Back to Mendoza, Argentina!

Location:  Mendoza, Argentina.

Rundown:  Back to wine country with the Famila de Pash over Easter break!

Loaded up Pepé the Peugeot and drove five hours over the Andes with the Pashouwers right after school at the start of our Easter break.  The drive up the pass was breathtaking... I think the passengers were all holding on too tight around the switchbacks to take pictures.

Sauntered around the sunny parks and plazas of Mendoza during the sunny days.  After the town was leveled in the 1860's by a massive earthquake plenty of plazas were rebuilt into the city.

Sauntering is a lot of work.  We had to stop and rest.  It was actually a relief from the constant movement in school to sit and take in the city, people, and buen clima.

Wide street leave ample room to walk.  Cafes scattered along the cobble streets are great for long lunches under the leafy trees.

Toured several bodegas, or vineyards which surround Mendoza.  Very pretty with long rows of vines and the eastern side of the Andes in the distance.

Some are still mom-and-pop style, others have exploded with visions of grandeur into swanky, high-tech, enterprises.  I liked the simpler ones, personally.

Mendoza's climate is apparently perfect for Malbecs, so we pretended to be wine snobs.  Nice to have several to compare at the same time.

Made for a fun couple of days wandering around the vineyards, hearing about the history of the area and sampling the fruits of the Argentine clime.

No definitive favorites despite our profound research.  However it's safe to conclude that vineyards around Mendoza are good to the last drop.

Got our fill of being posh and tracked down the Minas de Paramillos, outside of nearby Uspallata in the foothills of the Andes.  The mines were first started in the 1600's and have been worked until a few decades ago.

The mine was out in the middle of nothing, had to take a truck out to it.

Pretty bouncy ride, but eventually we made it to the hole in the earth where the Jesuits originally dug for harvesting the ore.

The mines have four levels, including a completely submerged one that they hold cave diving excursions to explore!  I'm coming back!  The upper level was originally dug by the Jesuits.  The first level was penetrated by a series of sketchy holes and metal ladders.  

Along the walls of the tunnels glittering seams of silver, lead, and gold are still in the walls.  The area has been protected by the Argentinian government, and continued mining has been prohibited.  So the mine is still rich with ore.

The guides spent a lot of time discussing the history of the mine and the technology used in each time period the mine was in use.  I stole a bit of the silver ore when the guide wasn't looking.  I made $0.34 pesos!

I suppose I should have given it back to the mine to keep up the safety equipment.  In some parts, age old wooden beams held the walls and ceiling up.  In all fairness, the guides and mines were extremely safe.

At one point we had to repel down the main mineshaft, some 30 meters into the dark.  The first time repelling for the Pashouwers and they did awesome! I'm used to having more room to jump backwards during a repel.  

Tunnels parallel to the seams run east-west just because of geologic processes.  Once a seam tapered off, miners cut perpendicularly into the rock until they came to another seam to follow.  You can always tell your direction in the mine.  Glittery-walled tunnels:  east-west.  Plain walls:  north-south.

Pretty cool experience.  Lots of good history and got a good repel in to boot!  (muddy boot)

Got out of the mines and dug into the wine back in Mendoza.  The town has great nightlife, great restaurants and bars.  Easy to get around, friendly people, not too expensive.

Did I mention good restaurants?  Argentine steaks are pretty fantastic.  I felt like a caveman for most of the week; slurring my speech and chawing on big hunks of flame-grilled meat.  Ug.

Couldn't help ourselves.  Took another excursion before we ventured back over the mountains.  At the end of the road where the car could go no longer we found horses.

Rode West up in the high plains towards a deep valley.  John and I got fiery horses which were all too happy to get up and go, running until their coats were slick with sweat.

Rode into the canyon, the walls rising above us sheer.  Several sections you could reach out and touch the rock face.

Eventually we left the horses at a river trickle and continued on foot to the base of the spring.

Spent a little time poking around the canyon before mounting up again and riding off into the sunset.  And then driving off into the sunset.

Canyonball Run

Location: Canyon El Arrayan, Chile

Rundown: A progressive pool party starting at our place and flowing down through the canyon to our friends' places... the Canyonball Run.

Fired up the blenders and ordered a huge batch of empanadas for the troops!

All of our friends came armed for the battle of the pools.  Contestants came hungry to compete in cannonball, long jump, belly smacker, and underwater hunt.

The crew quickly turned out tranquil, glassy pool and quiet cabin in the canyons...

...into the first annual Canyonball Run!  People started packing in and stripping down even though the day started out cloudy.

 

As we migrated downhill to the next piscina the clouds parted and the fun in the sun really wound up.

Swimming is hard work.  We did make sure to keep hydrated and rest up so we didn't burn out in the second round.

