Aconcagua Expedition Dispatch

January 19, 2012 – Acclimatization Hike to Plaza Francia

We awoke this morning after our first night camping on the mountain at Confluencia Camp at 11,200ft/3,415m. Yesterday when we entered Aconcagua Provincial Park, Howard’s altimeter read 9,860ft/3,005m. We took our time, stopping for lunch along the way, and it took us about 3 hours of walking to reach Confluencia Camp. There were marvelous views all around us.

If we’ve had any problems so far along the trail, it has been the heat. We have seen nothing of Aconcagua’s notorious winds and the sun in the austral summer is high over our heads during the day and well into the evening. We are in mid-summer here and even at these elevations it can be quite warm with the sun directly on you.

Our trip got off to a very special start. Before we came to the mountain, Howard had told us about a trip to Nicaragua a few years back when he found a small horseshoe. He was excited to take it home, polish it up and display it. Being an Alberta boy, he is into things like that. The horseshoe never made it home. He placed it in his carry-on luggage, but airport security took it from him.

Within in the first 45 minutes of hiking on the trail along the Horcones River, Howard said, “Look at this.” He bent down and picked up a beautiful mule shoe. We all too that for a really special sign that this trip is going to go well - Howard’s lucky mule shoe. He put it in his pack and it will go home in a couple of weeks time in his checked baggage this time. In the meantime, it is a sign of good fortune to come.

Today we are going to hike up to at least 13,125ft/4,000m or beyond up the glacier to Plaza Francia. It will be an acclimatization walk and it looks like it is going to be another clear, sunny day. I expect we will feel less hot today as we climb to a higher elevation. It is going to be beautiful and we will return to Confluencia Camp for another night at this elevation before we continue higher on the mountain.