Day 15 - Pampa De Linas Revisited

After an incredible summit day (more of which I´ll share about in my post climb reflections) - we retreated to Camp 2, then to Base Camp with some incredibly heavy packs.

We enjoyed an excellent post climb celebration at Base Camp with dinner, wine, a birthday cake for Nancy, champagne for all and a heated card game.

We´ve started our hike out today and though it feels lovely to have a day pack on (thanks mules!) I´m having a hard time getting my head wrapped around another day of rocks, dust, wind and smelly clothes and tent living. The bigger struggle are the lung issues I´m having since summit day. I´m left with regular fits of coughing - definitely something I´ll have to address before future climbs.

For now I have dreams of long bubble baths, shopping and wine tasting in Mendoza and of course a big hug from my dog and all back home.

Back at you with post climb reflections....

Terri

Day 13 - They made it to the top!

Penni's note: Call from Terri...they made it to the top. Everyone is safe. Very emotional for everyone! More info and blog post to follow as soon as satellite phone reception is better.

Day 12 - No-Go Number Two

We woke to another day of strong winds and snow. No summit attempt today. Bummer. Our forecast is for "better weather" tomorrow. We've been getting forecasts via satellite phone from Nick in London. Looks like tomorrow is very cold but we'll take it and hope we're good to go.

Tent life at 19000 feet is getting quite interesting. David and I have taken to videotaping some of our tent idiosyncrasies. We did manage to get six people in our tent yesterday for a birthday celebration and a card game, and we'll do the same today.

We're all quite tired from doing nothing for so long. We're hoping tomorrow is our lucky day. Wish us luck!

Back at you tomorrow.

Terri

Day 11 - Summit Attempt Aborted

Not much sleep last night anticipating our summit and wondering whether the tent would still be standing come morning. We've been getting up to 55 mph winds for the last twelve hours and enough snow and spindrift to make going outside to the bathroom quite an ordeal. We are not safe going higher on the mountain so we're hunkering down at camp two. Getting reports that the next couple of days should improve and we'll have a shot at the top.

One of our teammates, Nancy, has her 50th birthday today and we were hoping to celebrate from the summit but we'll have to make due here at camp two. I feel fortunate to be in the company of some pretty amazing people on this climb. Marshall Ullrich organized the core of our group. His ultrarunning, adventure racing and climbing experience has been invaluable. There are three women on our trip - myself, Louise Cooper (53) and Nancy Bristow (turning 50 today). We all know Marshall through racing and I must say we are a pretty tough and determined contingent of women. David Ferris (37) is also a very good friend of mine and my current tent mate. David has a similar background in sports and is also posting daily verbal blog posts from our climb on theferrisfiles.com . Frank, in addition to Marshall is also an ultrarunner. Dimitri is from Russia currently living in the States. Fabrice, from Paris, is also currently living in New York City. We have a strong evenly matched group which makes climbing together thoroughly enjoyable.

We have several days to summit and most of us are determined to give this our best shot so hopefully I'll have some good news for you in the next day or so. I'll keep you posted with how we're faring.

Terri

Day 10 - Sunday evening, Camp Two at 19,000 feet

On the way up to camp two today we ran into a few folks going down who had turned around upon arrival at camp two due to high winds of over 50 miles an hour. We proceeded ahead into gusty cold winds and despite plumes coming off top of the Polish Glacier we arrived to reasonable conditions in camp.

As I write this the wind gusts are becoming stronger and more frequent and the sun is dipping, and temperature is dropping steadily. It's actually been warm pretty warm at night, in the the 20s and 30s in the tent. Being a hot sleeper I've been pretty comfy. Right now we are planning on going to the summit in the early morning unless the winds proves to be too much and could potentially knock us over. We had some problems with that today as well.

For all the gear freaks out there like me, I thought I'd share what I will be putting on in the morning. So I'll be wearing the following starting at 4 o'clock in the morning.

Base layer will be Patagonia Wool 2 Underwear
Outdoor Research one piece sleeved expedition weight full suit with cross zip
Patagonia Micro Puff pants
Montbell Ultralight down jacket
Outdoor Research Mid-Weight down jacket on top of Mont Bell
Patagonia Duff Parka
Outdoor Research Heavy Mitts with OR Fleece glove liners
Smart Wool Expedition Weight socks
Montrail ICE 9 Boots and Gaiters
Montbell Sleek Skull knit cap and neck gaiter
Outdoor Research windproof balaclava
Gregory ISO Pack with Nalgene bottles and OR bottle cozy to keep water from freezing
Several grabber hand warmers -- a couple in my mitts, a couple in my boots, one in my hat and my chest.

