Sure, getting to base camp was a nice reward for some hard work; I got to relax for a bit to acclimatize at just over 14,000ft, but now the real work begins.  By the time you are reading this, I will have carried gear up another 3,000ft to Camp 1, and then turned around and decended back to base camp to sleep.  The following day, I will have broke camp and carried the otherpart of the load up to Camp 1.  Each load weighs about 50lbs, the terrain gets steeper, and the air gets thinner.  You may have a good day and think mountain climbing is the greatest thing since Trappest-brewed Belgian Ales, the next day you may never want to see a mountain again.  And if all goes according to plan, I will repeat this process two more times until  I get to high camp at just over 20,000ft before a summit bid (weather permitting, of course)

You might be saying, “wait, all that work and you’re going back down?  Is that right?”  Yes, it is called the cache and carry.  Also, there is a motto in the mountaineering world that says, “climb high, sleep low.”  and that is the essence of the cache and carry.  It not only gives climbers a chance for their bodies to acclimatize to the higher altitudes for a brief period of time, but it also is imperative for them to move up food and supplies that will be needed for the rest of the climb.

And that is the cache and carry in mountaineering.  Cheers!

A wise person once said, “Sometimes the greatest form of action is inaction.”  In mountaineering this is especially true.  Welcome to the world of acclimating to high altitude.

Today I am taking a rest day at base camp.  And as slacking as it may sound, taking this day will be one of many key factors in the success or failure to reach Aconcagua’s summit at 22,841ft.

So what goes into a rest day and why is it important?  Well let me use part of my rest day to tell you.  For starters, the body undergoes numerous changes at higher elevation in order to increase oxygen delivery to cells and improve efficiency of oxygen use. These adaptations begin almost immediately and continue to occur for several weeks. People vary in their ability to acclimatize–some adjust quickly while others may fail to acclimatize altogether, even with gradual exposure over a period of weeks.  Taking this one step farther, even an individual themself may vary in his or her ability to acclimatize relative to previous experiences at altitude.  It really is one of the true “x-factors” in mountaineering.  Failure to properly acclimatize (proper acclimatization includes: climbing slow, rest days at camps, hydrating well, eating high-carb foods, and taking short acclimatization hikes) can obviously lead to altitude sickness to varying degrees.

So how does acclimatization work?  In general, the body becomes approximately 80 percent acclimatized after 10 days at altitude and approximately 95 percent acclimatized by six weeks. The respiratory rate peaks in about one week and then slowly decreases over the next few months, although it tends to remain higher than its normal rate at sea level. After 10 days, the heart rate starts to decrease.  The reverse is true on the decent: we begin losing the hard-won adaptations at approximately the same rate at which we gained them; 10 days after returning to sea level, we have lost 80 percent of our adaptations. This rest day, as mentioned, not only will give the me a chance for the body to acclimatize to the higher altitude, but it also allows me to reload my equipment and supplies that I will need to carry up to and use at the higher camps.  Further, it also allows me to become more informed about the conditions at higher altitudes. As you might imagine, this doesn’t take much time so you really find yourself sitting around, journal, read, eat, drink lots of water, ponder your life (you would be surprised how many people make life changes after being on a mountain!) to name a few.  Some people may talk to climbers on other teams.  If they are feeling overly ambitious, they may go out for an easy hike around the camp just to keep the blood flowing.

Asd that is how and why doing nothing can help you reach great heights.

Greetings! Tomorrow morning I will be flying out to attempt a solo, self-guided climb of South America’s Mt. Aconcagua–one of the Seven Summits of the world and the highest peak in the world outside of the Himalayas–in an effort to raise funds for Endure to Cure’s Small Wish Program.

At 22,841' elevation, Aconcagua is the highest peak in the world outside of the Himalaya's

On the morning of February 12, 2012,  I will begin the approach climb to base camp.  I will move one step at a time, slow and steady, to help the fight against pediatric cancer. YOU can be a part of this journey by tracking our progress right here on the NoLimits blog and on facebook. I will do my best to provide updates through our support team. But better yet, if you’re interested in taking the fight into your own hands and joining Team Endure to Cure, please check us out and discover how you can be somebody’s hero.

