Seeking: mountaineering partner for Aconcagua 2018

Seeking: mountaineering partner/s interested in the South American Andes between about 15 and 40

To  Plaza de Mulas, the climbing base camp.

degrees South (i.e. Altitudes of more than 6,000m/20,000 feet, relatively little snow or glaciers). 

My objective: to climb Aconcagua in Argentina in 2018 (summit just short of 7,000 m).

I'm looking for people to plan, train (think epic Yukon treks, long Eastern US/Canada through hikes, trips at altitude) and climb this impressive mountain. Regular climbing season on Aconcagua runs from mid-November to mid-March. The trip takes about 3 weeks, but I'll need more time to acclimatize and likely would do so in Bolivia's high mountains. Intrigued? Interested? 

The Polish route sen from Plaza Francia
(not considering that one so much)

Check out:

•  my mountain resume so far
• my Bolivian excursions in 2013
• my 3 months South American trip in 2010

You'll see, Jan, my long-time partner in life and the mountains in many of these posts. Unfortunately, that partnership ended last year, so I am looking for a new 'travel in high places' partner.


Message me here and let's talk!

Aconcagua Normal route seen from Plaza de Mulas
at about 4,450 m. Summit at 6,962 m (22,840 feet)

Lesser 46ers deliver big

Gil brook near Indian Head 

We headed back country in the Adirondack High Peaks for the Labour Day weekend to enjoy the essential life of the outdoors for a few days.

It was a stellar weekend.

A lovely and very large camp site just for us.

The drive down on Saturday was fast, as I didn't need to stop in at US Immigration due to my still valid I-94. We left our car in a spot at the 73 at St. Huberts hiker parking that had just become available - sometimes, on one of the busies hiking weekends, it pays to arrive relatively late in the day. From there access to the back country runs through the private Adirondack Mountain Reserve - Ausable Club (A short history - driven by conservation). Mandatory trail head registration featured the Club's security person quizzing us on our overnight plans, whether we had bear barrels and so on. Satisfied that we were well equipped for 3 days he wished us a fine trip.

Inga on a cloudy Colvin summit.

After about an hour we left the private Lake Road, and within 30 minutes we located a designated camp site near Indian Head. Arriving much faster than expected, we decided to set up camp and then work up a proper appetite. As the trail became noticeably steeper that worked very well. By 6:30 pm we were set up by the brook to heat up dinner. An hour later dusk began to rapidly turn to dark.

The rain arrived on cue overnight. We lucked into a dry spell for breakfast and then headed out on the trail to Mt Colvin and Blake. These are two of the lesser 46ers. In fact, Blake is a historic artifact, since it is not quite 4,000' in height. (These two are 4,057' and 3,980' respectively.) However, the 46ers years ago decided to not alter the historic list just because newer surveys recalibrated heights a little better.

Hiking out on a super beautiful, sunny day.

Still life of boots drying and gear awaiting packing.

Summit-wise, neither offered us much: Colvin was engulfed in clouds and Blake is in the trees. Hiking-wise, we enjoyed the usual Adirondack wilderness challenges of steep, rocky and wet terrain that requires the hiker's constant attention and vigilance. One hallmarks of the remarkable technical hiking here is that the descent often takes as long as the ascent did; this 7-mile return took us about 7 hours through rain and clouds and mud. We met just 5 other people in 2 groups all day: When the weather forecast is for adverse weather, the back country-exploring population drops dramatically. This usually feels like a bonus; at least as long as the weather is "bad within reason".

By the time we settled back at camp to make dinner, the rain had subsided and we enjoyed a well deserved meal by our own private brook.

On Sunday, we had a leisurely morning followed by a quick hike out and a drive to Chapel Pond, the best High Peaks swimming hole. The it was off to The Cottage in Lake Placid for a late lunch, a bit of shopping and a beautiful drive home.

Best patio in Lake Placid! The Cottage at Mirror Lake. 

In recent years, wilderness has taken an ever greater place in my world. These days, it is the  perhaps mythical place where we can still roam freely that makes most sense to me. Living in a city, even one as splendid and close to the outdoors as Ottawa, has me feeling wistful for the essentialness, the self-reliance of the unpaved.

