<Horcones Valley and Base
Camp> <High Camps>
<Summit Day>
01/05/04, 01/06/04 Pre-Climb
After 23hrs of travel from Denver to LA to Lima to Santiago to Mendoza we were
finally there, amazingly
enough with all of our luggage too! It was early
afternoon so after a short ride to downtown Mendoza and our hotel (NH Cordillera)
we were off on our own. A few blocks away were many shops and sidewalk cafes and
the Parque Indepencia with fountains and plenty of places to people 
watch. It
was warm enough for shorts and tee-shirts and great to relax with an Andes beer
and our first of many cheap steaks. Most of the discussions were involving the
climb, gear, and conditions. It was pretty obvious that we were all anxious to
get on the peak!
01/07/04
This day we loaded up our 23 duffels and daypacks to get our permits
before heading to Puente del Inca (Bridge
of the World). It was $300 each for a
climbing permit since it was the prime climbing season (make sure your bills are
brand new, crisp, and without a single tear or blemish). The permits are like
gold and checked at camps to make sure you've paid to climb. The 4hr drive to
Puente del Inca was mostly uphill and very similar to the landscape of western
Colorado and Utah. It was 
pretty windy and dusty in Puente del Inca and
consisted of a few hostels, climbers camps, small stores and kiosks and a
military base across the street. Beautiful scenery on both sides of the
valley
and bus loads of tourists to see the actual bridge formed by mineral deposits
and the structure carved out of it below. We had a great dinner of steaks
(again). A day hike up the valley was on the menu for the next day.
01/08/04
The first obstacle of the day was to chase the cat out of our room that came in
through the window at some point during the night. For our day hike we started
at the church that was the only building that survived an 
avalanche years ago,
and switch-backed up the side of the valley. It wasn't too long before
Aconcagua's South Face and hanging glaciers was looming in the distance about 20 miles
away. It was
fantastic seeing our goal finally for the first time with our own eyes! We
topped out at
about 11,000ft before heading back down to sort gear and pack for
the rest of the day. I could really get used to eating steak each night! The next morning our mules, from Aymara outfitter service,
headed out with all of our stuff besides the day packs that we would carry
through the valley. A quick change of a flat tire and we were on our way to the
trailhead. Once there our permits were checked and we were issued trashbags that
have to be returned full or risk a heavy fine. Aaahhhh, off to trekking up the
Horcones Valley towards Confluencia.....Horcones Valley and Base
Camp
01/22/04 Post-Climb
Back in Puente del Inca after 12 nights/days in a tent with the same clothes,
most would head to the showers first. But what the hell, we earned beer! Off to
the restaurant bar to suck back a few Andes beers, potato chips and revel in the
recent climb. A shower eventually came that was by far the best one ever taken.
At dinner soon after no one looked the same with clean clothes on and combed
hair! The sunburn
was pretty evident but couldn't cover up the ear to ear grins on everyone. Salad (tomatoes
do not mix well with a sunburnt tongue, yes a sunburnt tongue) and steaks before
heading back to the bar for laughs and sharing stories with our friends from Quebec,
London, and Montana.
01/23/04
We bused back to Mendoza and quickly found a
pizza and beer joint. Not as good as American pizza, but delicious just the
same. A few of us went out to "La Forenzia" for dinner that night, a
classy place but that didn't stop us from eating obscenely gigantic steaks and
plenty of wine. We were getting pretty loud and laughing a bunch so the waiter
brought us over champagne instead of asking us to leave! We promised we would be back the next night with the
entire crew and bounced around a couple more bars that night.
01/24/04
A winery tour was on the docket for our last day in Mendoza. The bus was an hour
late and the broken English of the guide was practically unbearable. We were all
excited to get to the tasting room. The first place was more of a factory and we
made our own fun by pretending to pee in the vats and laughing at the old guy
wearing a "Is that your girlfriend? She wasn't last night!" tee-shirt.
The huge oak barrels were pretty impressive though and I learned a lot about how
wine is made. Finally at the tasting room they were out of glasses so we found
our own and hijacked a bottle from another table! As one Canadian put it,
"good old American initiative at work". After several glasses each we
were tuned up and ready for the second winery. Now this place was cool, big
grounds and a more homely feel. We learned how the real tasters judge wine and
drank a few more glasses before buying some for ourselves and an extra bottle
for the bus ride home. That evening we went back to "La Forenzia" and
had our celebratory dinner. The waiter hooked the women and Steve up with roses
and champagne for everyone. Lots of wine, steak, laughs, toasts, and good times
for all. Total bill came to about $11 each, can't beat that! Off to another
night of beers and laughs at the casino and other local bars. May as well do the
last night in Mendoza right!
01/25/04
Our last day was just packing up and chillin' in the park before another 23hrs
of getting home....this time without our luggage. Hint: never check your luggage
in as a group.
<Horcones Valley and Base
Camp> <High Camps>
<Summit Day>
Old woman begging in Mendoza; Fancy bathroom in the Hotel NH Cordillera 
Rich at the permit office; Me at permit office 
A girl and a stray dog at Puente del Inca; The mineral bridge 
The church that survived an avalanche, unlike the rest of the town 
Wayne with Aconcagua looming in the back; Our hostel in Puente del Inca 
<Horcones Valley and Base
Camp> <High Camps>
<Summit Day>
