On the way to camp 2-
So at the end of the last update, we had just arrived at camp 2. We were blessed for a number of reasons on our first night at camp 2. After sharing base camp and camp 1 with around 85 climbers / guides, we discovered that we were only sharing the camp with one other team, which meant a total of 13 people in camp - a complete, and refreshing, change! It was a beautiful evening - very still (which is unusual on Aconcagua) and clear. Paul, John and I sat outside and watched the changing colours in the sky and the shadows on the Andes grow longer as the sun set-
At camp 2 in front of Aconcagua-
The next day saw more hard work. We carried a load from camp 2 to camp 3 (6,000m) which took about 4 hours. Hard, hard, hard, hard. I had another bad day; this time mentally. I was very emotional for much of the walk. Lots of negative thoughts about my abilities etc. Chocolate and a good cry once I made it to camp helped considerably :-) Then it was back down to camp 2, the return trip taking only 45mins, for a well earned rest day only to discovered that our beautiful quite camp had been 'invaded' by the climbers we had left behind at camp 1. After 3 days of hard work, the rest day was much deserved and, in my case, needed. The rest day meant a sleep-in until 9, breakfast consisting of bacon & eggs at 9.30am and lots of reading, sleeping, eating and trying to get down 5lt of liquids!
David whipping up our bacon & eggs at camp 2 (5,500m)-
Next up was the move to camp 3 - on my 34th birthday! What a way to spend my birthday. The boys sang 'happy birthday' to me during one of our rest breaks on the hike to camp 3. I can honestly say that it was probably the most spectacular spot I have ever spent my birthday. And I am sure the boys would say that it was the most difficult 'happy birthday' rendition they have ever done - we were somewhere around 5,750m at the time! About 45mins before we arrived at camp, the weather had closed in and it had started to lightly snow, making it my first white birthday as well as my highest!
On the morning of my 34th birthday-
We had hired a porter to carry some of our gear up so we could carry a lighter load so as to not to tire ourselves out the day before our summit attempt. Once the porter arrived, we set about to organise our gear in the high wind and snow before crawling into our sleeping bags about 5pm to get some rest ahead of our summit attempt. No alcohol or cake for me on my birthday; I celebrated with a single chocolate bar!
The incredible view from camp 3 (6,000m)-
Not much sleep that night. I wasn't actually affected by the altitude (judging by how well I slept the following night) as nerves and anxiety. We were woken at 4.30am with hot water for drinks and slowly got organised. Heck, you need to go slow in everything you do at 6,000m. There is only 52% of the oxygen available at sea level. Just putting on clothes or bending over to pick something up sends you heart racing and leaves you struggling for breathe. You get out of breathe just rolling over in your sleeping bag and reorganising everything you've got stuffed in there to prevent them freezing - water bottles (2), camera, head torch etc.
Anyway by 6am we were on our way to the summit. The sky was just starting to lighten; a beautiful light orange tinge could be seen in the eastern sky. The wind on Aconcagua is a huge factor. Thankfully - for us - there was only a very slight breeze. We started on our way and immediately I was struggling. I just had no strength / energy in my legs which is not altogether uncommon at that altitude. But I was also suffering my usual anxiety-related nausea and the toes on my right foot were very cold. After about 1.5 hours and lots of tears, I made the decision to turn back. At the time I was somewhere around 6,280m and still a long way from the summit. I knew in my heart that I was not going to reach the summit and I am firmly of the view that no mountain is worth frostbite and/or losing fingers or toes. I have not had to turn back on summit day before; this was the first time I have not summited. I always thought that it would be a hard decision to make. Much to my surprise, it wasn't. I knew in my heart, head and gut that it was the right decision. I like to think of it as a 'strategic withdrawal' as my friend Scott would say. And while I am unsatisfied with the outcome, I still feel that it was the right decision to make.
The view from my turnaround point on summit day; camp 3 can just be seen at the bottom of this photo-
So I turned around and headed back to camp. I was exhausted so I crawled into my sleeping bag and slept solidly for 2 hours. Around midday, John arrived having turned around at about 6,400m. He wasn't in the best shape - exhausted physically and mentally - so I had to help him out of his gear and into his sleeping bag. He slept for hours while I read and watched the weather slowly close in. By around 4pm it was almost white-out conditions at high camp and David and Paul, who had pushed on towards the summit, were still out there. Everytime I heard the voices of someone coming down the mountain, I stuck my head out of the tent to see if it was them. By this stage, we were getting very concerned for them but thankfully there were numerous guides still up on the mountain. Around 6pm, they arrived back - having summited about 3.30pm - absolutely spent.
Paul just arrived back in the tent after summiting-
We all slept very soundly that night...
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