It's great to have the Adirondack wilderness close by and to have mountain excursions and wild places on my mind for the next adventure.

A Giant - Esther weekend

Actually Esther at 9.4 miles (15.2 km) return was a longer hiking day than Giant's 6 miles (9.7 km). Especially the way we did it this weekend: for Esther, we parked at the Reservoir which adds 2.6 miles to the return trip. Esther is the kind of herd path that is impossible to lose, and best of all, it follows the ridge with just small up and downs to get to the summit once we turned off the main trail to Whiteface.

Inga posing on Esther's summit. The clouds were thick,
there was a little bit of sleet, views non-existent, but that
was all  secondary to making it up in the first place.

The trail was very wet, with muddy puddles on flatter parts and running water most everywhere else. The picture below doesn't quite do that part justice. In any case, we did our best to walk right through it all and not make new detours that further erosion. Happy to wear my backpacking boots, which are water proof. Even though I never bothered putting on gaiters, the wet stayed out despite "testing" a few rather deep.

This 6.5 hour excursion, featuring over 3,000 feet of elevation difference, I did with a 40 lb backpack - for training purposes; made the gluteal muscles take note as well as the knees, while merely 'massaging' the feet and ankles.

Summit plaque commemorating Esther McComb's first
ascent in 1839 at 15 years old. Just for the joy of it.

After another easy camping night at the ACC Montreal's Keene Farm property - this spot is like a home away from home having spent many nights both in the hut and camping - we embarked on the shortest route up Giant.

Jan provides gorgeous scale on open ridge
below Giant's summit.

This is a very pretty and varied hike, passing 2 mountain-side lakes (Giant Washbowl is aptly named), and rising steadily by over 3,000 feet almost right from the roadside parking area near Chapel Pond. The sunny weather made us appreciate the alternating shady wooded sections and wide open ridges with gorgeous sweeping views. The summit affords beautiful views of the Dix Range and over to the Great Range. We took 2:30 hours up and 2:10 down - with much lighter packs. Well, Jan could certainly do this faster, so I always go first to set the pace :)

View from Giant's summit across into
the Dix and Great Range.

Esther is our 19th 46er. Giant was our first in 2007 just ahead of our trip to Argentina and our first foray into the higher altitudes with a trek to Aconcagua's Plaza de Mulas. That feels like such a long time ago considering our varied trekking and mountaineering ventures covering much mountainous ground in North and South America and even a challenging foray along Germany's Rhine river. Still the Adirondack's High Peaks are our best training and proving grounds, where miles and miles of steep, technically demanding climbs - usually more difficult than anything we've encountered on most other routes - help us get trail fit for our further afield adventures.

High Peaks serve up the best back country tests

(Scroll down for photos.) Last weekend we shouldered our 40+ pound backpacks and set off on a 3-day back country excursion in the Adirondack High Peak's wilderness. As usual, we carried our tent, sleeping bags, kitchen, the mandatory bear barrels with food, essential toiletries, first aid and clothing to suit every weather with a couple of extra bits just in case.

Friday night we made great time driving to Lake Placid (3 hours), got  dinner at the local brew pub and checked in at the Alpine Air motel, as it was too late to find a camp site. The next morning, we set off from the South Meadows area, about 2 miles from the Adirondack Loj, and hiked to Bushnell Falls via the Klondike Trail and John Brook Lodge. The 7 miles (just over 11 km) took about 5 hours: the hiking has some attention-getting uphill sections and enough blown down trees covering the trail to slow us down a bit. Of course, we took a couple of fine breaks along the way. Furthermore, the first bridge has been washed out for a while (Hurricane Irene I think), so we  forded the river which tends to slow things down a tiny bit, too. The good news: crews were rebuilding the bridge and it should be finished by now!

Bushnell Falls area has two lean-tos a few hundred yards and a river apart. We went to Number 2 which has a designated camp site beside a mountain stream;  we were all set. After setting up and settling in we took an hour to head back to the actual Bushnell Falls, a few hundred yards from our camp, and down a steep, muddy embankment. The falls are pretty and Jan made a sport of climbing around them in her ancient sandals ... because up close and personal is always better. A fun excursion spent trying to take interesting quality photos of moving water.

