Aconcagua - Summit of Mt Aconcagua

you today we climb we're going to leave behind the comforts of home that means the bed speaking of beds by the way when you go into the little penitentes hotel check out if you're getting a single or a double bed because the single beds are evidently made for midgets our hearts are leaping with joy as after all these months and months of preparation and training we're walking through this wonderful wilderness area beautiful streams flowers we're doing really well and mules are passing us by carrying up what we're told is going to be steak cooked on seasoned wood let's see the food there was great but believe it or not we actually had better food out on the trail so this first day of hiking was about six hours we hiked seven and a half miles and we got into a beautiful camp okay well it's day 2 day 2 didn't start out so fantastic for lordy but I'm still in this fantastic place boggle is my fantastic guide Tristan is keeping his eye on me because I actually woke up with a little bit of a balance issue but it's getting better a balance issue a throwing up issue stomach it's you but now we're in these hills and it's making me feel great soon I'm going to put on some music that'll help too and then the low point of the apogee call and the big high point up there that's aconcagua and the snow coming down in front of it polish glacier and so in a number of pays above will above base camp we're going to go through that low point there the amadito call that's where our routes going to go and then traverse around the mountains right today we're going to do about 10 miles moving to Casa de piedra at ten thousand six hundred feet a little bit of change today starts out a little chilly we're warmed up by coffee breakfast and bagels and pears and we start the most glorious walk I don't know why aconcagua is not thought of as a beautiful mountain you can see from these pictures it's got all the streams it's got all the flowers it's got beautiful areas of meadows and you saw a little sign there that said area recuperation pay loiter took that as an opportunity to lay down and recuperate Hey no pooping here very briefly we walk into camp and see aconcagua for the first time it's beautiful it's daunting and we're just absolutely having a blast well we get up at 6 a.m. and have our coffee at 7 a.m. we hand all our bags to the mule drivers and then we get to elect pay 25 bucks to ride those mules or walk across the river well you can guess that lordy and his buddies decided to ride those mules ha let me tell you some mighty fine bedfellows you're so dumb there's nothing to compare you with you're done with the dumbest jackass look at each other will you ever see anything like this ever being president that's out done they don't even see the riches your tread now we came from that way there where we camped last night at Casa de piedra we've done two river crossing in a second now we're going to head this way that's our Mountain right there aconcagua twenty-two thousand eight hundred and forty-one feet and the one on the rights obligee no and base camp is going to be down underneath aconcagua at a place we can't see right now then we gain 3,300 feet of elevation spread over about six hours through the most gorgeous terrain as you can plainly see walking on into base camp now we're up at nearly 14,000 feet and lloyd draws first blood that's right a boulder comes careening down the mountain it's being the leg lucky it didn't break my leg Neal's mules mules we're having a blast it's so gorgeous now we're in base camp for the next four days oh stop the endless stream of climbers so in this great Basecamp notice I got my Sherpa flags out look at that sign cigarettes pizzas Porter's burgers and why can they do all of that at 14,000 feet well because you got the helicopters flying in loads every single day so there's lots of things to choose from and there's even a bit of entertainment you saw the jugglers in base camp each day we hike between a thousand and 3,800 feet into this beautiful terrain while our bodies are building red blood cells and that's the whole idea of spending four days acclimatizing we climb up to sixteen thousand six hundred feet for our next camp and all the time we're going up and back down to sleep at base camp passing these beautiful ice walls passing the famous penitentes which are those stalagtites of ice and there it is the famous goat of aconcagua you saw it flash line just a minute ago you got waterfall she got ice you got pizza you got it all happening and next we're in hi cam so just to specifically make all the rest of us normal we're slightly overweight wannabes feel shitty about ourselves here's the guy that's just gotta eat just has to get up there and walk the tightrope I mean I admire it but I hate that I hate you dude no I don't really hate him the yogurt in is that your idea of yoga yeah it's a beautiful day this guy is so bright blue who's been working it trying to get you started this is a load carrying gay so we're ferrying the load to our next campsite incredible spindrift was that an indicator of we had some snow presently back there yeah that's correct ah the whole climb right there maybe do a great job great facing you guys will call Fitch Hill this is on the way up to camp one it's all a pleasure that's just big old Argentina below us here we are at Camp one Tristan Justin hurt the Wonder Boy D once the clouds just disappeared just moving around now we're going to have breakfast up over the camps and then we're going to climb up that Ridge you can actually see a climber in the ridge right now it'll be us carrying loads up to the next camp camp - okay we are still on our way up to camp - but we're almost there this is a nearly 18,000 feet out 17-6 Cheers Oh Makino Bing right right above us yes we're and partially obscured by cloud even it's sixteen thousand six hundred feet it's serious business I mean twenty six hundred feet above Mount Whitney the highest point in the continental United States climbing up to 18,000 feet for a load