Mountain Bound: 12/13/09

We are now leaving to catch our 4-hour bus ride to meet up with the mules at Punta del Inca, the trailhead for Aconcagua. We still are rushing to rent a tent, after the tent we brought was missing a part vital to it’s weather and wind proofing ability. It was a good thing we decided to put together our tent, prior to heading to the mountain. Otherwise, we would have been in a tough spot. We are feeling well. Here is what the the next three days hold. Today, we trek to 8200 feet and camp. Then, our journey leads us to 9,200 feet and we camp there. Finally, on the third day, we meet up with the mules at base camp, Plaza de Argentina, at 13,200 feet. All together, it is about 40 miles of trekking over three days to reach base camp.

Last Minute Details: 12/12/09

We now have an issue with our tent; it is missing parts. We have to fix it by tomorrow morning in time to meet the mules. We need a climbing shop to be open on a Sunday morning so we can rent a tent. Other than this, we are ready to go. Our bus leaves tomorrow for a 4-hour bus ride to meet the mules at 10am. I am itching to get on to the mountain and do some climbing.

Permit Day: 12/12/09

I am working on getting our climbing permits today. Argentina’s government will only let us get 1,000 peso per day, which has turned this into a two-day process. We still also have the situation with no mule drivers. This is delaying our departure until Monday, December 14th. So, we will be wasting 2 days. We need the weather to cooperate in order to get things done as planned. Another interesting thing about Argentina is the “run for your life” method of crossing the street. We have found that no one watches out for people crossing the street so you have to sprint across the road.

Safe In Mendoza

What a night. We had great steak (prime rib), pop, and desert for about $10 US Dollars. Unfortunately, we are having major problems with the mules and are stuck in town untill we get them worked out. We are losing days on the mountain while we try to get this situation worked out. It is looking like December 14th may be the soonest we can get mules.

Safe and Sound in Buenos Aires: 12/11/09

I am here in Buenos Aires and will be flying to Mendoza around 8pm tonight. I am having a good time but the hostel claims they never received my reservations, even after I paid for it. So Mike and I will had to find a new place for us to meet.

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