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Published: March 24th 2011
On the Descent Near Buenos Aires, a.k.a. Bs As
I'm almost certain that cloud bank on the horizon is covering Aconcagua as that was the day that many outfitters' tents were destroyed by the Viento Blanco, or White Wind.Finally got around to posting and annotating photos from December's trip to Argentina. A synopsis of the Aconcagua climb is provided in case anyone is wondering about the details. Note: $1 = 1 ARG peso and at the time of the trip $US1 ≈ 3.9-4.0 pesos.
Day -2, 12/9/2010 - Spent the day in Atlanta after a red-eye from Seattle. Slept in the terminal for about 3 hours til 9 am before grabbing some breakfast and heading downtown for the CNN tour which was kind of lame. The long, uneventful flight to Bs As left around 8 pm. Sadly no upgrade since it was a frequent flier ticket but that did not preclude me from asking. At least I had an exit row for the 10 hour flight.
Day -1 - Arrived on time in Bs As, cruised through immigration with the new twist of US passport holders being charged $140 for a 10 year entry permit. Sweated out waiting for my bags containing all the gear and food for 12 days on the mountain. Customs was also quick. Took the shuttle from EZE to the center, dumped my bags at their office, cashed a wad of travelers checks,
then proceeded to the nearby Retiro bus terminal to purchase an overnight bus ticket to Mendoza. Spent the rest of the day struggling to stay awake so I would sleep on the bus. This would be the third consecutive night not spent in a bed: red-eye to Atlanta, overnight flight to Bs As, overnight bus ride to Mendoza.
Day 0 - Bus pulled in to Mendoza around 10:30 am. Checked the schedule to Penitentes if there was still a bus that I could catch the same day. Last bus left ~3 pm so I purchased the ticket, left the bags at the
guardaría, and proceeded to the municipal office to buy the climbing permit - a whopping $2200 (almost 3x what I paid in 2004). That is shoulder season price. It goes up to $3000 from mid-December to early March. And the park provides absolutely no services whatsoever, not even a toilet, at base camp or Nido. Also purchased white gas which was much cleaner than in 2004. Thankfully I did not have any issues with the stove unlike 2004. Left for the 3½ hour ride to Penitentes where I split my gear into what I would leave behind
Crossing the Muddy Horcones River
Day 1 of the trek to base camp, December 12. Aconcagua in the distance. (not much), what I would carry on my own to base camp (also not much), and what the mule would carry (alot, 20-25 kg). Finally got a good night's sleep in an actual bed.
Day 1 - First dropped off the bag with the
arriero (mule driver) on the way to the park. Signed in with the rangers who gave me my numbered garbage bag which would be inspected at check out to make sure it was the same bag and actually contained garbage. It was really windy when I started the hike to Confluencia Camp (3320 meters) but by the time I reached the camp it was calm. Took about 3-4 hours at a leisurely pace. There was a doctor at camp who administered the mandatory health check, basically pulse, blood oxygen level, and breathing sounds. No problems.
Day 2 - Acclimatization hike to Plaza Francia (4100 meters) which is the base camp for the South Face. Easy hike, maybe 8 hours round trip with an altitude gain of almost 800 meters. Feeling pretty good. Pretty, pretty good.
Day 3 - Big day, maybe the toughest of the whole trip for me, the dreaded hike to
Confluencia Campsite
Home for first and second nights. Steep cliffs of Almacenes (5282 m) in the background. base camp at Plaza de Mulas (4270 meters) which almost killed me in 2004. I was better prepared this time being able to carry and drink 4 liters of water. Barely any shade on the ~18 km hike. Took a long rest at the approximate mid-point where I chatted with a porter in halting Spanish. Just under 8 hours from Confluencia to base camp. Met Pablo (the outfitter who arranged the mule and accommodation in Penitentes) and his crew, set up the tent, shared a pasta dinner, and crashed early.
Day 4 - Should have been a rest day but I was feeling great so I did a short hike up to Camp Canada at 4910 meters.
