Before Coming To Aconcagua, You Should Read This

 

To climb Aconcagua, it is necessary to acclimatize first. To begin the ascent, you must move to Plaza de Mulas. Until there is the recreational part, to put it somehow, since once you are at the base camp, the time to climb Aconcagua begins. You realize how imposing Mount Aconcagua is when at noon, the top of the hill covers you with the sun, which is truly impressive. Acclimatizing at the height is the base of everything. You have to rest a lot, sleep as much as possible. You can hydrate all the time. From a personal opinion, it was difficult for me to assimilate that you must move very calmly at the height. Not like we do on the plain. Likewise, the height makes you feel as if you are moving too much. Water plays a fundamental role in this acclimatization process since hydration is essential. And there we enter a crossroads, since the water, when taken directly from the snow, is overloaded with minerals, which can cause stomach discomfort that could dehydrate you. Then what do we do,? everything to suit you. Let's try adding tea or juices to the water to counteract this. Drinking 5 litres of water per day can be very tiring. One thing is to drink water pleasantly when you are very thirsty, and quite another is to do it almost by obligation. When we were ready to begin the ascent, we received the instructions of how the next days would be. The Aconcagua climb was basically transporting our things to the next camp, leaving them and then going back to where we were. The next day we return to the camp where we had left our things and settle there. Considering that there are 3 high camps, it would take us approximately between 5 and 6 days to reach the summit. Needless to say, these ascents are hard and very slow; it is impossible to go at a normal pace. Height and legs do not allow it. Much less your breath. The key is to line up and duck your head during the zigzagging path. It can be very demotivating to lift your head and see that you have not made any progress after several hours of walking. The guide will always show you how we have to dose the energy to reach the final section with options for success. While we walk in silence, a thousand things go through your head. You question your training, you think you should not have wasted energy the day before, etc. The reality is that none of that matters now. I have never been so high on any other hill—the desire and desire to arrive played tricks on me all the time. I just wanted to achieve my goal; I wanted the top of the Aconcagua more than anything in the world. After many hours of walking and squeezing my energy to the fullest, I finally made it. Without a doubt the happiest and longest day of my life