CLIMB WITH PRIDE-ACONCAGUA 2007

Updates from the team in Argentina

Rest and more acclimatization  
21 January, 2007

So, after climbing a colossal 1000m yesterday, the team finally reached the last base camp at the Plaza Argentina Base Camp at 4,200m (13,800ft), and today, they were gratefully rewarded with a full day of well-deserved rest! This would provide them with the opportunity to take a break to recover from yesterday's exertion, as well as to catch up with other necessary activities, such as filling up their water bottle and repacking.

And as reported by Rene'e, all of the team members were in good spirits, with the sun shining so brightly on their day off from hiking. Lady lucky is smiling!

"I'm very happy to tell you that we all made it to the base camp yesterday. It was a long day, but all of us are safe and sound," said an upbeat Rene'e via the satellite telephone, which utilizes batteries charged using solar energy.

Nevertheless, even with the sun out, the air was still rather chilly and the climbers had to keep their jacket on at all times to stay warm. The team started their day today searching for water before meeting up with the camp's doctor for a medical check-up at noon. Generally, everyone in team is doing well, except for some minor headaches experienced by some of the climbers. However, this is not a cause of serious concern. According to Rene'e, as long as they are well-hydrated, moving slowly and if needed, are taking aspirins as a precautionary measure, they would be all right.

After today's rest day, the team will proceed to High Camp 1 tomorrow, with an elevation difference of about 500m. The average time to reach Camp 1 would be around six to seven hours. During this ascend, the team will expect another long and difficult track again and even more so now, with the full load that they will be carrying with them. Without the mules beyond the Base Camp, the team members will be repacking the load they will be carrying tomorrow, limiting each to 20kg per climber. They would then leave their load at High Camp 1 and return to the Base Camp again, where they will stay for another two days. This is done to give the team members the best possible chance to make it to the summit - and the most effective way to do this is for the climbers to take time to acclimatize to the low oxygen environment. And thankfully, the team will also now have the service of two porters.

Despite all the planning, the weather would ultimately determine the actual movement for the day. If the weather turns bad, there is a possibility that they may have to delay their shift to Camp 1.

"Don't worry about us!" Rene'e told PRIDE. "So far, we are doing well and have made it in good time in the last three days. I hope we will continue doing that in the coming days."

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