Extreme Trekking

By Vladimir Lancheres

The story is about commitment, courage, and adventure. It is a personal account about extreme altitude trekking which is often underestimated by the novice venturing into such environments. When undertaking any excursion to extreme altitudes it behoves one to realize the seriousness of the endeavour and understand its implications, for the threat of casualties is very real.

The trek takes us to Aconcagua, in Argentina, the highest mountain in the Southern and Western Hemispheres. The story focuses on my experience on the mountain with ten other trekkers from around the world. Of the eleven that started, six attempted the summit but only 3 succeeded, and not without incident.

It is a day by day account from our arrival in Mendoza until our departue nineteen days later. It includes some unique technical information and explains why Aconcagua is a bigger challenge than it may appear, due to its location and local atmospheric conditions. This is significant because under the right conditions, near the summit, the mountain can simulate altitudes approaching 8000 meters (26,000 feet), equivalent to some of the highest camps on Mt. Everest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vladimir Lancheres
• Release date: Mar 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9780986863202

Vladimir Lancheres

Vlad is a mechanical engineer who has retired from 27 years in the aviation industry. His experience includes engineering design, management, and international business development. He has travelled extensively throughout the world and speaks several languages. He is currently involved in several projects and enjoys reading, writing, and various outdoor activities.

Book preview

Extreme Trekking

Vladimir Lancheres

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Vladimir Lancheres

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Are you crazy?

More challenging than it appears

Some time before departure

Training

Altitude sickness

Equipment, weather, breathing

Day 1 - Departure to Argentina

Day 2 - Arrival in Mendoza

Day 3 - Sightseeing

Day 4 - Guides’ Briefing

Day 5 - Departure to Puente del Inca

Day 6 - Start of trek - Hike to Confluencia

Day 7 - Acclimatization hike to Plaza Francia

Day 8 - Confluencia to Plaza de Mulas, Base Camp

Day 9 - Rest day - Hike to Refugio Hotel

Day 10 - Acclimatization hike to Camp Canada, Camp 1

Day 11 - Rest day

Day 12 - Base Camp to Camp Canada, Camp 1

Day 13 - Camp Canada to Nido de Condores, Camp 2

Day 14 - Acclimatization Day

Day 15 - Nido de Condores to Camp Colera, Camp 3

Day 16 - Summit Day

Day 17 - Camp 3 to Base Camp

Day 18 - Base Camp to Puenta del Inca

Day 19 - Puenta del Inca to Mendoza

Day 20 - Departure

Afterthoughts

References

About the author

Figure 1 - Hagen-Poisseuille equation

Table 1 – Symptoms of Altitude Sickness

Photos

Preface

This book is about trekking to extreme altitudes, a very rewarding experience but one that needs to be taken seriously with the proper preparation. Its objective is to help anyone venturing to high altitudes to understand the implications and the consequences for the threat of casualties is very real. It is based upon my diary on the mountain. There were ten other trekkers from around the world. Of the eleven that started, six attempted the summit but only three succeeded.

I’ll take you through my preparation for the climb and then a day by day account of the entire trip. There is some technical information in the beginning to help you appreciate what high altitude trekking is all about and an explanation why this mountain is a bigger challenge than it may appear to be. Much of this information can be found in various individual references, which are provided at the end, however rarely is all this information under one cover. The numbers in brackets refer to the references at the end of the book. However, I also provide conversions from metric to English units which are also denoted in brackets. I have also included, at the end of the book, a few of the many photos that I took of the trek.

This trek would not have been possible without the support of my wife Marthe and my two sons Eric and Philippe, who were always there to cheer dad on. I am thankful to my editor, Jacqueline Snider, who meticulously read each chapter and who not only edited the manuscript but also provided sage advice along the way. I am especially grateful to Paul Hameister, Ed Smith, and Robbie Wright, three of my trekking mates, for sharing their diary experiences and allowing me to use some of their personal accounts in this book. I would also like to thank Rita Rioux and Sharon Rossi for providing valuable commentary and Bob and Janet Hunt, for their feedback, encouragement, and place to scribe in sunny Florida. I would also like to extend my gratitude to our three guides Oscar, Gabriel, and Diego, from the Aymara group in Argentina, who always displayed professionalism, encouragement, and genuine care.

This book is dedicated to my ten trekking partners: Michael Farmer, David Dussault, Richard Rossi, Paul Hameister, Robert Wright, Edward Smith, Edwin Reiziger, Knut Os, Jay Senkevich, and Mathew Gaynor, who I will always remember.

Are you crazy?

In January 2008, as I was approaching my 56th birthday, I flew to Argentina to climb a mountain. I had never done anything like that before. My friends thought I was crazy and some even feared that I wouldn’t return. Although it was more of a trek than a climb it didn’t diminish the seriousness of the undertaking. Treks are defined as long arduous journeys and those that take you to extreme altitudes can easily be underestimated by the novice. It behoves one to realize the seriousness of such endeavours and understand their implications, for the threat of casualties is very real.