We settled in to our sleeping bags even before dark and soon fell asleep happy to be out there, on our own, self-sufficient, in gorgeous wilderness.

The next day, we set our sights on Haystack, the 3rd highest 46er with 4,960 feet. We had heard that there would be snow - up to 4 feet - above 3,500 feet. It was hard to image given the summer weather we had been having. But then, there was much late winter snow that we had enjoyed in Ottawa, too. Indeed, once we passed Slant Rock we began to spot snow and as we ascended further, deep snow covered the trail. The spring melt water had been burrowing pathways across the trail underneath the snow pack. We broke through in places as the snow bridges were becoming less stable. The hiking toward summits is steep and slow. It took about 3 hours to get up Little Haystack. Just as we arrived dark clouds started rolling in. The change in weather was fast with visibility quickly reduced; when we reached the summit of Haystack, we could see just a few feet ahead and certainly no longer all the way across to Little Haystack, nor could we see any part of Mount Marcy.

Quick summit photos taken, we set out for the return to camp. A ranger had suggested that instead of crossing Haystack, descending its south side and returning along a path said to be quite difficult at the best of times - and likely treacherous with the snow and ice resulting in much challenging post holing - that we could take Shorey's Shortcut for variety. The way we hiked it, this is not a shortcut at all, quite the opposite, but it was different. Indeed, if we thought we struggled uphill through the snowy path, the downhill on Shorey was even more challenging. We applied all our snow travel skills, digging in heel first and post holed frequently as the snow bridges frequently gave way. Due to the trail's steepness with large boulders strewn everywhere, I went in more than hip-deep in a few spots struggling to gain solid ground again. With the rain falling, the snow and run-off beneath, we both got wet through and through. Perhaps needless to  say, the descent took as long as the way up. That is one of the things about the High Peak's: you can't assume that down is faster given the technically difficult terrain.

We made it back to camp safely after about 7 hours covering about 8 miles (13 km) and traversing about 2,000 vertical feet. By now we were completely soaked through and knew we'd get cold as soon as we stopped moving. We quickly decided to use the lean to until we would go to sleep in our tent. We boiled up water for tea as we changed into dry, warm clothes. Then we made dinner and tried to find a way to dry out our hiking boots that were wet inside and out. (see solution below)

With the challenges of the day, so rises the elation. Especially, since we were well equipped and had the sole use of the lean-to, we could review with relish the day's adventures and accomplishments.

The next morning, the rain let up. We packed up, wet clothes off the line making for some extra weight, and set off for the return to our car. The hike out felt easy in comparison to hiking Haystack. We enjoyed the effort and felt awesome after our last ford at South Meadows.

Jan explores her camera's settings. Result: beautiful!

Lunch near Klondike Lean-to on hike in.

Bushnell Falls and Jan.

First big snow.

Jan navigates the snowy path ably.

Clouds move in fast over Haystack.

Haystack summit, really! Just us and the thick clouds.

A tea light for every boot. This actually worked pretty well
to dry them out for a few hours.

Improvised clothes line to store our dry clothes for the night.

Back in the meadow steps from our car. Happy.

Adirondacks wilderness

We just spent 3 nights in the Adirondacks, one of our all-time favourite hiking destinations. We go often and have been using the technical, demanding terrain of the High Peaks region to prepare for some of our longer trekking and mountain adventures.

This weekend, we were back to hone those skills as we are about to head of the the Alpine Club of Canada's General Mountaineering Camp. The weather was gorgeous, the hiking spectacular, the camp site awesome. In short, we had the perfect weekend.

Jan on top of Saddleback (4,515 feet).

"Precipitous down climb" on way from
Saddleback to Basin Mountain. When the
guidebook says this and adds "extreme
caution" there's a reason.

Massive new slide due to Hurricane Irene
last September. Nature is awe-inspiring in
its sheer force.

View of Basin Mountain. We summitted
it, too (4,827 feet), and then 
backtracked to Orebed camping 
via Saddleback.

Ice cave and thin ice were all part of the fun

This is another route Jan climbed yesterday. Featuring her exploration of the ice cave near its top.



