Aconcagua - March 2002
Erik called me on Saturday morning telling me he had to cross the border to Argentina to revalidate his visa and did I want to come? 30 Minutes later we were driving through the Andes.
Arriving in Mendoza we quickly realized that there were no hotel rooms, so we headed back into the night with an ambitious plan to see first light on Aconcagua, the world's highest mountain outside of the Himalayas.
Peaceful moment at Lago del Inca, close to the Argentine
border and the famous Portillo ski resort and hotel.
The water is gin clear and not suprisingly bitterly cold.
Andes from outside of Santiago on a very rare clear day.
The very exclusive ski resort of Portillo and the Hotel Portillo perched just above El Lago del Inca.
Erik contemplates a swim in the icy waters of El Lago del Inca.
There are many big trucks shuttling mercandise between Chile and Argentina, moving at snail pace as they climb through the mountain passes.
Our goals were little more than to keep warm by walking through the night and to find a good vantage point from which to enjoy the first morning rays of sunlight lighting up the western faces of Aconcagua...
Los Caracoles (Snails) There are 40 switchbacks in this road as it makes its way up to Portillo and the Argentine border.
The road to Mendoza wends its way through vast desert plains at the bottom of Andean foothills.
4.30 am and -10 deg C. Our journey commences. Underpants for a hat and socks for gloves we head out into the night in the direction of Laguna de Horcones.
... and we achieved our goals, and were fortunate enough to witness the inspirational sight of Aconcagua, "igniting" in a way that our simple cameras could do no justice to.
