Willingdon Attempt 2012

Sept 1-3, 2012

It was set to be Ross and Deanna's excellent adventure.  You know the story; big plans, long weekend and great weather forecast.  We knew it wasn't going to be text book when we arrived at Mosquito Creek parking lot Saturday morning shortly before 9 am to torrential rain and wet snow.  Hmmm!  We sat it out in the car for an hour and sure enough, a sucker hole of blue sky spurred us into action.

Off we went at 10, basically following the trail to Mosquito Creek campground for an hour until a bit of a trail to the left just before the 3rd bridge.  We followed this trail which follows the left hand side of the creek for another hour and a quarter.  A little tougher going and we managed to get soaking wet from the branches grabbing at us.

We then headed up through sparse bush as per Bill Corbett's directions and made our way up to a bit of alpine meadow.  The weather was coming and going with a bit of snow and grapple but not enough so send us home.  Our goal was to pass through Quartzite Col which is just to the right of my head below.

We managed to make the col in 5 hours from the car, not bad for a guy recovering from a broken ankle and a girl that doesn't climb (apparently Cotopaxi doesn't count!).  We traversed into the col from high and spent more time in awkward blocky terrain, could have saved time and energy by entering the amphiteatre lower and heading straight up to the col.  We managed to make the col in the middle of a particularly energetic storm cell, I was happy not to hear any thunder.

Deanna may have mentioned once or twice that she wasn't happy with the weather but we elected to carry on.  Fortunately, just after we did the cloud lifted and we could at least see our way down to the Siffleur valley.  Descending the other side of the col is pretty steep, we found some passable terrain well to the climbers right of the col, an alternative would have been to descend a steep snow slope right under the col.

Once down onto the Siffleur the terrain was stunning, not much of a view of the mountains but interesting terrain and soft under foot.

A bit undulating and a few creek crossings later we picked up the horse trail coming in from Pipestone valley and made our way up to Clearwater Pass.  Unfortunately, shortly about then it started to snow in earnest.  At about 6 pm we were getting a little weary and hid under some trees, ate something and agreed to carry on for 1/2 an hour and if we didn't find Devon Lakes we would just camp wherever.

Funny enough, as soon as we got back on the trail the snow eased enough for us to realize we were 40 metres from the lake and right beside the creek we were looking for!  We quickly set up camp as it continued to snow and found a clump of trees to cook under.  After a 9 hour day with a little over 1,000 metres of elevation gain in a raging blizzard it was good to be in the tent.

The snow and wind continued through most of the night and it was pretty obvious we weren't going to get up any mountains however it cleared enough in the morning to allow for a great view of the start of the route on Willingdon to the right of the nipple on the ridge below.

We had a bit of a relaxing start to the day and elected to take the long way back and spend another night out.  We packed up and headed towards Pipestone Pass at 11 am.  It stayed cold and windy but the cloud cover came and went enough to get some great views.

Two and a half hours got us to Pipestone Col which was pretty spectacular albiet chilly.  A little scotch out of the wind helped us to forget about the cold.

Carrying on down the Pipestone valley was spectacular.  We carried on for a little over an hour and just before Moose Lake headed up and over to shortcut back to Mosquito Creek. 

The route up and over takes a line of least resistance just before the large face of snow on the right above a green bench.  Given all of the obvious bear territory and no other people around I was surprised not to see any wildlife.  The climb up to the unnamed col was pretty straight forward as you can see below however we found more hoof than boot prints.

On the other side was a descent of about 200 metres to a little lake that we elected to set up camp beside.  It was still cold and windy so we spent the evening wearing every bit of clothing we brought.  In fact we had to heat up the box of wine to get it up to room temperatures!

In all it took us 7 hours to get here from Devon Lakes at a pretty pedestrian pace and there was 700 metres of elevation gain.

The next morning we tore down camp with threatening skies but managed to get out without getting wet.  It was beautiful terrain on the way down to Mosquito Creek.  At one point we were following bear tracks through a meadow with lots of signs of digging however the lack of steaming scat kept the heart rate down.

We left at 9 am, joined the trail after an hour and a half and made it back to the car in three and a half hours including a few rest stops.

Probably the most fun I've had without climbing a mountain.

Climbing in Ecuador 2011

Climbing in Ecuador

June, 2011 Synopsis: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars, like the guidebook says - "Ecuador is a wonderful destination for intermediate mountaineers looking to get some experience at elevation" what they don't say is the locals are friendly and things are pretty cheap.

We arrived in Quito on the 30th of May and checked into a hotel in old town which did the trick perfectly.

Wednesday June 1/11  Pasachoa - attempt

We got up, had breakfast in the hotel and made our way to the bus stop, it was a bit full on and I attempted to stomp through like Forest Gump however MENSA chick made me stop and ask directions.  9:00 am got on a bus for Amaguana, with lot’s of stops it took roughly an hour - cost $0.85 for both of us.  The bus conductor was good enough to help get us a camionette at the stop however it turned out to be a small car and cost less than the rate mentioned in the guide book so we were in good hands.  The driver was a young lady whose name was Linda and she spoke just a bit of English.  The ride up to the start of the climb took roughly ½ hour on a very rough road of 7 km’s and cost $7.  Ended at a refugio at the Buogue Forest.  