The mountaineering community recognizes three regions of altitude:

High altitude: 1500 – 3500 meters (5000 – 11,500 feet)

Very high altitude: 3500 – 5500 meters (11,500 – 18,000 feet)

Extreme altitude: greater than 5500 meters (> 18,000 feet). At 5500 meters there is only half the oxygen there is at sea level.

Most people when they hear climb imagine technical climbing which requires the use of ropes, harnesses, and belay devices. We would be taking the normal route, which didn’t require technical climbing skills. The fact that one could trek up to extreme altitudes without any serious mountaineering skills appealed to me since I didn’t have any. What I had, however, was a sense of adventure and a determination to succeed. Many around me doubted that I could do it. After all, how could an inexperienced, middle-aged, overweight guy like me make it up Aconcagua, the stone sentinel and the highest mountain in the Southern and Western hemispheres? At the summit, 6959 metres (22,831 feet), there is only 42 percent of the oxygen there is at sea level (1).

More challenging than it appears

There are only 14 mountains in the world over 8000 metres (26,250 feet). They are all found in the Himalaya and Karakorum ranges in Asia, with Everest being the highest at 8850 metres (29,035 feet). There are numerous 7000 meter (23,000 feet) peaks which are also found in Asia but Aconcagua, at 6959 meters (22,831 feet), is the highest peak outside the Asian continent and only 1041 meters (3415 feet) short of the 8000 meter mark. The 8000 meter mark is an important level in mountaineering because it is known as the dead zone where no amount of acclimatization will prevent the body from deteriorating due to lack of oxygen (2).

Acclimatization is the process of adapting the body to a new environment, in this case diminishing oxygen with increasing altitude. It is absolutely necessary when venturing to high altitudes and typically consists of resting a day or more at a specific altitude, then climbing to a higher altitude to get the body accustomed to lower oxygen and returning to the rest altitude to sleep. One can then progressively move to higher altitudes. There are no shortcuts and each person may react differently to changes in altitude. There is no guarantee that you will acclimatize properly even if you are in good physical condition. Typical minimum acclimatization times for those intending to sleep above 3000 meters (9900 feet) are:

- One day acclimatization for each 900 meters (3000 feet) gain in altitude between sleep sites

- Increase your sleeping altitude by a maximum of 300 – 500 meters (1000 – 1700 feet) per day

Aconcagua is one of the driest mountains on the planet. The cold Humboldt (Peru) current off the west coast of South America is the principle reason for the arid climate of the central Andes. The cold water releases less moisture into the atmosphere and cools the warm dry air from the tropics creating an inversion layer which traps whatever moisture there is at 900 meters (3000 feet) altitude. This results in dry westerly winds. As the winds blow easterly over the Andes, they are heated by the ground becoming even drier. This is significant since you breathe out moisture from your lungs. If you exert yourself in an arid environment you must drink copious amounts of water to stay sufficiently hydrated.

There is a long 960 kilometer (600 mile) narrow strip of land along the Pacific coast, called the Atacama Desert, which runs from the Peruvian border to about 30 degrees south latitude. At an elevation of 2300 meters (7500 feet) it is considered to be the driest place on earth. It is fifty times drier than Death Valley. Some weather stations in the region have never reported any rain.

Aconcagua is situated at 32 degrees 40 minutes south latitude at the northern edge of Patagonia and near the southern end of the Atacama Desert region. The Patagonia region is dominated by strong, constant, westerly winds and is seasonally influenced by the sub-polar low pressure region (3). With strong winds come lower pressures due to the effect of wind velocity. It is the same phenomenon that makes a sheet of paper rise when you blow over its top or provides lift to an airplane wing.

These effects can simulate higher physical altitudes than actually exist because they contribute to lower the atmospheric pressure, making Aconcagua considerably more challenging than it may appear to be. Under the right atmospheric conditions it can simulate altitudes approaching, or possibly exceeding, 8000 meters (26,250 feet), an altitude similar to the highest camp on Mt. Everest.

There is a fine website (4) which tracks some of Aconcagua’s statistics annually. In the 2007/2008 season, of the 4548 climbers that were registered, local guides estimated about 30 percent successfully reached the summit. The site reports that experienced mountaineers, those that have climbed in the Himalaya, consider Aconcagua as challenging, psychologically and physically, as an 8000 meter (26,250 foot) mountain, albeit without the technical climbing challenges. Aconcagua, at a given altitude, is said to have has less oxygen than other mountains in the Himalaya because of the thickness of the atmospheric layers in this part of the world and because of the constant high winds which generate lower atmospheric pressures. Aconcagua’s altitude and weather can be easily underestimated. Add to this the challenges of rescue above base camp and Aconcagua becomes a good training ground for 8000 meter climbs. It’s reported, albeit unofficially, that the mountain claims one or two deaths a year; however, in January 2009 alone there were five deaths on the mountain.

Some purists may find this kind of trek unappealing because, to them, it’s not real mountaineering. Aconcagua definitely attracts a certain yuppie crowd, but then Everest attracts people that perceivably have no business being there either. I recall one such individual from another group who