Day 5 - Was planning to carry to Nido de Condores (5350 meters) but the forecast was bad so took a rest day instead.
Day 6 - Forecast improving so carried a load to Nido. ~7 hours round trip. Tough day. And cold.
Day 7 - Moved to Nido. Another tough day, windy and cold. Took forever to set up the tent. Feeling good physically but that night blew some serious wind. Most of the night I thought the
Aconcagua's Imposing South Face
Side trip to Plaza Francia (base camp for S Face climbs) on day 2 from Confluencia. Normal Route is on the other side of the mountain. tent would split open dispersing all my gear halfway to Chile and prematurely terminating the trip. Fortunately, that did not happen but I was too rattled to sleep.
Day 8 - Calm and relatively warm. Day hike to Berlin Camp (5780 meters).
Day 9 - Summit attempt. Woke up early so headed out before dawn. Passed Berlin Camp still in the dark but it was light by the time I got to the next camp at White Rocks (6250 meters). Hadn't seen too many people up to that point. After White Rocks I was really starting to feel the altitude and it was a struggle to the next camp at Plaza Independencia (6377 meters). There were 3 other climbers there and that was when I decided to turn around. Very bummed. Cruised back down to Nido and slept for a bit.
Day 10 - Rest. Decided to give it one more shot if I could find bigger boots.
Day 11 - Back to base camp to rent a pair of Scarpa Invernos. Returned to Nido in the afternoon. Tough day. Climb low, sleep high is not a proper expedition strategy. Probably did me in for the
rest of the trip.
Day 12 - Summit attempt but turned around after an hour. New boots did not help.
Day 13 - Moved back to base camp. Partied with Pablo and the crew.
Day 14, 12/25/2010 - 28 km hike out without the assistance of a mule because it was Christmas and none of the
arrieros were working. Painful day. Spent the night in Penitentes, took a bus to Mendoza the next day and Bariloche that night.
Travel Related Details
Mendoza
Transport Took Flechabus from Bs As, comfy
cama (bed) and really good service for $340. Left around 8 pm and arrived at 10:30 am. Expreso Uspallata runs from Mendoza to Penitentes and Puente del Inca 3 or 4 times a day in about 3.5 hours for $26.50. Left luggage in Mendoza's terminal costs $10/large piece for 24 hours or fraction thereof. If you stay in Penitentes, Cerro Aconcagua had a very nice $40 set menu with 4 or 5 courses and served the best
churrasco lomo I've ever had in Argentina. It'll probably be the only place open outside of ski season.
Bariloche
Accommodation and food Stayed at Aconcagua Hotel right in
the center of town for $229 with a 10%!c(MISSING)ash discount on top of that. I actually saw signs in restaurants that offered a 10%!c(MISSING)ash discount. Nice hotel but the breakfast buffet needed a lot of work. Ate twice at El Chirunguito which was not only great, inexpensive (for Bariloche) food but it was possible to get dinner before 8 pm. The other night went to Pajaro's for
pizza libre, all you can eat cooked to order pizza, not a buffet.
Transport Andesmar has the most frequent service from Mendoza. Took an overnight
semi cama service for $400 and it arrived 2 hours late after an electrical systems breakdown in the middle of the night in some backwater shit hole. Literally... although it was more of a shit ditch as the bus stopped next to an open sewer around which the passengers inexplicably congregated during the unavoidable delay. It is normally a long 20 hour ride. Departing Bariloche, I had planned on direct service to Mar del Plata on Via Bariloche but there was only one bus/day and it was sold out for several days. Instead, I mistakenly took Andesmar again to Bahia Blanca ($274) thinking it would
have the best connections to Mardel but that was not true. This bus also arrived late in Bahia Blanca and I had to wait 8 hours until 5 pm for the Mardel bus which arrived at 11:45 pm. That was with El Rapido for $125 and there is no other option. I think Bs As is the only place in Argentina with an abundance of transportation to Mardel. I most certainly would have been better served going from Bariloche to Bs As then catching one of the numerous buses or trains to the beach.
