Aconcagua

Today was for sure a highlight of the trip. Not only did we get to drive a car through the mountains, but we got to see the tallest peak either of us have ever seen. We packed up yesterday morning and picked up the rental car around 9am. I pretended not to know how to drive manual, and the face on the car attendant’s face was pretty funny.

Mountain roads. Windows down. Stick shift. Music blaring. Needless to say I was in my happy place. It took a few minutes to get used to the clutch again, but by the time we were out of the city, driving became effortless again. The city slowly disappeared in to the distance as we drove through the acres and acres of grape vines toward the mountains. The Andes did not look too different than the Rockies from a distance, but were certainly much drier and less green the closer we got. There were so many people with dirtbikes too riding the single-trek trails around the desert plains. We passed through random military checkpoints too, and one even had us roll down our windows so the officer could inspect the inside of the vehicle. A little bit strange, but oh well. Would have been an unideal time for Hunter to stall the car.

It turns out, this route to the mountain takes us about halfway to Santiago, the same way will be taking the bus tomorrow morning (the 27th). We got to the park around 12:30pm and finally saw the summit of Aconcagua, and it looked massive. The peak sits at nearly 23000ft while the parking lot is at 9400ft. We had gained over 7000ft of elevation just driving from Mendoza. The goal for today was to run to the base camp of the mountain and back. The actual summit takes weeks of backpacking and acclimation. I can’t imagine seeing Everest or other peaks that are over 3000ft higher than this one.

Getting the park ticket was a bit of a hassle. Essentially, visitors have to buy a reservation online and then check in with the rangers office on site. Or, people can purchase a reservation at the next-door Kiosk booth. So, we tried to buy a base-camp permit at the Kiosk, but were not allowed because it was past 11am. We told the Kiosk attendant and the ranger desk next door that it would not take us as long to complete the trail and that we would be down well before the park closed at 6pm. However, they were very strict on the rules and did not budge. Instead, we purchased permits for the shorter lake loop and got the according tickets from the ranger. We drove up to the trail head parking lot, got our vests ready, and started running. We got to the lake lookout point in about 10 minutes and then simply kept going. Oops.

The route to Confluencia base camp and back is supposed to be about 16km and the rangers estimated about 6 hours total. We got up to the camp in pretty much exactly 1 hour. It took us even less time to get down. It did feel a little good to spite the ranger who didn’t sell us the permit. On the way up, we met another runner from Montana who had bought his permit online, but had started running at the same time as us (way after 11am). Seems like a screwed up system to me. We also saw packs of mules running up and down the trail (effortlessly) carrying at least 100-150 lbs of gear for trekkers or to stock the camps. At Confluencia base camp, there were a few rangers waving us over to check in with them. We just took a quick selfie and started running down. Another oops. Then, on the way down, yet another ranger asked us if we checked in at the top, to which we pretended not to understand Spanish. Oops number 3.

Despite doing the trail in well under the estimated time, I was still dying. Any elevation acclimation from home was well expired. Still, it was extremely pretty and worth while. Felt like something out of a mountaineering movie with the peak in the background. Total distance was about 9 miles and elevation about 1700 ft. Also, because we started when we weren’t supposed to, the trail was much less busy. Hunter and I definitely want to come back and climb to the summit one day. With my fear of heights, I think this one is relatively accomplishable as it’s not too technically difficult and just requires fitness more than anything. A good “starter” peak if you will.

On the way back, we stopped at Puente del Inca, a natural salt bridge used by natives to cross the river. Afterwards, we found a large abandoned parking lot where I could teach Hunter how to drive manual. He was a natural, but still stressed for some reason. We took a pit stop at a gas station for some snacks and it felt like a little nostalgic road trip.

After getting back to the city, we found a dinner place that served artisanal pastas which were delicious and very cheap. Astoundingly, it started raining, here, in the desert, where it averages only 200ml of rain all year. It must have rained enough for the entire month of February. For our last late night in the city, we found a busy street called Aristides where people gather for drinks, the wide arrays of bars, and various restaurants spread over 7 blocks.