Jack Strickland called in after a tough day, battling wind and snow to carry loads up to 16,400′!

There is a LOT of snow on Aconcagua at the moment, which is somewhat unusual for this time of year.  The team shouldered their packs after a hearty breakfast at the Plaza Argentina Base Camp and started uphill, weaving their way through a moraine as they entered a narrow valley above camp.  After an hour or so of hiking, the valley began to open up and they made their way across a dry and decaying glacier that is mostly covered with rocks it has transported down from many thousands of feet above over the past millennia.

The last hour of climbing was very tough, with snow and the steepest climbing of the day.  Finally, they arrived at the site of their camp, roughly 3000′ above Base Camp.  They deposited their equipment and supplies, rested and gave their bodies a bit of time to acclimate to the new altitude and then descended back to Plaza Argentina.  They will take a full rest and acclimatization day at camp tomorrow, before moving up to sleep at Camp 1.

Everyone did great and moved well. It was a challenging day, but everyone is encouraged by how well the day went.

Here’s Jack!