Refugio Frey Makes for a nice day trip from Bariloche. There are bunks, camp sites, and food for purchase for overnighting. Catch the ~hourly bus from the center for $6 (exact schedule available from the tourist office). The trail hugs the lake for 1-2 hours then a river before the last steep bit which opens up into the lake basin and
refugio situated just above the treeline. Total one way time was 3:20 with many stops at a mellow pace. I left Bariloche ~10 am and was back ~7 pm with ample time at the hut for chilling and eating
picata. Tried an alternate way
Still Imposing
On the ~4 hour return to Confluencia. down but the signage was poor and ended up back in the main parking lot a little battered and seriously dehydrated. Good thing the
pizza libre was the same night. The poor trail markings were not my imagination as 3 other hikers that I met at the hut and later on the bus tried the same thing and got equally disoriented.
Cerro Campaniero Another nice day trip and much tamer than Frey. There is also a public bus and the ride is short. There is a chair lift ($40) to the lookout but also a stout trail (free). It is crowded but the views are amazing. Cafe at the top. Allow 3-4 hours round trip from Bariloche.
Mar del Plata
Accommodation and food Hotel Mar del Plata @ 2851 Belgrano is to be avoided at all costs. The other hotel where I stayed is a gem called Hotel Molise which is an odd name but is actually named after an Italian village and owned/run by a very nice Italian woman. It is located at 1789 Mitre about a 10-15 minute walk from the beach. Single room was $90 and included the standard Argentine breakfast of a couple of
Unknown Peak Far in the Distance
Looking down the Horcones Inferior Valley on the return hike to Confluencia. media lunas and coffee. It is super quiet and there is a small lounge area for watching TV and potentially meeting other guests, almost hostel-like.
There is definitely no shortage of places to eat in Mardel. It appears that the entire city is comprised solely of hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars. Portofino (Belgrano & Corrientes) is a nice cafe with good breakfasts and stuffed pizza. Cafe Los Olivos (Moreno & Estera) is a cheap hole in the wall but served good sandwiches and juices. Went to one
tenedor libre which literally means "free fork" but is actually a massive, highly varied buffet common all over the country that I've only seen in restaurants run by Chinese immigrants. Anyway, the place is La Yerra on the 2900 block of Belgrano. All you can eat including
parilla is $32, probably the cheapest in Mar, and a 375 ml bottle of decent Argentine wine is $12. One more restaurant - Picante (Peatonal & Corrientes) - does brisk business serving pizzas and huge sandwiches. A decent sized Roquefort pizza went for $25. For delicious ice cream, there are several outposts of the Reggio chain where a double cone is $7.
Transport Manuel
Day 3 and the Brutal Move to Base Camp
8 hours in the scorching heat and nowhere to get water en route. Carried and guzzled 4 liters. A washed out Cerro Cuerno (5476 m) looms in the distance. Tienda Leon shuttle from Mardel direct to EZE for $190 which is really convenient to go straight from the beach to the airport. It is a 6 hour trip with ~30 minutes for a meal break halfway through the trip. Nice bus, toilet on board, movies and about a dozen departures throughout the day. Just hope they don't show "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."
Buenos Aires
Accommodation The airline put me up at the Sheraton Hotel for the night. It's not often I stay in 5 star luxury. OK, never. Breakfast and lunch buffets were fantastic, serving food besides the typical steak, pizza, and pasta. Dinner was a la carte and the steak was far from the best I've had in Argentina.
Transport Manuel Tienda Leon shuttle from EZE to downtown Bs As leaves about every 30 minutes for $45 with an extra $5 for drop off service anywhere in the city. But do not use the drop off service for a transfer to Retiro as they drop you at the curb and there is a long way to walk from there to the buses. Take a taxi from their main office or walk as Retiro is close
Base Camp, 4400 meters
Home for 4 nights on the ascent and one more night on the return. Cerro Cuerno in the background. enough carrying little baggage. The office also has luggage storage for $10.
Recoleta Cemetary Free tour in English at 11 am on Tuesday. Tours in other languages are also available.
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