Safely back to High Camp (19,600ft), Tired but a Happy Camper!

If you read my previous blog entry, you know that Randy achieved one of the most ambitious goals of his life and managed to stand on the summit today of Aconcagua, a whopping 22,841 ft! To give you a sense of just how enormous this mountain is, here's a picture of Aconcagua from a distance.  It's gigantic, towering over all the mountains in the Andes, the highest point in South America.  In the second picture you get a sense of why they had to trek three days and 23 miles through the Vacas Valley to even get to Base Camp at 14,000 where the real fun began!

Hearing Randy's voice from the summit today was truly one of those special moments in life that I'll never forget.  He was very emotional, thankful for all the support, humbled by how this mountain had kicked even his Ironman-trained butt, exhausted, exhilarated, and mostly just 100% ecstatic.   Back home in the land of abundant oxygen in little old Delaware, I was also ecstatic, proud, shocked (but not totally), excited, and mostly relieved that he was okay.  Also relieved that he had managed to go back and get it done -- achieve this aggressive goal that had been nagging him since he was forced to turn back after 20,000 ft last year with fluid-filled lungs.  And relieved because, well you KNOW Randy, we just might have been in this exact same position next year as he went for round 3.  But here we are and he did it.  Amazing.  Who knows what's next, but right now we'll settle for celebrating this victory!

So now the details.  I spoke at length to him a while back and they had made it roundtrip back to Camp 3 (19,600) in about a little over 12 hours.  They took 9:15 to summit, stayed up there celebrating and taking in the breathtaking views (below) for about half an hour, and then came down in about 2.5 hours.

Views of the sheer south face from the Top

The day started very early for them, still dark at 5am as they plowed through a foot of new snow heading out to the first major landmark at 21,000 ft, Independenzia Hut.  It was bitterly cold and extremely slow going in the deep snow, and the wind was raging.  After about a half hour, the two sisters determined they needed to head back.  The rest of them kept moving on the long traverse and steep ascent up to the "Cave" which marks the start of the notorious Canaleta, one of the most physically demanding challenges in all of climbing .  His teammates, Bo and Randy, made it about 3/4 of the way to the Cave, and then they too determined they needed to call it a day.  So that left Randy, head guide JJ, and "young bucks" Todd and Tom from Miami.  At that point the wind was gusting and with the frigid temps, they couldn't risk one bit of exposed skin. Once at the Cave, it took 1.5 hours to traverse and climb the steep Canaleta (picture below).  Randy thought once they climbed that part, the summit would be close, but he got to the top of the Canaleta, saw how far away the summit was, and his first thought was, "Holy S%#$*  this is going to take forever!"  He said he was definitely "close to the edge".  Well, thankfully, it didn't take forever, but it did take another hour and a half, even though Randy said at this point they were very excited and moving well.  Once at the summit they all slapped five and celebrated, and then Randy took out his video to capture the moment.  He fished out the picture collage he had brought up with him, one of all of us (the 4 kids and me), his parents, our adorable and adored little dog Roxy, and I think at that moment he was full of awe; as if in a moment he comprehended the enormity of his accomplishment and the depth of his gratitude for the love and support of his family and friends.  I know he broke down then and when he called me a few moments later, he was still pretty choked up.  It is rare in life when in one instant in time we have the gift of clarity of purpose and at the same time a wave of pride but also humility and gratitude.  Certainly a very overwhelming experience!

Steep traverse on the way up

The descent from the summit was very steep, slippery, and snowy and Randy had decided he was not going to trip and start sliding, so he took his time and stopped when he needed to.  Even though Randy knows he was the slowest of the 4, JJ said it was one of the fastest descents ever.  Back at Camp 3, Randy was feeling "a little tired, a little dehydrated, but overall really good".  For the first time on this trip, I heard a bit of a cough, a "mountain hack" Randy called it, but that is pretty par for the course up there.  The day had been really cold; in fact one of the other climbers, Tom, did get a bit of frostbite on his face.  But our old faithful, Randy, at 56 years of age, managed incredibly well, didn't he?