carrying day you need to have a climatized properly luckily for a skirt wet burg and Sierra mountaineering are masters at a climate izing and we're all really doing very very well on our way to 18,000 but we're gonna come back down and sleep before we move our camp the next day we've come all the way up from down there you're we arresting awesome season famous that is the Andes and here's the trail as I spin around which continues up and somewhere up in there is their next camp thank God for these Porter's who carry backpacks with anywhere from 60 to 100 pounds depending on if they carry double loads or not you really couldn't do this without them very easily I know I couldn't setting up home at 18,000 feet oh my gosh it's so gorgeous we feel like we're on top of the world my friend Lloyd he and I have been saying for a few days now if our friends could see what we see they would understand why we climb mountains so it's just about the magic hour here at Camp 2 and I'm gonna spin this camera around and show you what we would see but love there that's polish glacier that's the most difficult route on the mountain we are not going that way put up on top where you can see the clouds the spindrift that's look cumbre de aqui para complices now understand now why we climb we are leaving camp 2 on our way to camp 3 doing to carry 19,700 feet just I here under that magical 20,000 foot mark long day high day feeling pretty good though we're hoping that Hawks copter can land as its third try and last try he's gotta have the windows we just right 42,000 feet one of our teammates is strict and adjusted with pulmonary edema we're doing the best we can Curt interest in but in particular Kurt has summoned all the available aid we were just told sorry not possible they will not be able to cough to remote from here the wind has died down slightly and this copters going to come in make one more valiant attempt to get Justin out of here they gave me a shot of something on the water girl we're all wishing you a little building at this time instructor makes it as I'm documenting this I'm doing so at the request of our guide curve of believing for insurance rate one of the reasons in what's the document we're asking for with the rescue of Justin is the reason you travel with the strongest guide you can possibly find in this case Kurt weds Berg who is among me really the strongest guides that are still actively participating in mountaineering today had to piggyback Justin on long stretches it was a 10-hour rescue and while Kurt was doing that there he is well my buddy Ricardo was busy shaving and taking care of himself and true Luck's adventure style so while our hearts were with trust in him we wished him well we were sitting back waiting to find out news while we enjoyed the majesty of the mountain and then moved on and moved up three nights at eighteen thousand eighteen thousand and then nineteen thousand seven hundred feet I was cold I was shivering worst of all my thumbs were bleeding badly although my pulse oximeter was good my numbers were good I didn't feel that great I couldn't pull up zippers I couldn't pull up the zipper in my sleeping bag or my clothes for the tents I couldn't put on crampons I couldn't handle my equipment well I just wasn't at my best and I was faced with this arduous climb up at 20,000 feet I called I told her I'm just gonna ruin Ricardo's summit bid it's not right I just think I had no chance to make that in retrospect I'm really quite sure I was right so it was time to get Lodi off the mountain while Ricardo went to the top Kirk came down with me hi Carlo went on with Tristan nope they're doing well the winds have persisted not quite as high as they were Kurt's been just amazing he tucked me in let me have a couple hours of sleep now he's packing these enormous packs that he's gonna wear pack out because I can't carry anything I'm weak tired and cold but I know that I'll be able to go downhill to Plaza de Mulas we're going to use a peach line earlier retired vet Kurt's got this I don't know at least one and we're doing good we're hoping in that tent it's ahead of us we can make arrangements to get a helicopter pullover down on the mountain lots of big tents there and they have tables and chairs and you can probably get a color for $7 on the fear while Lloyd he is being helped down-and-out to make his escape from the mountain Ricardo is the real star of our show and my hero he's going up higher and higher up in the Andes finally to the highest point in the world outside of the Himalayas outside of Asia he interesting did it and I'm so glad that they did somebody sure needed to well here's the successful summiteers of Sierra mountaineering International and luxe adventures we that's Tristan Ricardo I'm going to pan around a little bit but first of all Tristan Kurt told us it was going to be the hardest day of our lives and he was great he it was right but look at what we get folks here we go here is the summit of aconcagua the highest mountain of America's the highest mountain in the world outside of Asia nearly 23,000 feet toughest day of our lives enjoy it you which will reach the summit at 4:47 p.m. we started our summit attempt at 6:38 well as I get choppered off this mountain knowing that my buddy is probably summoning and of course he did and then he'd be choppered off the next day or maybe two days later I know that I've had one heck of an adventure made it to 20,000 feet again had an unbelievable two and a half weeks on the mountain very grateful to Sierra mountaineering international particularly Curt wet bird his trusty assistant Tristan and to Justin Lily made a new friend on the mountain loved Argentina loved the mountain and can't hardly wait for my next adventure

Channel: Lloyd Charton

Views: 33,076

Keywords: Aconcagua (Mountain), aconcagua, trekking, mountain climbing, lloyd charton, lux adventures, Summit of Mt Aconcagua, aconcagua summit, aconcagua climb

Id: J-zWZnJcTRM

Length: 21min 52sec (1312 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 29 2015