Aconcagua Expedition Dispatch
December 24, 2018 – Permits Issued and We Are in Penitentes
Christmas Eve was our day to get our permits issued and drive to Penitentes, near the Chilean Border. We moved into Hotel Aleyen, at elevation 8,500 feet. Osvaldo and he team added many duffel bags and boxes of food and supplies our gear. These two days at Penitentes will be important for organization as well as acclimatization.
Kara signing her permit form at the Mendoza Provincial Park office on the way out of town
Permits are issued!
At Hotel Aleyen we enjoyed our meals together in a restaurant that full of other climbers. Osvi got this photo of Sergio and Maria with John and Kara at dinner.
One of our first stops was the viewpoint of our mountain, Aconcagua - it looks big!
Later we drove higher toward to pass on the Chilean - Argentine border. It's summer but the snow banks along the road are still large in places.
The beautiful weather and the motivation of John and Kara meant that we climbed higher above the pass than we ever have before - a great first acclimatization day!