Tomorrow they will pack up and head down to Base Camp around 10.  It should take them about 4 hours to get down to Base Camp, even though it took 9 days to get from Base Camp to Camp 3!  Funny how gravity works.  Randy said it will feel so good to descend back to the land of thicker air and back at Base Camp tomorrow they will have a big dinner and maybe even a beer to celebrate.

Randy took a ton of pictures and videos.  So now you've read the book.   I know I can't wait to see the movie!  : )

RS

A Beautiful Call from the Top of the World!

Randy did it!!!!!!!!

I just answered the phone not knowing what to expect and heard a pretty choked up "I did it" on the other end!  I couldn't believe it!  He was on top of that monster mountain, and I can't even tell you how excited he sounded.  The amazing thing is the only he, the two 30's year olds, and JJ the head guide made it up there.  Randy said the rest of his team and a lot of other teams turned around because of the extremely tough conditions.  There was pretty deep snow, unexpectedly high winds of 50 - 60 mph, and it was bitterly cold.  The two women turned around about half hour into the trip.  And then later on Bo and the other Randy decided they couldn't go on.  In fact, Bo had to be roped to the other guide to head down because he was weaving and unsteady.  So that left Randy and the head guide and the two "young dudes" from Miami.  With just those other three, Randy was concerned because their pace was pretty quick at first. He knew he could do it, but not necessarily at their quicker pace.  He even offered to head back because he didn't want to hold them up.  But JJ and the other guys said that they would go at bit more measured pace so he could summit with them.   JJ just looked at Randy and said, "No way; you got this dude, you're coming up with us!"

And come up he did.  He was standing at the top of the world, one of the 7 summits, the highest point in South America.  Unbelievable, but not really unbelievable for those of you that know how Randy can really dig deep when he puts his mind to it.

I couldn't be happier or more proud.  It took them 9 hours to get up there, and probably will take about another 4 or so to get back to Camp 3.  He sounded so exhausted, it's hard to imagine he has to work out strenuously for another 4 hours, but somehow I think the adrenalin of this accomplishment will carry him through!

I'll fill in more later when he calls and isn't freezing and gasping to breathe at 22,000 ft.  Can't tell you how great it was to hear his voice.  Yay Randy!

If these guys get it, they really deserve it! More unmerciful weather!

The head guide from RMI, JJ Justman, just posted a team update.  Here it is:

ACONCAGUA: JUSTMAN & TEAM AT HIGH CAMP

Posted by: J.J. Justman, Steve Gately, Mike King | January 27, 2014 
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Aconcagua 
Elevation: 19,600'

Unrelenting! That is the word that describes our weather on Aconcagua. Last night we received 10 inches of snow. When we awoke this morning the winds had scoured most of that snow off the mountain leaving several deep drifts around camp.

Thankfully the weather settled down a bit and we were able to break camp and pack up. The scene looked more like Denali in Alaska than Aconcagua in the Andes. The team did great in the harsh conditions. It would have even made The Godfather of Denali, Joe Horiskey, proud as the team worked together in cold, blustery winds.

We are now sitting in silence at high camp enjoying the sun at 19,600 feet. The team has run its final days. Tomorrow is our only shot. Then we have to head downhill. As luck I believe has it, the forecast is for light winds on top.

We will touch base tomorrow, keep your fingers crossed, it should be from the top!

RMI Guide JJ Justman

And here are some just amazing pictures of what it's like up at Camp 3 (19,600), the highest camp on Aconcagua.  

jm 

So the key will be the stability of this new snow, and of course, the health of the team as they move higher and higher into the land of rarefied air.  Randy had said that even sleeping at Camp 2 (16,000 ft), he would wake up at night gasping for air now and then as his body was adapting to the lack of oxygen.  Tonight they will camp at 19,600, a level which both Anders and Randy have said is really, really tough to sleep in.  At that level, they just can't escape the awareness that breathing is tough and labored. I might as well be talking about walking on the moon because this just all sounds so painful to me.  I don't get panic attacks, but simply thinking about struggling to breath just about gives me one!  And remember, they are going to have to climb over 3000 feet to reach the summit at an incredible 22,841 ft.  That's 2.5 very slow, very taxing miles each way.  Hopefully, Randy will be able to get through on his satellite phone tonight; if so I will post another update. 

