Move to Camp 1. The return of Karma.

1/18/10
There was much talk of strategy during our rest day yesterday. Most of the talk was being done by the members of the AAI team. Having gotten a good look at the considerable work involved in the carry from base to camp 1, a keen interest had emerged for the notion of hiring Porters.
Some mountains are known for their facilitation of Porters or Sherpas in the carrying of cargo uphill for the Climbers. On Kilimanjaro, for instance, you can not get a climbing permit without agreeing to hire so many Porters for every Climber and Guide. It is a means of employment for the local people. When we climbed Kili two years ago we were a team of 5, with a supporting Porter crew of 19! We looked like an invasion force moving the hill. It was embarrassing.
The Himalayas use Sherpas. Most of Europe uses Porters. But there are a few peaks which stand out in part because such aid is simply not an option. If you are going to summit these mountains you will have to carry all of your own junk. Foremost among them is Denali, high summit for North America, at 20,320 feet. It is in part because of this that many Guides actually rank Denali as being a more difficult summit than Everest.
When it comes to Aconcagua it is still assumed that one carried all their gear, even though Porters are becoming more prevalent. I suspect this will change with time until Acon becomes like Kili ...which would be too bad. Something in the personal test, the demands, and the rewards will be lost, In any case, it still takes a monumental effort to get to this summit at 22,700 feet and respect is owed those who achieve it whether they carried or not. But in fairness to those who don't use Porters in climbing Aconcagua perhaps there should be an asterisk next to those who do, like Mark McGuire's batting stats during the steroid years. That is assuming anyone else cares. But in the deeply personal world of mountain climbing the only stats that truly count are within the Climber, earned in solitary struggle, unavailable for public review or scrutiny.
In the end the AAI group hired 3 Porters, each of the 5 Climbers lightening his load accordingly
As Ty and I pulled into camp 1 the wind picked up and the temperaturedropped sharply. Having noted a weather pattern of heat in the afternoon and snow in the evening, we wasted no time building our tent and gathering water. By the time the storm hit we were well sheltered. About an hour later we heard Kevin, Assistant Guide to the AAI group, shouting to us. We called back and soon his head poked into our tent. He explained that their satellite phone had been broken since day one and was wondering if he might borrow ours to call in a post. He thought the families of the Climbers in his group would be worried by now. AS this seemed little to ask and our groups had helped each other out a number of times, we granted the wish. When Kevin returned the phone he was appreciative. I told him we had done it for the Climbers and their families, but would not be able to offer it again. I told Kevin the story of how the owner of AAI Dunham Gooding , had refused to show me any measure of flexibility regarding the $500 deposit I had made for a trip (see blog entry This Time For Real)I subsequently had to cancel. "In a sense, " I told Kevin, "this is karma earned by Dunham and I hope you get a chance to explain that to him." Kevin said he understood.
I felt an altitude headache coming on so I drank a liter of Gatorade and took an Advil. The wind buffeted our tent hard as the temperature dropped. Ty and I retreated to the comfort of our sleeping bags and a much needed night of rest.