And this one is a thin, mixed ice climb with overhang. Gotta try it all :)

Jan rocks on ice

MountainFest took place for the 16th time this weekend in Keene Valley, NY, th High Peaks Region in the Adirondack's.
It was our first time at the Festival; we went for a day of ice climbing.

Here's Jan on her very first climb - connecting seamlessly to the one and only other time ice climb in Bolivia in November 2010.
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Final camping tune up done!

We spent another back country camping weekend in the Adirondack High Peaks.

Jan playing with the wind on
Marcy - cold, fast and fun

Earl brought lots of rain so we now know for sure that our tent stays dry and I earned my "cooking in the rain" badge.

We also got in some great hiking. We tackled Mount Marcy with super light day packs making this 16 km hike seem easy. Once we entered the alpine arctic zone, which starts at the tree line, we put on our softshell jackets (what a great invention!); the wind blew with 30 to 50 km/h gusting to 70 km/h. Cold but great for that flying feeling!

As for blisters: I didn't get any on the hike in or when we hiked Marcy. On the hike out on our last day however, both my heels lost some skin (I don't actually get blisters, it's more like the skin gets chewed up and torn off). All that to say, that's progress, but still not ideal or reliable for long trekking excursions. I think a big issue was the added warmth stemming from waterproof hiking boots and gore-tex gaitors. It'll work out fine as long as I can keep my feet drier and cooler as well as liberally using the appropriate first aid materials. (aka time to buy stock in moleskin/second skin manufacturers)

Return to Adirondack backcountry

We will spend the Labour Day long weekend back in the High Peaks backcountry camping and hiking some more 46ers. We extended the weekend by 2.5 days so we can tune up and adjust things according to the learnings.

The big test: will my latest blister prevention strategy work? It's a combo of new socks, taking off boots at lunch to let my feet cool down/dry out; and tying my boots a bit differently. Then there are copious amounts of moleskin and second skin.

We will be using a water microfilter (MSR) for the first time (used Aquatabs on our last trip and will bring them as back up).

To save weight for the 4 or 5 days we will be out there we are opting for dehydrated dinners and dried fruit along with oatmeal, nuts and bars for daily nutrition. I made a comprehensive meal plan listing weight, calories as well as carbs, protein and fat. That was an enlightening exercise!

Lake Colden base camp

Camping at Lake Colden turned out to be an inspired choice.

The view across the lake toward Avalanche pass, with Avalanche mountain on the left and Mt Colden on the right - #11 of the 46ers with over 4,700 feet - was awesome. Apart from other hikers/campers and a forest ranger there was just wilderness.

A couple of mornings were cloudy which made for a fine show as the clouds lifted slowly, revealing the mountains.

We used chemical water treatment taking the water right out of the creek near our camp site. That simple act made me think about water in totally new ways, again. Reminded me of the 2 weeks we spent in the desert in Joshua Tree in 2002. Everything changes when water is something one must actually think about and take responsibility for.

In the backcountry

Four days unsupported in the backcountry of the Adirondack Wilderness.

Jan at Marcy Dam

On the first day we rented the mandatory bear canisters and packed our food and stowed them in the bottom of our backpacks. Then added sleeping bag/pad/tent, stove/fuel/pots, water, emergency gear, minimal clothes and 50+ pounds in each pack we were off. That is one heavy pack to lug 6.3 miles from Adirondack Loj, via Avalanche Pass to Lake Colden. (We brought mostly 'real' food, as we aren't certain about access to dehydrated food when travelling.)

Things we learned that day: 4 days might be the outer limit of what we care to do on our own here, but at 3,000  to 4,000 m altitude this is not a pack I want to carry! Dehydrated food is awesome. We had some Backpacker Pantry with us. Delicious.

Of course, for our hike out on the last day, we decided that going over Mount Colden (#11 of the 46ers at over 4,700 feet - with a solid 1,950 foot ascend over 1.5 miles) since our packs would be lighter (guessing it was still 40 lbs) would be just the thing. We made it up the steep side and down the much more gradual descent (thankfully); 8.3 miles in all. (This is Jan at the summit on a windy, wet day) What a hard day coming out this way. Adirondack peaks are steep and challenging and requiring the occasional climbing move. Not easy with big packs.