LAST MINUTE UPDATE:  Just as I was about to send this, Randy called in from Camp 3.  We had a nice long talk and I'll try to summarize his take on recent events:

1.  Last night sucked.  No other way to put it.  The snow was relentless and came down so hard that it was covering the vents in the tent.  They literally couldn't breath. I was sort of kidding about panic attacks above, but Randy said it almost felt like drowning, that they were really close to having anxiety attacks from lack of oxygen.  So he had to stick his head out and shove the snow off the vents.  Then they opened up the vents so they could breath.  Problem was, those all-too familiar winds came back and overnight snow came in through the open vents. They woke to 2ft of snow in their rear vestibule and 6 inches in the front.

2.  After that horrible night, the snow finally stopped around 5am.  The guides told them to stay in their tents till winds calmed down cause all the fallen snow was literally whipping around.  Finally they got up, cleaned out all the snow, took their tents apart, tried to dry off their wet gear, and set off for Camp 3 around 11am.  The good news is that Randy felt really good, really strong on this 4 hour ascent today.  So even though they were slugging through new snow at altitude, he had no problem at all with the pace.  

3.  Another of their teammates, Lew, had to call it a day and head back down the mountain.  He hadn't been feeling great, plus hurt his ankle.  That means they also lost a guide, because one of the junior guides, Steve, had to escort Lew back down.   So tomorrow they'll have 7 climbers and 2 guides for the summit attempt. 

4.  Randy is clearly sleeping around on this expedition.  He now has a new tent mate, Bo.  Bo is a big, strapping guy who works in Silicon Valley.  He is the one Randy originally thought was in his 30's, but is actually 48 and very fit!  After Lew left, the guides decided to put the other Randy back with his sisters, so now Randy has bunked with almost everyone on his team.

5.  They all feel the altitude up at 19,600.  Randy said even setting up the tent takes awhile.  They tie off a guideline and have to sit awhile. Everything takes patience and perseverance.  

6.  Guides don't seem worried about avalanche risk tomorrow.  A bunch of teams went up to the summit today so they will have assessed any instability and packed down the snow a bit. 

7.  The plan is to wake up by 3, eat breakfast, get ready, and get going by around 5am.  The first part of the trek will be in the dark, so they will use headlamps.  Sunrise is about 6 or 6:30am.  

8.  He is going to try to rest early tonight, putting his water bottles and boots in his sleeping bag with him so when they wake up in frigid temps at the crack of dawn, everything is not frozen.  They will leave a lot of their gear back at Camp 3 and summit with just the essentials (food, water, warm clothes).

9.  He's READY!  In Randy's words:  "I couldn't be happier with where I'm at physically and mentally. I'm just going to keep going tomorrow as long as I can unless the guides tell me I can't go anymore.  I know tomorrow will be really tough for me, tough for everyone, but I'm ready and I'm confident I'll at least climb higher than I did last year (that was 20,300 ft!"

10.  It was a little emotional saying goodbye to him knowing what he has in store tomorrow, knowing how very, very much he wants to summit this beast and how disappointed he was last year in getting sick and not making it to the top.  He's fully prepared and now, besides a little luck, he just needs to dig deep and put one foot in front of the other.  Jenny is home in Delaware, so we wished him luck, told him we loved him, to stay safe, and to go get it!  

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For those wanting a little more info about what's in store for them tomorrow, here's a description of summit day from the International Mountaineering Website:  Summit day can be divided into three sections. First, the steep path to Independenzia, second, the traverse across the “Gran Acarreo” and third, the very steep and arduous climb of the “Canaleta” and the final approach to the summit.

