Joe Butler called from Camp 1 at about 16,400′ on the east side of Aconcagua. They had a good hard push up to camp yesterday and a couple of the team are benefiting from resting today. The winds have been pretty strong, blowing about 30 knots, and in the morning, they considered calling it a rest day for the entire team.
The winds abated somewhat in the late morning and so Agustin, Laura and Rich packed up a bunch of kit and made a carry up to the site of their next camp at 18,000′.
Climbers en route to Camp 2. The trail follows the thin strip of snow behind them and you can see Camp 1 nestled in the scree in the lower right third of the image.
The team is hoping that the winds slack somewhat so they can make the move up to their next camp. It’s not a very long day of work to make the move, but they will pass through the “col,” or saddle, between Aconcagua and its neighboring Cerro Ameghino, and such features tend to accelerate the wind, when in the mountains (can you say Venturi effect?).
Everyone is doing great and spirits are high!
Here’s Joe:
