Aconcagua Expedition Dispatch

January 20, 2011 – Acclimatizing in Berlin and Massages in Mendoza

Osvaldo called us early this morning from Nido de Condor camp to report that they were fine and were preparing to hike up to Berlin Camp and back as an acclimatization exercise. Osvi said that Todd was cold last night and had difficulty keeping warm even in his tent and sleeping bag. This is not uncommon on your first night at a new altitude. Part of acclimatization is getting your body to transfer oxygen efficiently so that you can keep warm. Tonight should be easier for him.

This afternoon Osvaldo called again to let us know that they had made it to Berlin Camp at 19,700ft/6,004m. The climb took them 2 hours of walking at a slow mountaineering pace. Todd had a bit of a headache towards the end of the climb, but is drinking lots of water and his headache should improve as they move back down to Nido de Condor for the night. The whole point of hiking to Berlin camp is to get exposure to higher altitudes so that they will not be problematic later. This afternoon the clouds began to roll in, but Osvaldo is not concerned. He said that good weather is expected tomorrow.

On the way up to Berlin Camp, they stopped at Niki’s rock. Niki Skocyla was a Berg Adventures climber who will always be in our hearts. In January 2006, Niki sat on this special rock to rest and it was on this rock that he decided to head back down to base camp. The healthy young man from Banff, Alberta was having difficulties climbing and he said it just didn’t seem right. A few weeks after he returned home from Argentina, Niki was diagnosed with lung cancer and after a long hard fight, he passed away in January 2008. Niki’s loving, adventurous spirit is always with us on Aconcagua and every year we pause at his rock to remember him and share his inspirational story with the climbers.

We spoke to Stuart by telephone in his room at the Park Hyatt Mendoza hotel around 1pm today. He and Maggie are glad to be off the mountain, and they are still tired from their descent by mule from Plaza de Mulas yesterday. Despite the disappointment from not being able to reach the summit, Stuart told us that he and Maggie have accepted that that is the way it is on the mountains sometimes. They intend to value their time together and to make the most of what Mendoza has to offer them—they realize that summertime in Argentina is really an opportunity not to miss. Mariela is helping them plan the next few days with the intention of maximizing their enjoyment of the city and its surrounds in the time they have. While wine tours will be on their agenda tomorrow, today they’ve each booked a well-deserved massage. Anyone who has ever ridden a mule from Plaza de Mulas to the highway will know how much that massage will be appreciated.