January 14, 2022

IMG Senior Guide Nickel Wood along with our first class guide team of Tincho and Leo checked in last night and again this afternoon to let us know the team is doing great.  They decided to take an additional day of acclimatization at Camp Confluencia.  This is a great decision!  Yesterday afternoon, they had a heavy rainstorm and more was predicted for today.  The heavy rain will create less than ideal conditions for trekking to Plaza De Mulas.  That combined with having other teams on the route helped make the decision.  Right now, our team is one of very few at Camp Confluencia and are enjoying some home cooking from Leo and Tincho.

The team will move uphill in the morning and we will look forward to hearing from them once they arrive to Plaza De Mulas!

January 13, 2022

Aconcagua Team at Horcones Valley Park Entrance (Nickel Wood)

The Aconcagua Team spent the day trekking towards Plaza Francia today.  This hike is great for acclimatization getting the team close to 13,200 feet.  Nickel checked in to let us know the team did very well today and were escorted back to camp with a little precipitation, not a bad thing down low on the mountain to keep things cool and also to knock the dust down on the trail!

The team is now back at Confluencia Camp, resting before dinner and preparing for a longer day on the trail tomorrow.  The team will get an earlier start and head to Plaza De Mulas (13,976′).  This will be a nice trek that should take between 6-8 hours.  There is no rush and as we say, the beginning of the climb is very important to maintain strength and prepare for higher elevations.

All is well on Aconcagua!

January 12, 2022

Aconcagua Team prepped and ready to head for the trail (Nickel Wood)

Duffel Shuffle at Uspallata (Nickel Wood)

The Aconcagua Team is hitting the trail today!  That was the message we received earlier today from Nickel Wood.  The team arrived to Uspallata and were welcomed with a downpour of rain.  This was a welcome storm as it has been a bit hot in Mendoza and the rain cooled things off a bit.  Uspallata is a nice hotel just down the road from Penitentes and has great accommodations.  After a great team dinner, the team headed to bed and prepared for a big day of repacking and weighing loads for the mules.

This morning the team got up early and headed for Penitentes.  Gear sorted and packed, it did not take long to head for the trailhead.  They are currently trekking to Confluencia Camp where they will spend a couple days hiking and acclimatizing for the push into Plaza de Mulas Base Camp.

All is well on Aconcagua!

January 11, 2022

We received great news from IMG Senior Guide, Nickel Wood from Mendoza this morning.  The entire team has passed their COVID Test and has the climbing permit.  They are now on the way to Uspallata where they will do a little more of the duffle shuffle and gear organization for the Mule ride up the valley.  Tomorrow is a shorter day of trekking and the team should arrive to Confluencia Camp (10,826′) in about 4 hours.  They will spend a couple nights at Confluencia before moving up to Plaza De Mulas Base Camp (13,976′).

It is great to have the team on the move towards Aconcagua!