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Title image - BAI takes you to: Aconcagua
Why climb with Berg Adventures

Jussi Westergren’s Aconcagua Expedition Dispatch

February 1, 2011 – Acclimatization Day at Plaza de Mulas

Today is an important day for our expedition. Now we are at 14,100ft/4,300m and we must allow for our bodies to adapt before we climb higher. It is cold here, much colder than lower on the mountain at Confluencia Camp. Jussi has already wisely taken to wearing his huge Mountain Hardware Sub Zero Parka and his puffy Compressor Pants around camp.

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On the afternoon of January 31 from Plaza de Mulas,

the upper reaches of Aconcagua appeared windy

and serious to us.

We woke to beautiful skies and no wind this morning. The weather reports that we have gotten from Sara back at the Berg Adventures office indicate that these lower wind speeds should prevail in the coming days. We hope that this is true.

We were pleased to learn that our Finnish friends Heikki and Juha have a camp adjacent to ours here at Plaza de Mulas.

This morning we went to check-in with the doctors who are stationed here at Plaza de Mulas, just as we had done at Confluencia. Our reception at the medical center was much less friendly this time, but we got our oxygen saturations and pulse taken anyway, as well as having our blood pressure recorded—we checked out with flying colors. Our oxygen saturations are lower of course ... we are in the 80's now instead of the 90's, but this is expected due to our ascent. Our blood pressure and pulses remained the same, which is good.

We will have a pulse oximeter with us all the way up the mountain so we will continue to take our own measurements. And, as always is the case with Berg Adventures climbs on Aconcagua, we will carry our own oxygen just in case.

Now Osvi and Jussi have taken off for a hike to the hotel, which is across the valley from the Plaza de Mulas base camp. Later in the morning Osvi, Sergio and Simon will leave to do our first carry to the upper mountain. They will carry food, fuel and our technical climbing equipment all the way to the Nido de Condor camp at 18,300ft/5,580m.

So, the report from base camp is “Thumbs Up!” We are doing great!

Juha, one of our Finnish friends on the morning of Feburary 1st at Plaza de Mulas.  We are lucky because our friend’s camp is adjacent to ours here at Base Camp.

Juha, one of our Finnish friends on the morning of Feburary 1st at Plaza de Mulas. We are lucky because our friend’s camp is adjacent to ours here at Base Camp.

How many Finn's can you have on one mountain anyway?  Jussi with our Finnish friend, Heikki

How many Finn's can you have on one mountain anyway? Jussi with our Finnish friend, Heikki