Aconcagua 2015: "The Sky is Crying"

Post 7

"The Sky is Crying" SRV high camp 1 camp Canada.

It has been the most two depressing days of my life first went to doctor for final release to start assent from Plaza de Mulas to camp 1 Canada.

I was 2nd in line to get my knee looked at when a large US vet group checked in, some coming up from confluence, with prosthesis , I met them in Santiago two days ago, I am so proud of them and it was good to hear English. Its funny when your foreign your invisible and no one knows who you are or where your from until you try to communicate. On the log with me was a Brazilian and he wasn't looking very good he just arrived in Plaza de Mulas from the south face a day behind us. He was with a group of 8 friends and didn't want to tell his friends he was having troubles so he continues to ascend. His friends were with him but the doc sees 70 cases a day down from 100 in December and Jan and like me was sitting on a log outside the clinic. If you don't get by her you don't move on to the next camp. Maximo was with me and noticed he was having problems and started asking questions he ends up falling over and they bring him in. Max comes out and tells everyone to leave, there was an Italian guy on the log that told him he was also having breathing problems and needed help.

You can always tell the Italian climbers when its warm they are climbing with shorts with their nuts hanging out and when its cold they still wear insulated tights both, which for middle age men are very comfortable but also if they don't, other people notice they are odd. It was snowing and cold as hell so they were in between. I don't judge just observe.

I was glad to leave it was 730 and dinner was Argentine Bar B Que. We start our summit push tomorrow that will take 5 to 8 days depending on weather. It was late and I headed back to the team for one of the last meals hot that someone else cooked for the next week.

Everyone was glad to hear I was good to go even if the doc didn't see me. Later Max joined us in our dome and said the Brazilian guy had a blood ox of 34 and would probably not make it till tomorrow they called a rescue but because of the snow storm could not be airlifted. He also said the Italian guy had a 40 and was in critical condition and was in danger of dying overnight.

Max was angry with both guides had warnings of problems and didn't say anything, their guides probably noticed and didn't do anything they picked the service over his because of price. Max asked how was the 100 dollars they saved working for them. It cost 1800 for the chopper to get from Plaza de Mulas to gate dead or alive. We leave the next morning before we know his fate of either.

We are also told of another death a man from a Polish team. We have been climbing with them all week 3 men 3 women only one with good English. We talk at poop shack at low altitude in the morning. Roi parents were persecuted Jews from Poland and started the conversations even though he spoke several languages none Polish. One lady said she had 5 kids, 6 to 24, and one of the members of the polish team is living in Phoenix. We would see them up the mountain and they knew what they were doing when we carried to high camp 1 Canada. They were there in a storm we dropped our load and headed down for better conditions they would stay in the conditions not worried. He died that night and was left on the mountain to freeze, dead with pulmonary embolism. In addition the rescue plane sent to rescue crashes with 4 on board.

We all go to sleep taking the risk more seriously and promise we will not hide our health issues to go higher. I said earlier this is not a death wish but a life wish. I feel more sorry for the people afraid to live a full life even though I didn't know him I would like to think the Polish guy thought the same way.

Why: Makes me not want to waste another day

Why Not: People die

Italian climbing gear