And if that ain't gonna keep me warm I don't know what to do!

So wish us luck. We're a little groggy and tired up here at 19,000 feet but I'll be back at you we have more news about proceeding forward. Best to all back home.

Terri.

Day 9 - Saturday, January 20

There's always been something attractive, pure and primal to me about living in basic conditions in the wilderness. I enjoy pondering mundane survival issues like the weather, where I'm going to get water to drink or contemplating whether I care if my mug is dirty before I pour soup into it. In a civilized world we can get so caught up in the details of getting ahead that we forget how fortunate we are to have a roof over our heads and a hot shower or a clean environment. Engaging with nature for extended periods forces us to focus on those very very basic things we too easily take for granted. I feel fortunate that I choose to generate that respect frequently. It keeps it all real. We're definitely keeping it real here in camp one.

Today is our last rest day before our summit push. Tomorrow, Sunday, we head up to camp two, set up camp and prepare for our summit attempt early Monday morning. The weather forecast for Monday is windy, clear and very, very cold. If that forecast holds true we'll take it.

As always, I'm nervous and excited about stepping into the unknown. At 22,841 feet, Aconcagua summit will be the highest I've attempted and definitely the coldest. Thus far the biggest problem seems to be regulating my body temperature while climbing, which is a very important thing to do on a mountain in cold temperatures. I tend to run very hot, like when I sleep. I am constantly unzipping, rezipping, peeling layers and putting them back to keep an even temperature so I don't sweat. With a minus degree temperature expected this will be quite a game for me to attend to.

Note to my family - wear your bracelets on Monday and send me all your really great energy. I'll have mine on as well.

Wish us luck. Back at you tomorrow from camp two.

Terri

*********************

Note from Penni:

I actually spoke to Terri today when accidentally picking up the phone. Usually when she calls I can see the country code (54) so I just don't answer. This one didn't have the code on it and I was pleasantly surprised to her her saying "You're not supposed to pick up the phone!" We had a good, albeit brief conversation. She is well and sounds good.

Today, because of their position on the mountain the satellite phone coverage was spotty but I think I got it all after four attempts.

Day 8 - Polish Glacier

Severe winds rocked our tent all night and abruptly abated around 7:00 am just in time for us to get up and prepare for our climb. Though we were on snow for most of our gear carry to camp two, much of the snow melted at camp one by late afternoon. We brought up food, our warmest clothing, crampons and ice axes for our summit bid.

The climb up to 19000 feet was very tough, very steep. I felt solid all day but definitely feeling the altitude towards the top. From camp two we've had significant views of the remote mountain range and a close-up of the infamous Polish Glacier. One can almost be lured into thinking the glacier is a shortcut to the top. Another look at its seriousness and you get a huge respect for the mountain. From camp two our group will be traversing the normal route. We will intersect the route in a area called the Black Rocks and then will continue on the normal route to the summit.

The weather has been mostly schizophrenic so it seems impossible to project what will be for our projected summit attempt in three days time.

Back at you tomorrow.

Terri S

Day 7 - Camp One - Tentbound!

It continued to snow steadily yesterday at base camp. Though we woke to a gorgeous sunny and clear day we needed to unbury ourselves from the previous day's snow and pack everything up for our move up the mountain.

The weather held spectacular for most of our climb. The snowpack allowed up to bypass the penitentes which was quite an agreeable route change for us. As we arrived at camp one, a relatvely flat spot in the mountain about the size of half a football field, our storm settled in again. We quickly erected our tents and jumped inside. Now we are tentbound with quite a snow storm raging outside.

We lost one member of our team today. Rich Shear has made the decision to head back to Mendoza tomorrow. Sounds like he's making a wise decision but we'll miss him dearly as he's been a wonderful key member of our group.

We do a gear carry tomorrow up to camp two at 19,000 feet. We'll then come back sleep at camp one and have a rest day the following day before we move up to camp two for our summit bid.

The mountain is proving to be formidible and visually spectacular and I continue to enjoy my comrades immensely.

Thinking of all back home. Back at you tomorrow.

Terri

Day 6 - Base Camp Rest Day

It's inevitable that existence in a tent with another human will over time lead to strong bouts of silly laughter. The tight quarters, exposure to the elements, a makeshift clothesline of smelly clothes, and time seems to draw out one of the basics of human existance. Even a look or gesture can send one into a choking tizzy of laughter.