Until Independenzia the journey is a fairly straightforward task to many climbers, albeit at a very high altitude. However above this point, progress becomes much harder. Steps are much harder won – 1, 2, 3, even 4 breaths per step. The traverse takes longer than it first appears. Distances are dramatically foreshortened. Sometimes an hour or more is needed to reach El Dedo “The Finger”, a distinct rocky spike that marks the start of steeper ground. “The Cave” marks the start of the “Canaleta” and is ascended on the right before joining a low angled traverse back left. This is often easily spotted from below as it is usually choked full of hard packed snow. In some seasons crampons and ice axe may not be required until here, however in most years these are donned after arriving at Independenzia Hut.

Managing the final traverse is a slow and laborious process. Conditions are often difficult – high winds, driving snow and cold temperatures are not uncommon. Given the slow speed they’ll be moving at, this combination can reduce core temperature and make the climbers very cold indeed. The summit plateau is protected by a short rocky steepening that is quickly overcome on the left. At 6962m, the summit is the highest point in the Americas and not a place to linger. A prompt descent is vital.

Here's a picture of what the terrain looks like on the way to the summit, so steep they need to traverse back and forth:

Ready for the final push: Demanding but Exciting Next Two Days

Randy filled us in on the carry day up to Camp 3 yesterday.  It was a major effort in this increasingly scarce air, taking the team just under 4 hours to reach the 19,600 ft. encampment.   Randy still feels like he is acclimatizing well, although definitely feels the impact of the extreme altitude.  It just gets harder and harder to climb, but he and the team are still making great time on their ascents.  Camp 3 is unusually crowded right now, jam-packed with all the teams that had reached that level but been on hold due to the high winds and just biding their time hoping for a summit window.  The summit has basically been shut down for a week with these merciless winds. One team had been up at Camp 3 for 7 long days, holed up in their tents trying to stay warm and protected.  Many of these teams were planning to try to summit today or tomorrow.

Randy and team were just up there for about an hour, long enough for them to cache their gear and hang out at the altitude a bit to help with the acclimatization process.  Randy laid down on his pack and took a nice nap in the sun, then the whole team hiked about 1 hour and 20 minutes back to sleep at Camp 2 for one more night.  Hopefully, many of the teams already at Camp 3 will have their chance to head up the mountain, and Camp Three won't be quite as crowded when Randy and team climb back up there tomorrow.

Here's a couple pictures of Camp 3 at 19,600 ft, their goal for tomorrow:

Once again, there was a little excitement last night, nothing as dramatic as a few days ago with tents being torn apart by the 70mph relentless wind.  Randy was getting a drink during the night from his Nalgene bottle and spilled his water on his jacket. This was seemingly minimal, but actually a bit of a hassle.  When it's below freezing and staying warm and dry is imperative, this has to be dealt with.  He had to bring the wet jacket into his sleeping bag so his body heat would start to warm and dry it.  When they got up this morning, he and the ladies did a bit of housekeeping, airing everything out and moving their gear around so everything was dry and ready for the big move tomorrow. 

Hanging out at Camp 2 today, the acclimatization continued as they rested, read, hydrated, ate dried meat and cheeses and other energy foods from their dwindling food supplies and contemplated their major task ahead. When Randy last checked in around dinner time, they were getting some snow and even some thunder and lightening.  The forecast calls for about 4 inches, but you never really know what to expect at those heights.  A few inches wouldn't be a big deal and may even help with traction on their ascent.  But a lot more could be an issue. 

So this is it: next two days are the 'make it or break it' days.  They will move up to Camp Three tomorrow, leaving around 10 am.  The trek back up will take longer if they get a lot of snow, but hopefully they will arrive by mid-afternoon and set up camp.  Then they'll basically spend their time prepping mentally and physically for their big summit push the next day.  That'll be a grueling +/- 12 hour round trip affair, so they will try to rest, hydrate and fuel up for the herculean effort. 

Now we all need to hope they get lucky with the weather, stay healthy, continue to display the body's remarkable ability to adapt to thinner and thinner air, and find the tenacity to dig deep and put one foot in front of the other.  And let's also hope those of us back here at the more saner altitudes who are just a little bit worried about this whole event can also stay positive and calm during these next two challenging days! 

Quick Update and Some Amazing Vistas!

