During the trip and approach marches, a diet of fresh vegetables, meats, salads, milk, eggs, and fruits will be projected as much as possible in camp. As for the altitude menu, the dominant factor should be the choice of food by the mountaineer himself according to his tastes, always considering the caloric wealth necessary for eating at altitude. It will be complemented with some vitamin complex compensates for the diet deficiencies in some of its aspects. A fundamental factor in the diet is represented by the ingestion of at least 2 liters of liquid. In Mendoza, you can buy everything you need for food, including some dehydrated foods.
Generally from December to March. Experience indicates that although the “peak” months are colder, their climate is more stable. A correct calculation of the time is to have several reserve days planned to wait for the right time in the storm. A “Sombrerete de humo,” white wind on the Aconcagua Summit, is a sign of a storm in height, advising not to continue ascending.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
HEIGHTS AND TYPES OF LAND
Mendoza, 735 meters above sea level. Capital city.
Los Puquios. Mule service for the transport of expeditions. A place for campers (in front of the Andinistas cemetery), 1 km. before Puente del Inca on the route from Mendoza.
Inca Bridge 2,730 mts. Broken. Roads, Police, Telegraph, etc. There is an inn.
Laguna Horcones, 2,900 mts. Lagoon and glacial moraines. Ranger Control.
Confluence, 3,200 meters. Broken. Animal Trail.
Plaza de Mulas Superior, 4,230 mts. Glacial moray eels. Track.
Portezuelo “Manso”, 5,200 mts. Haulage. Paths.
Refuge “Antártida Argentina”, 5,500 mts. Haulage. Paths.
Shelters 6,000 mts. Pedregal. Traces of snow.
Shelters 6,500 mts. Scree and snow.
Peñón Martínez. Pedregal, 6,600 mts.
Final gutter, 6,800 mts. Large stones. Tilt approximately 45 °.
South summit, 6,900 mts. Passages of rock, ice, snow.
North summit, 6,959 mts. Rocky. A Christian cross frames it, and an Argentine flag guards it. Aconcagua, my first high mountain !!!. Why Aconcagua? A companion asked the question of the expedition, a German, who had already done a couple of experiences in height, Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro. I replied that the Aconcagua 360 Route is “the most” for an Argentine, the highest peak, outside the Himalayan chain, our mountain, our symbol of height, of challenge, and it is there … just there.
Now I have so much to show, so much to tell, feelings that come from its peak … over-effort meets courage.
It was not a walk; it was not a pleasure trip; it was not even something pleasant. A very high mountain, located in one of the coldest and driest regions, temperatures of -30 degrees with an ambient humidity of 5%, make it a rugged mountain to climb, so much so that the great experts consider it 8,000 meters.
But everything started lower and in stages. At this point, several issues must be considered: clothing, physical condition, acclimatization, motivation and, above all, planning