Only 6 days on Aconcagua and my tentmate David and I have arrived. We've been spoiled here at base camp with a warm mess tent, friendly, enthusiastic Argentinian mountain staff, and incredible food - including pizza, steak, wine, and much more. We're thoroughly enjoying each moment here with lots of reading, card games, chatting, yoga and I even took a solar shower today!

We head up the hill tomorrow and over the next few days we'll position ourselves at our high camp of 19000 feet. The weather has been variable. Some sunny days but mostly snow. We're hoping this current storm will pass by the time we arrrive at high camp.

Back at you tomorrow from camp one.

Terri

Day 5 - Carry to Camp One

Our goal today was to get a load of food and gear to camp one at 16240 feet. We hiked on rock scree through steep pitches of penitentes, all in an arduous snow storm. Penitentes are broad stretches of snow and ice turned into long, narrow ice sculptures by wind and sun. Though quite beautiful, hiking through a penitente with a 45 lb pack felt like a large sea turtle moving through a convoluted obstacle course. It was a tough and spectacular hike made envigorating by the constant flow of snow and wind.

We have a rest day at base camp tomorrow. I'm finding the mountain quite enjoyable, interspersed with some tough climbing. I'm feeling strong and well.

Back at you tomorrow from base camp.

Terri

Day 4 - Base Camp

Being someone who needs and enjoys nesting in whatever environment I'm in, I've quite easily moved in at base camp. We're using 3 person tents for 2 people so there's a bit of room to spread out. We also have access to a mess tent where we can eat and hang out quite comfortably.

The national park here requires that each person be medically examined at base camp before they head higher on the mountain. This involves the resident doc taking blood saturation and pulse levels and generally assessing how someone feels. All our group passed with flying colors and weather permitting we'll be heading up to do a gear carry to camp one at 16240 feet.

We'll bring supplies up that we'll be needing higher up on the mountain. These include things like food, crampons, ice axes and clothing that we'll need for summit day. After our carry we'll be coming back down to sleep at base camp. The "carry up" and "sleeping low" all part of our acclimation process.

Base camp on our route is a very pleasant spot, with plenty of room with not too many tents and bodies. We are surrounded by various multicolored rock faces and scree slopes. Not a bad spot to have some down time. I'm feeling a bit tired and lazy today and will cap on that with lots of eating, drinking, and napping. I'll also use the time to do a bit of washing. It's amazing how much better you can feel by just rinsing our a shirt you've been wearing for the last few days.

I've acquired a nickname from my group of "Garbage Disposal" because I seem to be able to eat and drink large quanitites at any single time. Not such a bad trait to acquire at altitude. The plan is to continue to live up to my new nickname.

Best to all back home. I'm sending the blog posts to Penni back home via satellite and hoping that you're getting them and they are coming through and that everyone is doing well.

I'll be back at you after our carry to camp one.

xxoo

Terri
_____________

Penni's comment: Sorry to have so many posts come up at once. I was gone for three days and the weather and power failures have conspired to create a little back up in the posts over the weekend. Two more to get everyone caught up to today are coming later this evening.

Day 3 - Plaza Argentina

Another spectacular day of hiking leads us to base camp at Plaza Argentina at 13,700 feet.

Our day started in the heat of the valley with several frigid river crossings. We ascended steeply on precipitous trails at the bottom of which were the remains of a couple of mules who hadn't fared as well on the narrow, sketchy trail sections.

Base camp is positioned at the bottom of the intimidating south face of Aconcagua. We have a rest day tomorrow and if the weather coorperates we'll head up the following day to camp one with ear we'll need up the mountain.

All in our group are strong and healthy but tired. We celebrated our arrival at base camp with a feast and a few bottles of wine that the mules carried up for us.

I'm off to try and get some sleep - not always an easy prospect for me at this altitude.

Back at you tomorrow.

Terri

Day 2 - Casa de Piedra

Another 5 hours of hiking and we get our first glimpse of the Aconcagua summit. The mountain looks enormous! After another perfectly lovely day of hiking our first view of the peak knocked us back into the reality that we have quite a task ahead of us. I felt both terrified and excited at finally seeing the mountain. WOW!

We're camping at Casa de Piedra tonight at 10,000 feet. This will be our final night in the valley before we start our push up to base camp. We got a bit of rain today and could see the storm higher up on the mountain. Looks like we're in for a bit of weather for the next coulple of days.

As always, I'm thriving on hiking and camping in a stunning and remote part of the world. Being on the Polish Glacier route, we're off the beaten path for this mountain and the lack of humans is refreshing.

My thoughts do wander home daily to family and friends and my dog Gryphon, but I can't help but feel that travel through these special parts of the world is a special gift. One that I certainly don't take for granted.