The order of business for the Galbraith's pool was long jump.

Migrated on foot down the winding canyon for piscina to piscina in search of blue water.

Not even our final stop and certain individuals in Mexican wrestling masks were throwing themselves off of the shed roof to get the gold for the belly flop competition.  Stopped taking pictures right about here.

Cerro Plomo Summit!

Location: Cerro Plomo (~18,000 ft)

Rundown: Trekked three days in to summit the looming, glaciated Cerro Plomo.

Took a few days and drove up into the mountains to attempt to summit Cerro Plomo... again. Last attempt was met with too much snow to drive in. Cut down a good six hours of hiking by driving to the top of Valle Nevado to Tres Puntas.

Hiked several hours in on the rocky, clinging paths following the glacial runoff stream that cuts the valley. You can see the glaciers of Plomo behind me here.

Set up camp just beyond the first flat spot, Piedra Numerada. Didn't feel the altitude as much at this camp. Made some chow and watched the setting sun ignite the tall walls of the valley. Gorgeous. The stars come out in force at night. I'd love to go back when I'm not conserving energy for a summit to just lay out and watch the circus.

Hiked past Federacion, a refugio that could hold 3 or 4 climbers in a storm.

Brought a lot of food and ate like crazy. The excellent thing about mountaineering; it merits constant chowing!

Full packs.

Had a few hotspots with my new boots. Miranda taped 'em up tight before the morning of our summit bid.

Made it up to La Olla, the highest camp before the summit bid. Crashed out as early as possible, about the same time as the moon rose over the hanging glacier. The glaciers ooze into a moraine and ice blue lagoon near camp. You can hear them creaking and groaning as they pour down the mountain side.

Up at 3 AM to make our summit bid. Slept in our hiking gear and summit packs waiting to go. The wind was howling and the trail up was sketchy in the dark. You could hear the noise of the loose rocks clattering down the slope disappear into the wind.

Almost had to turn back because of the temperature and wind. Much colder and windier than we expected. Had to scramble from depression to depression to keep out of the blasting wind. Made it up an hour hiking hard and were still chilling too quickly. Eventually found and hid out in the Refugio Agostini for an hour as we waited for the sun to come up. Can't say what a little wind break will do for you.

Made a big detour to catch the first rays over an easterly ridge which involved two steep and ugly scree fields in the dark and the wind. Nearly turned us around. The opposite side of the ridge provided the windbreak and sun warmth we needed to keep going. When I staggered over the ridge I think a few tears came to my eyes (and quickly froze). The sunrise over the Andes was one of the most beautiful and welcoming sites I've seen. Would've been frozen and turned back without it. Took a few minutes to recover our nerve and stamina.

Our prospects kept looking up as the sun rose and the wind abated a touch. Hiked along some amazing ridges overlooking the snowcapped peaks.

Tried to take a picture and ended up with a little video clip.

Approached the cross of the Iver Glacier. A poorly placed step would send you for a good 3,000 foot slide back down to La Olla that would land you on the broken body of the glacial moraine below. Yikes.

Donned crampons and wielded our ice axes. Crossed the thing without a hitch. The small peaks below in this shot are called the Pirca del Inca, a ritual burial site for the Incas! They would march a procession up here and sacrifice young boys and girls to the gods, leaving their bodies and other gifts in circular burial tombs.

The Incas apparently used to take perfect children adorn them with gifts and ceremonies thne take them up into the mountains and perform ritual burials. They would give them chicha (fermented corn alcohol) until they were drunk and then leave them in the circular tombs where the cold would quickly kill them. The mummified body of a young boy was found recently (1954). His remains well preserved for some 500+ years in the extremely dry and cold environment. (Not my photo below. When I get to the museum, I'll get my own!)

Crossing the glacier was a highlight for me. Coming from a snowy environment, I always assumed glaciers were just fields of snow, but they're completely blue ice and behave very differently.

Two hours after the glacier cross we staggered up the the summit of Cerro Plomo. The Chilean flag blazing in the wind, but little else around aside from mountain peaks and snaking glaciers. Just amazing.

Ten hours after we left camp, we topped out at just shy of 18,000 feet. Hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to stand.

Managed to get a shot right before the camera blew over.

And then back down we went! Took us four hours to get down with a second glacier crossing and burning legs.

Fourteen hours after we left camp we staggered back into it exhausted out of our minds. I don't know how, but I got the stove going and made some of the best ramen I've ever had in my life. You know what they say, oxygen deprivation, unbearable cold, and muscle rending climbing makes the best seasoning.

Tired. Very tired. Slept 14 hour in the tent before descending in one push the next day.

This isn't my shot, but shows the general route up from La Olla (misspelled on the picture).