Trip Reports
The team is en route to the small resort of Penitentes today, having completed their team meeting and gear check yesterday. They also completed the rather lengthy process required to obtain climbing permits, so they are ready to move higher and take the next step towards the trailhead. Last night they all went out to…
Drew called this evening to report that he, Neil and Eliana are all at the Plaza Argentina Base Camp, on the east side of Aconcagua. Things are very relaxed around the camp, which will become bustling in the coming weeks. Today was warm and sunny, and they made good time en route up to the…
The team Operation Aconcagua is camped at 10,000 feet at a spot called Casa de Piedra. They finished up Day 2 of their three-day trek to the Plaza Argentina Base Camp on the east side of the mountain. Neil called in an update, and I spoke with Drew about an hour ago as well. Drew…
As the days grow shorter in the northern hemisphere, why not chase the sun and head south?!? A team of climbers from various latitudes in the US are headed to the western edge of Argentina to attempt to climb the highest peak in all of the Americas, Cerro Aconcagua. Rising to almost 7000 meters, this…
Welcome to the trip dispatch page for Operation: Aconcagua. This is an expedition to climb the tallest peak in all of the Americas, Aconcagua, in order to raise awareness and funds for several non-profit organizations that assist our returning wounded service members. The climbing team will consist of only one primary climber, double leg amputee SGT (retired) Neil Duncan,…
The guys are back in Bali after a couple of days delay trying to get out of Sugapa, and an overnight in Surabaya on the way back. It was a challenging journey, and patience wore thin at the end, but they are back to the world of International Airports and Starbucks coffee. Indonesia is a…
I just spoke with Scot Woolums, calling from the small, remote village of Sugapa, deep in the rainforest of West Papua. They arrived a day early; however, there does not seem to be an option to fly out early, so it looks like they will spend the night in the village. The good news is…
Joe and Scott are back in the village of Sugapa, along with Jacob Schmitz, who accompanied the team to the top of Carstensz Pyramid, the highest peak in Oceania. The trek through the jungle was very difficult, exacerbated by heavy, almost incessant rain, and deep mud. They were fortunate that today, on their final day…
Scott left a message today that they are hiking back through the jungle and hope to be in Sugapa tomorrow night. It sounds like things are going well, and they are making above average time. We suspect that they will be back down in the thickly canopied gorges for much of the time until they…
Here’s Scott calling in at the end of a long day of trekking out from Carstensz. recording