I haven't heard from Randy yet, but his guide from RMI just updated their blog with the following good news:

ACONCAGUA: JUSTMAN & TEAM CARRY TO CAMP 3

Posted by: J.J. Justman, Mike King, Steve Gately | January 25, 2014 
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Aconcagua 
Elevation: 18,000'

Progress on these big expeditions always feels good and after spending much time at Camp 1, being able to link up two days of forward momentum sure has the team excited and feeling good. Today was our “carry” toCamp 3 (19,600ft). The team did excellent managing the new altitude. We made it up in great time dropped off a few items for our summit attempt and made it back down to Camp 2 just as some clouds were rolling in. Tomorrow we rest and prepare for our move to Camp 3!

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Randy did tell me he was running out of minutes on his satellite phone, and that if I didn't hear from him to figure out how to get him more minutes.  So I think I figured that out, and hopefully we'll hear from him sometime tonight and can fill in the details.  

In the meantime, here are some picture of Camp Two: some of these are from last year when Anders and Randy were there.

Looking out from Camp Two 

Rocky Terrain and view from  Camp Two

Panoramic Vista from 18,000 ft - I guess this is why Randy does this!

A room with a view

Camp Life

Sleeping at Camp Two: Heading to Camp Three

This is Judy (Randy's wife) checking in again with an update from Randy and his team.  I've been traveling with limited Internet so sorry this is a day behind, but hopefully I will try to stay very up-to-date over the next few days, as this is game time up on Aconcagua.  These next few days are what all the planning, training, hoping, and praying have all been about --- will the weather finally cooperate and will each of their bodies continue to adapt to the progressively thinner air so they can get in position up at Camp Three for the physically grueling and mentally demanding summit attempt?  Only time will tell, but that time is certainly approaching.

To catch us up, there was another eventful overnight on Thursday night when the team was sleeping at Camp One.  The winds were howling all night again, gusting up to 70 mph, as Randy was hunkered down in his tent with the other Randy, trying to get some rest.   If you remember, Randy is the climber that is traveling with his two sisters, Denise and Diane.  In the middle of the night, the wind was ripping so strongly that it literally tore apart the sisters' tent.  This is quite dangerous as the temperatures are so frigid, it's pitch black, and they had to move quickly to secure their belongings and try to get warm.  They cannot afford to lose any of their gear at those altitudes; they need everything they have to keep safe and warm on the mountain.   The guides helped them and the two sisters split up, one squeezing in with her brother and Randy, and the other sister jamming in with other teammates.   The next morning, they all realized the tent was beyond repair, and they knew they had no time built in the schedule to go back to Base Camp for a new tent.  So the guides talked it over and split everyone up according to size.  Now here is the amusing part:  Randy (our Randy that is, not the brother) is now the proud new tent mate of Denise and Diane!  I guess the rationale is that the other Randy (the brother) is smaller and can more easily fit in with two other men.  When Randy called me to report this, I happened to be out to lunch with a bunch of my girlfriends, and, well you can just imagine the joking about Randy camping out at 16,000 ft with two women!  The reality is I am relieved about this because I've been worried about Randy doing this trek without his wingman, Anders, watching out for him.  So now I am hoping Denise and Diane watch over Randy in this hugely taxing last part of the climb, and vice versa, and they all stay strong and safe.

Friday morning they packed everything up and climbed up to Camp Two at 18,000 ft., where they spent last night.  The climb took them about 4.5 hours, about an hour faster than Randy and Anders did the same route last year.  Randy said this group of climbers is really strong and they continue to move at a pretty brisk pace.  Thankfully, Camp Two is on the other side of the mountain, and Randy was thrilled to report that the winds had died down and they might finally be getting a break in the weather.   Here's a picture of Camp Two, definitely high up in the middle of nowhere.  You can see the climbers approaching and tents in the distance.  Camp Two is not really much of a "camp", really just a somewhat protected spot to set up their tents and settle for the night.