So say whaaaaa!? What is this climb all about?
Alright, I know it sounds a bit intense, neither of us has pushed ourselves to these heights or in the nasty weather conditions that are sure to loom in the altitudes high above, but we feel very well prepared to execute. The proceeds raised from this climb will help Endure to Cure fund its Small Wishes Program. Click here to check out some of the past wishes we have funded.

So…The Nuts & Bolts on Aconcagua:
• At 6962m (22,841ft) above sea level, Aconcagua is the highest mountain not only in South America, but it is also the highest in the world outside of Asia.
• Located near the border of Chile and Argentina and lying entirely in the Mendoza region of Argentina, the ascent to the summit offers stunning views of the Andes mountain range. The “Stone Sentinel” is surrounded by numerous peaks over 20,000ft. and the surrounding lowlands consist of beautiful desert landscapes with a large diversity of flora and fauna.
• Aconcagua is generally climbed from late November through the beginning of March.
• The “Stone Sentinel” is notorious for its inhospitable weather conditions:
- Temperatures generally range from highs in the 90°s with intense wind and sun near the base to lows of -40° or worse with wind chill at the higher elevations.
- Winds on the mountain can often reach hurricane-force levels providing for interesting camp sites.

The Route:
We will be taking the Polish Traverse Route from the Vacas Valley Approach. This is regarded as a moderately difficult route and requires intermediate experience. It is non-technical for the most part but ice axes, crampons, and harnesses are required, and rope lines may be used on certain parts depending on the conditions.

The Climb:
Similar to Everest, Aconcagua is an “expedition style” mountain which means you must trek in to base camp before you can begin the actual climb. This will take a few days over rough, rolling terrain and a few river crossings. Though we will still be carrying a weighted pack, a silver lining is that pack mules will haul the heavy loads of necessary equipment, food, and gear to base camp. After that, it is up to our team to carry to higher camps, break and move camps since we will not have porters or sherpas doing this for us.

Here is what our day-by-day itenerary currently looks like. But keep in mind that in mountain climbing, as in life, having a strategy that is flexible is necessary to improve your odds of success. We must adapt to the ever-changing environment, circumstances and conditions; so this definitely is subject to change:

Day 1 (Saturday, February 11): Drive ~4 hours from Mendoza to Penitentes and then camp overnight at Los Puquios (~8,000ft)
Day 2: Hike to Pampa de Leñas (9,000 ft.)
Day 3: Hike to Casa de Piedra (12,000 ft.)
Day 4: Hike to Plaza Argentina Base Camp (13,800 ft.)
Day 5: Rest day in Plaza Argentina.  Basically hang out, write in journal, read, or ponder whatever you’d like.
Day 6: Acclimatization climb to Camp 1 (16,400 ft.) and return to base camp. We will make a “carry” of gear needed at higher altitudes and then return to base camp.
Day 7: Move to Camp 1.
Day 8: Carry to Camp 2 (19,200 ft.) and return to Camp 1.
Day 9: Move to Camp 2.
Day 10: Move to High Camp (20,600ft)
Days 11: Summit days.  Wake up around 4:30am, make push to summit starting around 5am, return to sleep at high camp.  This could be a 14-hour day depending on conditions.
Days 12-15: These are extra days built into the itinerary in the event the weather does not allow us to proceed as planned.
Day 16: Traverse to Berlin (19,400 ft.) and descend to Plaza de Mulas
Day 17: Hike about 6.5 hours out to Puente del Inca and make drive back to Mendoza.

YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO; join our TEAM!! Our philosophy is simple: ANYBODY, ANY EVENT, ANYWHERE in the world. For more information on how you can join our team of fundraising members, please click here: JOIN TEAM E2C. Be ordinary, do extraordinary.

THANK YOU!
Jason Sissel

PS: We would like to thank each of our volunteers, friends, sponsors and partners who make our organization possible. Without you, we do not exist, so thank you.  In particular, Delta Air Lines, Arc’Teryx, La Sportiva, Suunto, and Elevate Studios who have made this expedition possible.