Paul's Outdoor Adventures » paul

Summit Attempt Aborted: 12/22/09

paul — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:21:23 +0000

Well, I set out for the summit this morning. Unfortunately, I turned back toward Camp 2 after reaching about 20,000 feet, due to the weather. The winds were 40 mph at the beginning of the journey and they seemed to be getting worse. It is not a day I would consider safe for a summit attempt, so I am back at camp now. We will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Rest Day: 12/21/09

paul — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:08:04 +0000

Well, if we didn’t require a rest day for acclimatization, it would be a beautiful day for a summit attempt. The wind is next to nothing and the sun is out. I plan to make my summit attempt tomorrow by way of the False Polish Route. The wind is supposed to pick back up tomorrow to about 20-30 mph, with a high of 1 degree F and wind chill around -20 degrees F.

Camp 2: 12/20/09

paul — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:03:33 +0000

Today, we arrived at Camp 2, 19,000 feet. We plan to have a rest day tomorrow. The winds are still very strong up here. We are trying to decide which route we will take to the summit this week, whether we will traverse over the summit, as originally planned, or take the well-traveled False Polish Route.

Acclimatization Continues: 12/19/09

paul — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:59:06 +0000

I did an acclimatization climb today. I went up in altitude 1,000 feet then came back down to Camp 1 to spend the night. The winds are almost a constant 40 mph with gusts of up to 60-70 mph. Our tent seems to be having difficulty holding up to the high winds but is doing ok so far. We plan to move to Camp 2 tomorrow.

Camp 1: 12/18/09

paul — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:54:58 +0000

I made it to Camp 1 today. So, I am now at 17,000 feet. There are very high winds up here. I have heard this is one of the more windy mountains of the 7 summits. I have more energy today as well. We hope to make a carry tomorrow.

Further Acclimatization: 12/17/09

paul — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:55:25 +0000

Today, I climbed halfway to Camp 1 and back to base camp to help with the acclimitization process. My partners are well acclimitized already because they did some climbing in Equador before they met me in Argentina.
We discovered something unfortunate yet funny today. We purchased what we thought was white gas from a Spanish speaking local before we started our journey to base camp. Our stove started acting up and we couldn’t figure out why until today. They sold us paint thinner. This, of course, is much cheaper than white gas but at this point all we can do is laugh. It is definitely a flammable substance but not exactly what we needed. We still have 1/2 liter left of true white gas…. and 4 liters of paint thinner.

Rest Day: 12/16/09

paul — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:46:10 +0000

Well, after making it here in 2 days instead of 3, I am taking a rest day at base camp. Depending on weather and energy level, I may make a push to Camp 1 tomorrow. Here on Aconcagua, there is only Camp 1, Camp 2, then the summit, as opposed to over twice as many camps on Denali.

Safe at 13,200 feet: 12/15/09

paul — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:55:11 +0000

We arrived at base camp today and met the mules with our bags. Due to a map reading error, we traveled an extra 2 hours today but still made it by about 9pm (our time). Today was eventful with 4 hours of 60 mph winds as well as 5 or 6 unavoidable fast flowing stream crossings, one of which was waist deep. Tomorrow, we are taking a rest day before pushing on toward the next camp at 17,000 feet.

20 miles to Base Camp: 12/14/09

paul — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:48:05 +0000

Well, we are halfway to base camp now. Will, Mike and I are planning to make it to base camp by the end of tomorrow, another 20 miles. Our bags were being carried by mules today (and will be tomorrow too). They left the camp 3 hours behind us and passed us much before the end of the day. They are amazingly strong creatures.

Behind Schedule: 12/13/09

paul — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:42:44 +0000

We spent last night here at 9,000 feet. We were unable to head toward base camp yesterday or today because the tent we are renting is being delivered to us by bus later today. So we are planning to make a 3 day trek to base camp in 2 days. It is 40 miles from here to base camp.

Mountain Bound: 12/13/09

paul — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:03:55 +0000

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

paul — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:54:55 +0000

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

paul — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:45:33 +0000

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

paul — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:06:06 +0000

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

paul — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:01:00 +0000

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.

New Climb Aconcagua 2009

paul — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:07:33 +0000

After 18 months without a major climb, I will be climbing Aconcagua December 10th to January 2nd. Aconcagua is the highest mountain in South America and the highest mountain in the world outside of Asia. Aconcagua stands 22,841 feet. I will be climbing the false polish route. I am still looking for experienced climbers to join my expedition. If you are interested, please email me at paul@paulelwell.net More details to come.

Denali 2008 Photos

paul — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:58:28 +0000

Photos from my Denali 2008 Expediation are posted under the photo section. Click here to go to the photo section or click the link at the top of the page.

Back From Denali

paul — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:53:51 +0000

After waiting for several days at high camp, we ended up without another summit window. We had to decent due to lack of food, fuel, and wanting to get down to thicker air. We made it back down the mountain in three days fighting wind and fierce blowing snow conditions. Once back at base camp we were able to get a flight off the glacier the same day. It was a challenging trip as always and it was a little disappointing not to reach the summit however I know the decision I made were wise ones. I ended the trip safe and with all my fingers and toes and can climb another day. A full trip report will be posted shortly.

A Tough Choice

paul — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:45:47 +0000

We only had two possible summit days left, today and tomorrow (Monday). We really wanted to attempt the summit, especially after being at 17,200 foot camp for a week. After that much time, you think you are going out of your mind from boredom. Try to imagine what life would be like being stuck at high camp. You lay in your bed, eat only dehydrated food, without a shower and have little to do except stare at the ceiling for 16 hours per day for a week. It is a test of your sanity. It is the sacrifice mountain climbers have to make at times for that ever elusive summit. Of course, when you have been in a situation like this for a week, it adds significantly to your desire to reach the summit and go home.
In order to have enough food to summit and get to the bottom of the mountain, today and tomorrow were our only options for a summit. This obviously made us very determined to head to the summit today.

However, we woke up to poor weather conditions. It was nothing but a cold, windy and a white out because of the snow. Regardless, we proceeded to get ready to summit while hoping for the weather to change. It did not change. We even got to the point of roping up. Meanwhile, I had a bad feeling in my gut. It kept getting stronger with each passing moment because of the the weather conditions. Finally, I told my teammates that I was not going to join them for the summit attempt. If they wanted to try for the summit that was ok with me. I was not comfortable with making the attempt in the white out conditions we were faced with. It was very tough to take a stand against the majority but I knew I was being true to my climbing phyolosophy. In addition, I was being true to the promises I made to my family and my wife. Hopfully, the weather is ideal tomorrow so I can reach the summit. For now, I know I made the right choice regardless of whether my partners make it to the top or not.

A Second Chance

paul — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 02:57:18 +0000

With the disappointment of my summit attempt yesterday being abandoned to avoid frostbite and the poor weather forecast, we were almost sure we would be heading down the mountain to go home today. However, to our surprise, the weather forecast did a 180! The days that looked terrible for summiting before now have low winds and reasonable temperatures. With two other team members making it up here yesterday, we are now planning a Sunday summit attempt.

Denali Summit Ridge

Also, congratulations to my climbing partner, Peter! He solo climbed to the summit of Mount McKinley after I had to turn around yesterday.