down I think I have been wanting to go for quite some time, but after realizing the departure was filling up (and it is only once a year) and went to a presentation by the travel company, there was really no other alternative. It will without a doubt be an amazing trip and I am just hoping that it won’t be involving regrets on the way up. Because, let’s face it; this is going to be a massive undertaking for me.

On to the part you came here for.

21^st – 22^nd of January

Flight to Mendoza in Argentina via Spain (Madrid) and Chile (Santiago). Finally I have found a trip where you don’t have to show up at the airport until afternoon. No showing up at inhuman 0400 in the morning. Nope – check in at 1330. Starting off easy.

23^rd – 25^th of January

Spending a day in Mendoza to get permits and the like before transferring to a hut at 2800m in Vallecitos. From here we will acclimatize up to 3664m on Loma Blanca.

26^th – 28^th of January

Trek to the Vega Superior camp at 3448m. It’s a short trek so there will be time for relaxing. From this camp we will acclimatize on Cerro Adolfo Calle which gets us up to 4270m. The following day we will have another walk, this time to El Salto at 4288m.

29^th – 30^th of January

Return to El Salto, this time to set up camp and use as base camp for the climb of Cerro Vallecitos, which is 5461m. The climb will have quite an ascent (app. 1200m from base camp), but it will ensure an effective acclimatization for the following days. From the summit you are able to see Aconcagua, assuming the weather is clear. This summit is almost as high as Elbrus – which was a very hard-earned summit back in 2012. This will be interesting.

31^st of January – 2^nd of February

Transfer from El Salto and spending 3 days reaching Plaza de Mulas at 4230m, Aconcagua base camp. On the way there we will pass by Puenta del Inca on the first night and Confluencia camp the second. Apparently we have mules these days so we will be able to walk with a smaller load than usual. That will likely be a relief at this point.

3^rd of February

In base camp – rest day!

From here on everything depends on the weather, but the following is what they will be trying to get us through.

4^th – 6^th of February

Trek from Camp I to Camp III, located at 4910m, 5380m and 5979m, respectively. They are named Canadian Place, Nido de Condores and Camp Colera (charming…). The days are relatively short, and with the climbs before arriving here we will have plenty of acclimatization done making it easier – but reaching Camp Colera (…) it will be obvious to all that we are up high and breathing is labored. Note, the highest camp is just below the summit of Stok Kangri.

7^th – 9^th of February

3 days are reserved for summit attempts. Everything depends on the weather. We might be stranded in the tents for two days before we are able to make a push (or even all three days and having to return back down), or we might be able to go the first night. Only time (and the weather Gods) will tell. In any case this will be a very hard day, but reaching the top it will be very rewarding. Reaching the summit will bring us up to an altitude of 6959m, the tallest point outside Himalaya.

10^th – 11^th of February

Descend from Camp Colera all the way down to base camp, and the next day all the way down and back to Mendoza. Some very long days, but at least we are only descending at this point.

12^th – 13^th of February

The flight home is the same way as when we arrived.

Again, just as I have concluded several other trip descriptions that involved climbing, I’ll state that this will by far be the hardest trip I have been on yet. It’ll be fun. And hard. And mentally and physically tiring. Yeah, some people do this voluntarily. No, I don’t know why, either. People are weird.

24th – New Delhi Airport, aka I Don’t Give A Shit Airport

Arriving at the airport in the early morning you need to get past the guards at the entrance; showing your passport and tickets are enough. One in the group got a bit ahead of us and went through without any problems. When the rest of us showed up the guard looked at us and began waving us away – apparently he wanted us to go to one of the other doors to get checked there instead. On the way over there looking back you could see him letting single passengers in at a time, apparently a large group (of 9) was too much work. His colleague at the other door also seemed perplexed why he hadn’t let us in.

We checked in as a group but had to show documents individually. I asked nicely (despite it being early and only after 2 hours of sleep I can be nice) if it was possible to move/upgrade me to a seat at an emergency exit. She looked up and looked at me as if I had asked her to give me upgrades to 1^st class for all future flights, scoffed loudly and went back to work completely ignoring me from then on. Nice.

We were given name tags for our carry-on luggage, apparently as to confirm that the check-in counter had approved them as carry-ons. The security check went without a hitch, being early there weren’t too many people around. I found my bag lying ready for me after I came through the detector and they confirmed I could take it. We wandered the airport and basically just tried to kill time while waiting for boarding to start.

Entering the plane the security guy flipped when he saw me. Apparently the security check should have given me a stamp of some kind on that luggage tag, but because they seemed to have missed it I must have been smuggling everything from drugs to the entire Taj Mahal and half their nuclear arsenal with me on board the plane. He took me aside, let others on, and asked me to show him the contents. He was a very unhappy Indian guard, but he let me go at last. I had barely gotten on board the plane together with one of the others from the group before they started closing the doors. I hurried to my spot, found it in the middle of everything, but being the last one to enter I just grabbed to two seats at the window next to it instead – the plane had plenty of free seats so you were able to move around and claim different – better – seats if you were fast.

The rest of the trip home was fine. Well, almost. I met a very large hairy Indian guy on the plane. And completely unrelated; a very large hairy Indian guy learned he had to remember to lock the lavatory door when doing his business on the plane. We had a couple of hours in Istanbul airport which were spent on sitting in a café and getting something to drink and eat, and the flight from there was very uneventful. The moment we left India things went much more smoothly. And coming back to Copenhagen everyone got their bags. Success!

Once again big thanks to Susanne, Bo (again), Per (again, and have a great trip around India and Nepal!), Steffen, Christina, Mads, Thomas, Lars, Tina and Annika for being such an outstanding group on this trip. You guys are amazing – and after my recent realization that means a lot to me. I hope we will meet again sometime, that would be awesome!