They continue to revise their plans based on the weather, and this is their new strategy:
Carry to Camp Three today (Saturday)
Descend and sleep back at Camp Two  (Saturday)
Rest day tomorrow at Camp Two (Sunday)
Climb back up and Move to Camp Three (Monday)
Summit Attempt (Tuesday)

As you can see below, Tuesday looks like a perfect summit day: sunny and clear with very low winds.  They are cutting it close as they will have no extra rest or weather days built in, but the guides think this is their best shot.  If they can't summit Tuesday, they will have to head back down the mountain.

When Randy called to say good night last night, he felt pretty good and was in good spirits, settled into his tent with his new buddies, Denise and Diane.  I just have to laugh as I write this thinking of him up at 18,000 jammed into a tent with these two women.  By now they are exhausted, dirty, and probably all stink, but in April Randy and I will have been married 30 years (yikes), so you can imagine this will give all our family and friends something to tease him about!  Let's send them all positive vibes as they move into the final part of their journey.  Feel free to add any comments on this blog; Randy will love reading them when he returns.

News from Camp One:

Here's a little bit more info about last day and a half:

Early yesterday morning (Wednesday) Randy's tent mate, Bissel, woke him up to say he wasn't feeling well, had talked to the guides, and had decided to head back down the mountain.  He had started to have chest pains during the night.  So one of the guides, Mike King, escorted Bissel down to Base Camp.  There, the doctors checked him out and determined he was suffering from HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema).  They hoped to helicopter him from Base Camp down the mountain, since HAPE can be very serious, but it was too windy for a chopper.   So they transported him by mule the rest of the way down . Randy thought Bissel should be fine since he is now in Mendoza getting the emergency medical attention that HAPE requires.   He said that Bissel (at 52) was a much more experienced mountaineer than he is, but the reality is that no one can predict when their body just can't handle the extreme altitude.  So thankfully Bissel was smart enough to recognize that he needed to descend and get help.

After Mike and Bissel left, the rest of the team did a very windy carry to Camp Two at 18,000 ft.  They carted a bunch of gear up, stowed it, and hiked back down to sleep at Camp One.  Randy felt pretty good during the hike which took about 6 hours in total.  His only complaint is a mild bout of indigestion, but he attributed that to some pretty unappetizing Indian lentil dish from the night before, and by the time I talked to him tonight, he was feeling better.

He now has a new tent mate, another climber coincidently named Randy (also in his 50's), who had been sharing a tent with his two sisters.  The two Randy's have spent a great deal of time yesterday and today hunkered down in their tent as they wait for the battering winds to die down.  They're passing the time with backgammon, books, rummy and naps.   Last night the winds were "just screaming" according to Randy, and they had to get up twice because the wind snapped their guide rope.  The guide rope is extremely important as it keeps their tent from flying off the mountain.  Randy described his new roommate as the "Kung Fu" of camping, and said thank God he was able to ingeniously repair the rope in the middle of the night, while Randy (our Randy that is) laid in the back of the tent to keep it from going airborne.  I realize as I'm writing this that the Randy and the new Randy thing is going to get a little confusing! Who's on first.....?

So here's the plan.  Hopefully tomorrow the weather gods will be kind and the winds will have abated somewhat.  If so, they plan to move everything to Camp 2 (Friday), rest a day there (Saturday), climb up to Camp Three (Sunday) and potentially attempt a summit on Monday.  Randy is planning to use a porter again for both carry days, as are a few other members of his team.  They had 7 "weather days" built into their schedule, and so far they have used 5 of them.  So they really need to catch a break and make some progress up the mountain.  You can see below how the wind forecast looks for the week, still blustery the next couple days, but ebbing a bit by Sunday.  Actually Tuesday looks like the best summit day, but Randy said that head guide JJ doesn't think they should wait that long if they get a chance on Monday.  They only have so many days they can wait around, with a set amount of food and inability to stay at those altitudes indefinitely.

Good news is that the 3rd guide Mike is rejoining them in their ascent to Camp Two tomorrow.  Randy said that will be really helpful, as Camp Two will be crowded with all the teams that are waiting for wind to die down, meaning they will probably have to dig out an area for their tent sites when they arrive.  Other good news is Randy continues to feel pretty good and strong and is staying in a positive frame of mind!  So time will tell if they get a chance to try to summit!