The Trek begins. Pampa de Lenas.

1/12/10
After sorting our gear for the Mules to pack in, Ty and I were dropped off at the trail-head for the Vacas Valley approach. We checked in with the Ranger, then set out up the valley. Everything about the picture we walked into was large and interesting. Steep canyon walls rose up from the Rio Vacas, which tumbled by noisy and cocoa colored. A perfect blue sky provided dramatic backdrop to the rugged stone gates which seemed to open one nudge at a time as we pressed on.
We didn´t talk much for the first several hours. Ever aware of the many miles to be covered that day, we clicked along with our trekking poles and day packs, stopping occasionally to hydrate and nibble from our lunches. So much of what we passed through was mindful of a float trip my boys and I took down the Grand Canyon a few years ago; the contrast of water against dry earthen landscape, the shadow-play of light against stratified walls, the call of a canyon wren.
We arrived at Pampa de Lenas and set about choosing a camp site. There was only one group ahead of us, that of the American Alpine Institute (AAI). The lead Guide, Aiden, offered advice on where best to camp and we thanked him. I recognized someone I know in his group and called out to Brian.
Brian had been on my team that climbed Kilimanjaro a few years ago. It was a first foray into high altitude for him and it did not go entirely well. Ten steps from the summit Brian collapsed, vomiting in the snow. We drug him the remaining distance to the summit, propping him up for a photo before sending him down with an assistant guide. As the rest of the team descended twenty minutes later we came upon Brian next to the trail, unable to stand. A Physician in our group determined that Brian was probably suffering from High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) and so he was given a dose of Dexamethasone. Dex, as it is commonly called, is a high octane steroid designed to swiftly reduce the swelling in the brain that sometimes occurs among climbers whose bodies fail to manage the effects of altitude well. Soon Brian was on his feet and able to descend, suffering no further symptoms.
Aconcagua being a full 3,000 feet higher than Kilimanjaro, I was surprised to see Brian attempting this mountain. Yet I did not feel it was my place to say anything. Climbers can have very different reactions each time going into thin air. Brian is a big boy and it seemed important to respect his personal choice.
Soon the air grew dusty as the mule trains pulled into Pampa de Lenas. Ty and I built our camp, ate a modestly tasty freeze dried meal, and settled in for the night. As we lay there, too excited to sleep,the sound of coyotes calling to each other from across the canyon began to break the peace. I thought upon the enormity of what Ty and I had begun; the hard days ahead, the challenges we could only guess at. I fashioned a pillow from my camp coat and felt very small.