Aconcagua 2009 The Trek to the Top of the Highest Mountain in the Americas

Today is the day they need to summit. Please keep the team in your prayers. High winds expected so there is a very small margin of time to reach the top.

Today we are still at Plaza de Mulas.  We had a setback with 3 of 4 getting food poisoning or virus.  It was a terrible 24-36 hours especially for Paul and I.  Leslie was sick as well but not as bad.  We had to take our second contingency day.  We go back up to Canada camp tomorrow. We are hoping to summit now on the 10th.  Forecast is for very high winds at the end of that day.  So our window is very narrow.  I am feeling much better than yesterday but a little weak.  I have been able to eat today so that is good sign.  Yesterday we all we very close to giving up but the spirit is much better today.  Everyone is getting along well.


Please tell my beautiful children that I love them dearly and can´t wait to come home to them as well.  This kind of thing reminds me of how lucky I am in so many ways.

PS.  Do not stress about lack of pings from the spot.  we are not sending them everyday if we are not moving.

Matt

Plaza Canada: Acclimatization Trek to Camp 1 “Canada” where the group had lunch and then return to the Base Camp. This trek lasted around 5 hours.

Latitude:-32.64507
Longitude:-70.04303

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-32.64507,-70.04303&ll=-32.64507,-70.04303&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

I just received another email from Matt:

We had to stay one extra day in Confluencia because Leslie got bad altitude sickness.  We had a couple contingency days though so we should be OK.  So we are one day behind the itinerary that I sent you.  Back is holding in there.  Food is terrible and stomach is rebelling.  We are all getting along well and meeting interesting people.  I am taking lots of pictures and keeping up with my journal.

Hello family and friends,

We are all sending an email as a group becauase it´s very expensive here
at 4,3000 meters-  We are at the base camp of Aconcagua, having had an 8
hour hike today-  We are all well and missing you all.  We have sent
several SPOT messages but we can´t tell if you receive them or if they go
out, so if you have not received any please don´t be worried.  It only
means that the coverage isn´t good, not that anything is wrong.  This is
our fourth day out on the trail and there are some snow flurries but so
far everything has gone smoothly and we are all well.  There are no
injuries, we hiked well today and have done so thus far.  At 4pm EST we
will stand at the webcam. You can see us if you look at
www.aconcaguanow.com

Please forward this message to anyone you think
will want to receive it, since we are only sending this to a single email
address per person.

Signing off... we love you all!!  --Leslie, Lennard, Matthew, and Paul

The ice-field immediately above base camp on the standard route.

Trek to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp. Will take about 8 hours. The area is surrounded by water and large rocks that protect tents. This is the most visited camp in the park and the most popular.


It is cold on the mountain today, about 10 degrees...so similar to our lovely Asheville weather this weekend!