Readying the gear

We're getting ready to leave tomorrow for 4 days in the woods. My notions of what I need to bring on a 4 day backcountry trip are becoming ever more minimal. Where once I would have a backpack full of clothes when travelling say by train through Europe, I now have a backpack with a second pair of socks, rain jacket, 2 T-shirts and an extra pair of shorts ... alongside the kitchen (the food and water dwarf the stove and fuel), bathroom and first aid kit.

We're heading out tomorrow right after work. The itinerary:
Friday night: Cascade Inn so we get an early start the next morning.
Saturday: Park at Adirondack Loj, rent bear canisters, do final pack and head to Interior Outpost at Lake Colden. Set up camp and then time allowing hike up Iroquois via Boundary Peak (about 10 - 11 miles)
Sunday: Keep our camp set up and head on a big loop to hike up Marcy, Skylight and Haystack. Then back to our camp site for dinner and maybe a swim. (about 11 miles)
Monday: Break camp and hike via Mt Colden to Marcy Dam and set up camp there. (5 or so miles)
Tuesday: Final breakfast and leisurely hike out to Adirondack Loj. We'll be home in Ottawa sometimes later in the day/evening. (2 miles)

Backcountry camping in Adirondacks

We've added a day to this upcoming long weekend, so we will have 4 days for camping and hiking. The plan is to spend 4 nights hiking point-to-point in the High Peaks, moving our camp every day and bagging a few 46ers in the process.

This will give us a chance to test out and tune up the hiking/camping logistics regarding packing - with food (in mandatory bear-resistant canisters for everything that smells like food), kitchen, water and water treatment - and carrying the full packs over significant elevations and distances each day.

The thing I am nervous about is that we'll be camping in black bear country. I'm not eager to get roared at again by a black bear that is feeling a bit threatened or maybe just fed up, as we did a few years ago coming back from a day of climbing near Luskville in Gatineau Park. That encounter is indelibly seared in my memory. And frankly, I have not fully reconcile that experience partly due to the differing human reactions in that moment.

We'll see how we make out this weekend with every aspect of this excursion.

Adirondacks brilliant on July weekend

We had an awesome weekend of hiking, climbing and a little bit of updating of equipment (new climbing harness!) on our latest training trip to the Adirondacks for the July long weekend (Canada Day July 1 and Independence Day July 4).

Here we are on the summit of Wright Peak. At 4,580' it is the 16th highest in the High Peaks, and one of few that features an alpine zone, with some amazingly resilient alpine vegetation. There is also a Summit Steward program in place to protect them via education of hikers and generally fascinating conversation.

We also made it out climbing one afternoon at the slabs of Notch Mountain off Highway 86 near Copperas Lake. It's one of our favourite spots. And as such a great place to introduce my niece to climbing. She did very well and coped with the stress and excitement of climbing up, rapping down and belaying very well. We pretty much gave her a 4-hour intensive climbing clinic followed by a great swim at Chapel Pond on Highway 73 past Keene Valley, near Giant Mountain.

As for trip training, I carried some big loads all 3 days. The biggest without doubt was the climbing day when I had 20+ kilos of climbing hardware and gear in my pack. Thank goodness that was only a short 30 minutes hike in!

Porter - done!

On our second full day, we decided to tackle Porter Mountain via Blueberry. It and Phelps were supposed to be merely 0.2 miles total difference in length, but this turned into 2 additional hours.

Turns out the elevation gains are very different (Porter ascends 3,275 feet compared to the 1,980' of Phelps) and that particular way to Porter is a little traveled, steep bushwack-like hike in large sections. We only saw 4 other people all day! The only flat sections were at the very top.

We had lunch at the east summit; Jan's posing here in front of Cascade Mountain, which we have hiked a few times before (it is the short way to Porter) and then finished up the last and flattest section really to get to the real summit for a photo op.

We were on this trail for 7:38 hrs, expending all kinds of effort. We aren't exactly approaching any of our hiking s day hikers, more like backpackers, ie we carry more weight than we need for the hike as we are training for hiking in big mountains when we'll need to carry our things from camp to camp.

