10 Dec 2010 (Mendoza - Refugio Mausy @ 2900m)
Pictures
I had booked myself for an acclimatization climb from 10 - 14 Dec 2010. I checked out of my hostel and left with my guide on a 2h ride from Mendoza to the mountains. We were in a 4WD and I was happy to leave the hot and dusty city weather behind.
We arrived at Refugio Mausy (2900m) just before noon. It was a cosy wooden lodge in the Cordon del Plata region. It was one of several that dotted the winding road to the mountain. They housed hikers and climbers who were attempting short hikes in the cool weather, or climbing the many peaks there. This region is a favourite amongst climbers who are acclimatizing for Aconcagua. It has similar terrain and weather to Aconcagua, and offers several peaks, each scalable within a few days. We could choose between Cerro Plata (6000m) or Cerro Vallecitos (5500m), both shared the same approach right up to the High Camp. Although in Apu's opinion, it was better to take it easy and climb Vallecitos, because the idea was to acclimatize. It would not be wise to over-stress the body before Aconcagua.
After a lazy sandwich bite, we headed out for a short hike, up to 3200m. I also managed to have a hot shower that afternoon, a luxury in the mountains. :) My guide, Apu, made us dinner that night - stewed steak & potato.
11 Dec 2010 (Refugio Mausy to Camp 1 @ 3600m)
I got up at 9am and got organized. I had arranged for Walter to bring my pack to the first camp. Walter was looking after the Refugio Mausy and could also provide 'porter' services. The concept of porter was certainly different from what we were accustomed to in Nepal. I must admit that Nepal trekking hospitality totally spoilt us all, unmatched in any other parts of the mountaineering world.
We set off at 11am for a slow easy trek to Camp 1. The terrain comprised loose rocks all the way. We passed some greenery and moved to a dry desert like landscape. Camp 1 was at 3600m, and we arrived at 1.30pm (2.5h). Walter passed us along the way, with my much loaded backpack.
Apu & Walter set up the tent. We had some bites of bread, ham and cheese for lunch. It was windy that day, and all my down gear was out. We lazed around in the tent and campsite. I could sleep a lot when I am in the mountains. An afternoon snooze in the sun, with the wind cooling things down sounded promising. Soon, Apu made us dinner - sausages and potato soup!
In the mountains, the summer daylight was from 6am to 845pm. It felt really good to have such long hours of sunshine. I did not have to use my headlamp at all. I did my usual routine of wet wipes and was snug in my sleeping bag by 830pm. It started snowing lightly.
12 Dec 2010 (Camp 1 to High Camp @ 4200m)
It continued snowing throughout the night. I woke up intermittently and heard the spattering of snow on the tent. By morning, we were covered in snow and assaulted by howling winds. The view at 8am outside my tent was not pleasant. The climbers in the other tents were discussing if they should set off or stay put. Walter had arrived with our other supplies. He was meant to carry them up to the High Camp, but with the weather questionable, we told him to leave the things and go back. We arranged to meet him again the next day at 4pm.
Miraculously, the weather cleared up at 10am. Such was the weather in the region. Climbers began to break camp. We now had a problem of how to bring all our gear between Apu and myself. We somehow managed to strap everything - I am so so thankful I bought this Ariel 75L backpack! My pack was not that heavy - perhaps 12 - 15kg? But it was so stuffed, it looked bigger than me.
We set off at 11am and arrived at the high camp at 2:30pm. We were now at 4200m, and the weather was glorious. Bright sunshine and clear skies. There was even some melting snow nearby that we could get water from. I made a bottle of Tang orange juice in my Nalgene bottle. It was a satchet mixed with water. It was my first time trying the drink, but the sweet flavouring at high altitude was welcoming. For dinner, Apu boiled us some cheese ravioli pasta, accompanied by canned tuna. I also had the luxury of hot tea.
13 Dec 2010 (High Camp - Vallecitos Summit @ 5500m - Refugio Mausy)
We woke up at 4am to prepare for the summit. We set off at 5am and were blessed with great weather. There was no wind at all - a huge difference in the mountains - and visibility was good. I was decked in my new Scarpa boots, down jacket, and shell. There was no snow, but the double boots were an insulation against the cold. It was not so extreme that morning, and I did not have to use my down mitts or balaclava. Nonetheless, I carried them in my pack (just in case) together with my water bottle. I was using a stow-able summit pack (a handy Tatonka travel backpack that kept into a tiny pouch in itself, a birthday gift from friends).
There was a residential dog at High Camp that followed us all the way. We also met a pair of Swiss climbers along the way. Or rather, they overtook me. They were also going to Aconcagua two weeks later. The summit of Mt Vallecitos looked so far. The slopes were steep (we were going from 4200 to 5500m!) and I was going very slowly. We finally made it to the summit at 11am, some 6h after setting off. :) The dog included. Wow! Mt Vallecitos was pronounced as "Val-yel-ci-tos". In Espanol, the double-L sounded like a "Yel".
The descent was not easy at all. All the loose rocks meant a lot of sliding and strain on my knees. I took 3h (2pm) just to get back to High Camp. We hurriedly ate something, packed up and rushed to Camp 1. We were supposed to meet Walter at 4pm and most likely not be able to make it. Apu rushed ahead to try and catch Walter. My knees were feeling the strain from all that descent. More loose rocks. I arrived at Refugio Mausy at 630pm. It had been a long long day, almost 13h of trekking.
We wanted to have pizza for dinner - real food. To my surprise, Walter promptly whipped out his pots and started kneading one from scratch! In the meanwhile, I had another hot shower. Ah bliss. The pizza was heavenly too. All in, I paid Walter Ar 580 for the porter and dinner services. Gladly.
I was extremely sleepy by 9pm. My knees were sore, and my right ankle felt wobbly - the result of a loosened boot on loose rocks. Luckily it was ok after some ankle rotation and stretching.
14 Dec 2010 (Refugio Mausy - Mendoza)
There was a bunch of Argentinian youngsters at the Refugio last night. They were on summer vacation and stayed there for a few days, just doing short hikes and enjoying the outing. How nice! Pity we could not do that sort of escapades in Singapore. Looking at the mountains around me, I would have loved to be there and go trail running everyday. Apu said that he ever ran from Refugio Mausy to Mt Plata in 8h. And that in 2006, he ran up Aconcagua in 20h (road to road)! Gosh, I would be happy if I could do that in 20 days!
The drive back to Mendoza was a rude welcoming to the heat and dust. I spent the afternoon updating Alber and my Facebook photos, and just chilling out. I sent my clothes to the laundry and walked around. I managed to order some lunch - sandwich and tea - via sign language. I did not speak a word of Espanol, and most people did not speak English either. I popped by Carrefour to buy more water, tea bags and Tang orange juice satchets. It was extremely well-stocked, I should not have brought so many items from Singapore. Anyway, the heat was just too much, I bailed out after 2h and returned to my hostel. Sitting in the dining area and writing my blog seemed a better idea. Maybe I would go out to get dinner much later - as the locals do.
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