Back at you tomorrow.

Terri

Day 1 - Pampa de Lenas

It felt invigorating to start moving today. The sun was intense for our 5 hour leisurely hike up to our first camp. While eager to game some elevation I found myself quite content to meander up the Vaccas Valley at a moderate pace while enjoying the air and scenery. It always seems to take me a day or so to get into the rhythm in a race or a climb and this trip is no expception. I trust by day 3 or 4 I will have my legs under me.

The predominant rocky backdrop of the Vaccas Valley hosts varieties of shades of green and brown and the sky is as blue as the shoreline at Carmel Beach.

Most of our gear is being carried up the mountain by mules. The mules are carrying the human equivalent of a light day pack and with ease they jam over rocks and scree.

We ascend only 1500 feet today and we'll sleep at 9400 feet. The focus of these next two days is to get up to base camp and in a position to start our ascent up the mountain.

It is a gorgeous calm evening tonight and I am going to hit the sack after I enjoy the stars for awile. Best to all of you at home.

I'll be back at you tomorrow.

xoxo

Terri

Heading Out

After a morning of packing, organizing, and last minute errands and answering messages we headed west 180K to Puenta del Inca. Most of us used the driving time to continue to put a dent in our jet lag.

At 2717 meters (that's 8909 feet) the tiny community of Puenta del Inca is the starting and ending point for climbers moving to and from the mountain via the Vaccas Valley.

There are 9 climbers in our group and we've been eating and drinking as if it was our last meal. We head out tomorrow morning and start picking out way over the next few days to base camp at 14000 feet.

I'm excited and nervous watching the climbers come down off the mountain with a look I covet. It's that look as if they are completely hammered by the mountain yet they still have a bright gleam in their eyes, remembering their recent adventure.

I look forward to that definitive moment.

Back at you later,

Terri

Climbing Aconcagua

Greetings from Mendoza, Argentina!

In the last 20 hours I have already shopped, eaten some excellent food and wine, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun here in Mendoza. Thus I am accutely aware of how one can become delusional, while engaging in cozy comfort, about the imminent diffculty of living on a mountain in harsh conditions for 2 weeks.

I am, of course, capping on this comfort factor by doing my usual overindulgence of all things yummy before I undertake the unknown. This comfort seeking has always seemed to be a coping mechanism of sorts for me prior to undertaking the stress of a grand adventure. Engage in severe comfort in life and somehow the contrast of the extremes seems easier to swallow when taken in large doses. Even if that doesn´t retrospectively ease the suffering on the mountain, its fun, so what the hell...

We head to the base of Aconcagua, and the initiation to those stark life contrasts, tomorrow, to start our ascent of the highest mountain outside of Asia. If I am successful at reaching its peak at 22,841 feet, Aconcagua will be the highest I've been to date. Being someone who is fascinated thinking about the unknown of what is to come, I am quite giddy at present. I´ve always thrived in any new test of body and mind and this one will definitely open some new doors for self learning. I can´t wait.

But at this stepping off point in any climb, the summit is a distant light in my thoughts. Energy is focused on preparation, rest, enjoying my new climbing teammates, and celebrating lifes daily comforts, like lounging in bed those few extra minutes under clean sheets, relishing in a hot shower, and celebrating over good wine the fact that all our luggage arrived in tact. Ah the exquisite pleasures of basic existence! Mendoza, with its homey, inviting feel, is a perfect place to indulge in such mundane luxury.

Aconcagua, or the ¨Stone Sentinel¨ is a mountain of ice, snow and even more rock and scree, and it stands solo among many peaks almost at its height. We will be living on the mountain at various, increasingly higher altitudes, as we aclimate to the rarified air for 14 days. The unpredictable force of weather and the famous ¨viento blanco¨or white winds on this mountain will play a strong hand in our progress and potential summit success.

If the concept of luck likens chance, or a good gamble, then the weather on mountains is often a game of luck. Wish me some solid luck. We´ll need it here.

We will be on the Polish Glacier Traverse route, which initiates on the Polish Glacier then traverses to the Normal Route for our summit push. With our route choice we are hoping for less people and greater asthetic. In any case it will be a grand adventure indeed, highlighted by having barely caught my breath after returning from Africa and my Kilimanjaro climb. A severe amount of travel in a very short time frame, but then I´ve never been one to do life in small doses, why start now.

I'll be sending daily, live dispatches from the mountain via satellite phone to this website blog. www.terrischneider.net Check in with my blog daily to see how we are faring.

Wish me luck,

Terri