January 5, 2013
The route to Camp 1 on Aconcagua.
A few things to report from Argentina today. First is that everyone from Josh Tapp’s group is now on their way home. Josh arrives home tomorrow. Leandro, one of our great Argentine guides who was working with Josh, is going through a final check of group gear for our next team, led by Peter Anderson, with Leandro and Josh McDowell. That group left the States (and South Africa) today and will be rendezvousing in Mendoza tomorrow, the 6th. IMG Senior Guide, Mike Hamill, leaves tomorrow for Mendoza. He’ll be climbing with a small, custom team via the Horcones Valley route now and then staying to climb with the final IMG team of the season in late January.
Up on the mountain itself, Ty Gimenez called in today. Martin Lucero, Peter Adams and he are taking a rest day at base camp today and prepping for their carry to C1 tomorrow. Weather is a bit unsettled but that’s actually just fine for a carry day.
Down further South, like all the way South, Greg Vernovage and his 5 successful Vinson climbers will be making their way to Vinson base camp today. It’s a bit of a long walk but not terrible. And, when you’ve all been to the summit, it’s amazing how easy that walk becomes. Once at base camp Vinson, it’ll be a bit of a waiting game. They’ll need reasonable weather to fly over to the Union Glacier camp and then good weather for the IL76 to come in, pick these guys up and get them back to Chile. That could happen as early as the 6th. Greg will stay in South America and head over to Mendoza. He’ll be leading our January 20 departure on Aconcagua. No rest for the wicked.
Phil Ershler