Camp Cholera

Wes and Dan are currently at "Camp Cholera" at 19,600 feet. This is not the official name of the camp but everyone calls it that. It is really dirty on the perimeter. Lots of people seem to use the perimeter as their personal toilet and don't clean up after themselves. They got to this camp yesterday. They were going to try and traverse over to the normal route at a higher altitude but could not do it because there was too much snow. They chose a lower traverse instead. It was a really hard day because they had to climb with 80 pound backpacks. Previously they were able to cache their gear and climb with about 40 pounds. It took them about three and a half hours to climb to Camp Cholera. There were a series of switchbacks toward the end of the traverse that led into camp. Wes said yesterday was his hardest day so far on the mountain because he started feeling bad when they got into camp (like maybe his friend, Montezuma's Revenge, was coming back) but he was able to get over it. Dan is still doing well. They have both had some headaches off and on. Wes said that they are both feeling as good as they can feel at 19,600. They have been trying to force food and water down. Wes spent today working on getting a frozen piece of human poop out of the bottom of his boot! He said that was just the way he wanted to spend his time on the mountain. There are a handful of people at this camp. Inca seems to be the main guide service on the mountain. They have a cooking tent set up and about a dozen tents set up for their climbers. One of their porters came all the way up to this camp in just a few days. Once he got there he began to feel really bad and had to be rescued and taken off the mountain. Again, that is why it is important to take your time and acclimate. Wes said that today the weather was very cold, breezy with a few clouds. The clouds tend to dissipate in the afternoon. He said they still have lots of food and fuel.

Wes and Dan both know about Fede. They found out yesterday. Wes had asked one of the guides about the identities of the people and they told him. Fede is still up near the summit. Hopefully they will be able to get him down soon. As if that news wasn't bad enough, the mountain claimed another life yesterday. An English climber was making his summit attempt and died about six feet from his goal. The mountain has claimed four lives in just one week.

On a more positive note, Wes was excited to hear that Ed Viesturs is climbing Aconcagua right now. He is one of the guides for the RMI team that is climbing the Polish route. They are currently at base camp. For those of you who are not familiar with Ed Viesturs, he is one of the finest mountain climbers around. He has climbed every 8,000 meter mountain in the world. Wes' motto is the title of one of Ed's books, "No Shortcuts to the Top."

Tomorrow Wes and Dan plan to go for the summit! The guys will get up at 4:00 a.m. and hopefully be out of the tent at 5:00 a.m. and on their way. Wes was talking to one of the guides who said that tomorrow should be a good summit day. It should take about seven or eight hours to reach the summit. Wes said this has been one epic trip so far.