All that to say, we had fantastic hike: beautiful views along the way, challenging terrain, enough food and water, and we summited our 7th mountain of the 46ers - only 39 to go!

On our last day we took it easy. We got the first swim of the season in at Chapel Pond, after a 1 hour hike to the Giant Washbowl just to stretch out the legs. Chapel Pond is Jan's favourite swimming hole, and it is practically unheard off to go swim in it in May. (Well... Jan swam and I cooled off my feet.)

Phelps Mountain - done

This Victoria Day long weekend was stunning with blue skies and 30 plus temps.

Jan and I spent 4 days in the Adirondacks High Peak region for some hiking and camping.

On our first full day we hiked up Phelps Mountain from Heart Lake (Adirondack Loj). Phelps is one of the 46ers, albeit a lower one at 4,161 feet. It's 4.4 mile (7.1 km) to the summit. The trail ascends 1,982 feet, mostly in the second half, making for a steep section to the summit. I carried about 35 lbs in food, water, extra clothes, first aid and some other extra stuff so that the weight training part is well accounted for. Glad to be using trekking poles and transfer some of that weight off the quads. We made good time considering, with the round trip coming in at 5:48 (includes about an hour of breaks - much needed in the heat).

We ran into Ken from Vertical Reality on the way back at Marcy Dam - he, his friend and their 2 dogs were at the end of the Algonquin-Avalanche Pass-Marcy Dam loop. It was fun to chat for the last mile as we were booting it back to the car to do a bit of shopping for hiking pants at Eastern Mountain Sports in Lake Placid.

This was followed by a superb stir fry with couscous made on our DragonFly stove and served with a bottle of red wine.

Day 2 was a different sort of story ...

Adirondack weekend booked

We'll be camping in the ACC Montreal Keene Farm meadow for 3 nights this weekend for the next stage of testing our equipment and practicing how to camp together and be relaxed about it regardless of weather and other environmental stressors. We've spent plenty of time at Keene Farm over the last 12 years but have never camped. It feels like a brand new experience in a completely familiar place.

We are also looking to expand the list of 46ers we've hiked. Looking at the guidebook now ... open for suggestions, please.

Weather woes

After an unseasonal warm spell lasting several weeks already (awesome!), this past weekend saw temperatures around 0 degrees.

The garden is taking a beating and at the same time we are getting set for camping at Lac Phillipe in Gatineau Park this weekend. The forecast? Well, rain and not that warm. Of course, that spells ideal conditions for testing equipment! Even as it looks like it might be rather uncomfortable ... we'll see if the tent is leak proof - and if not we'll learn how to make it so. As well as, how well the new sleeping bags will perform ... and the stove ... and our mental strength at basically sea level...

The good news: our car will be parked only 5 minutes away and our dry and comfy home is less than an hour away. It's what you might call a "dry run" after all.

The long weekend, we'll be in Keene camping for 3 or 4 nights though ... This could get 'ugly' with present temps...

Hiking Whiteface Mountain

When we skied at Whiteface recently, we were remembering a somewhat epic hike up Whiteface in October 2009. It was part of our training for hiking in the Grand Canyon the following month.

The elevation gain on Whiteface, the second highest mountain in the Adirondacks, is about 3,600 feet over 5.2 miles. Large sections are quite flat while the steep sections are very steep and toward the top require some serious scrambling - as this photo shows.

As we moved up higher, it began to snow, the wind blew very hard and it was cold. Smartly, we always carry extra clothing. Of course, carrying about 40 lbs each significantly adds to the aerobic qualities of hiking.

It was a challenging and a great day. In the end, we covered the final mile on the way back in a near jog and got to the trailhead with, oh ... 5 minutes to spare before dark.

One of our objectives in training for our South American adventures is to hike a few more of the Adirondacks' 46ers. (46 mountains over 4,000 feet). We have hiked 5 of them already.

Whiteface Mountain Special

Downhill skiing at Whiteface on Sunday. They've got a few super cheap Sundays with $35 life tickets. Guess they figure the Super Bowl keeps so many glued to their TVs - that the skiers deserve a big break on price.