This was a different spot than I was aiming for however would do just fine and we got a great hike through the rain forest.  There was a park entrance and a little man took $2 for us to enter and gave us a map.  We started hiking at 10:40 am at roughly 2700 metres.  Good trails for the first part however very wet.  The sky was threatening however didn’t really rain hard on us, just sprinkled.  The ground was quite slick in places and there was a lot of bird song.  We were in thick forest until noon at which time we gained a ridge, still in forest and quite cloudy so not a lot to see.  The map showed the end of the trail being Ruma Lumo and we reached there just after 1:00 pm at 3090m.  Just before then emerged from the forest and made our way up damp long grass, tricky footing.  Ruma Lumo was a saddle, unfortunately not much for views due to the clouds.  We stopped for lunch and then took a little bit of back and forth to determine the correct way.  We then made our way around the ridge line through very interesting terrain on the back side of the volcano.  It became apparent that we weren’t going to summit and get back to meet Linda for 5 pm so we turned around at 3600m at 2:30 pm, note the styling rain pants!  

Raced back to Ruma Lumo and made it just after 4:00 pm.  Slid our way down the trail and just 5 minutes from the parking lot heard Linda honk her horn, our spanish worked and she had come back to get us!  6:30 hour day and 900 metres but we were wet and tired.  Linda took us to where the bus could meet us and the bus happened by as we were getting out of the car!  We ran for it and it turned out to be the same bus we took there.  The conductor greeted us like old friends and we settled in to a more crowded bus for the hour ride back to Quito.  Walking out of the bus terminal at “rush hour” was unforgettable, an absolute zoo!  

Thursday June 2nd Rucu Pinchincha - 4696m

We took a $3 taxi ride from the hotel to the teleferico, a very slow Gondola that took an hour but gained 1,000m of elevation and dropped us off just after 10:00 am at 4100m.  There was a little coffee shop (Nescafe) at the top and we shared the teleferico with a french couple who were climbers and a Bolivian in Quito for work.  After using the washrooms left at 10:30 am, not much to see at outset with low clouds however it improved.  

There was a very good trail to start, quite gentle as it followed a ridge.  After Pasachoa it was good to be above tree line.  Quite industrial early on as powerlines passed close by however the terrain was gently undulating and a great view of Quito appeared as the clouds burned off.  Got to the end of the well defined path and the start of the real climbing at 12:30 pm at roughly 4500m.  The lungs were definitely feeling it but low and slow was our mantra.

We stopped and had some lunch in the lee of the ridge.  The trail then skirted the ridge to climbers right, some interesting features and a real muddy section before some sand and finally some great blocky climbing on excellent rock.  Some exposure and cairns marked the route.  We made the summit at 1:30 pm and were surprised by a large sign and quite a bit of graffiti with a few cigarette butts thrown in. Clouds came in about then so no great views however we made it through the day without getting wet.  While on the summit an Italian in shorts and running shoes lept up with his mother yelling something about Luigi in the background.  When we finally left the summit met a guy from Boston not doing well with the altitude.  A quick descent put us back at the start of the trail at 2:40 pm and back at the teleferique at 3:40 pm for a 5:10 hr 750m day.  Great fun!  Waited a bit for a taxi and got one for $5 back to the hotel.  We were both a little spent from the excercise and elevation, went easy on the booze (like none) and drank lots of water.

Saturday June 4th El Corazon - attempt

We spent the day before moving to Machachi, roughly an hour south of Quito.  The day started with a rooster waking us up at 3 am and both of us having a good bout of travellers tummy.  We planned to get out the door at 7 am however that time saw a low cloud cover and both of us sitting on the bed wondering if we could go the entire cammionette ride without having to run to the loo.  We finally sucked it up and left at 7:40 am for the 5 minute walk to the cammionette’s, found a very nice driver who gave us a ride to the gate for $4.00.  Funny scene as many locals were getting rides in pickup trucks (we counted 17 in the back of one) to work in the fields and going through at the same time.  We had to sign in with a couple of security guards however I never really understood what was going on (not highly unusual).

We started hiking at 8:00 am at 3300m and basically climbed the first hour up a stone, then gravel road the trucks used.  Finally stopped for a second breakfast at three pines as we were cutting through an uncultivated field.  It was roughly 9:30 and at 3800m, beautiful views and starting to feel a little better.  Cotopaxi started to come into view.  We walked up a trail further and realized that we took a short cut and got back on the road that took the long way around.  The next several hundred metres were above the fields however we were following a road that switched back and forth and gained the hump we could see from the road.  It then meandered to climbers left and went a fair ways back before getting close to the peak proper.  Finally at 1:00 pm and 4390m we came to the end of the road with a bit of flagging and found a path through the long grasses towards the saddle.  It became apparent that it was a longer day than we calculated and we would have to turnaround at some point to get down before dark.  Once near the col we started scrambling on rock with a few cairns and some flagging from time to time.  Fairly straight forward however the day was taking it’s toll, we still weren’t feeling well and were moving fairly slowly.  Turned around at 2 pm at 4629m, took a couple of photo’s and started down. Why do I look like I'm going to hurl and MENSA chick looks like she's on a picnic?

With the good footing once we hit the road and good paths down it went quickly and we were back at the three pines at 4 pm.  A few poo stops on the way down to clean the system out.  Got back to sign out at 5 pm and walked down and around to the train station.  We asked a couple of locals about a taxi and they motioned us to the Hacienda close by.  Very nice people showed us the wonderful digs (especially compared to the relatively dumpy place we were in) and let us sit down while they called us a cab.  9 hour day, 6 hours up and 3 down and 1320m gained it felt like a lot of work as we were not feeling 100% but we could also feel that we were acclimatizing. Later on we found that the place we were staying also used the main hall for funerals, things that make you go hhmmm!

Monday June 6th Illiniza Norte  5126m

We moved to the small town of El Chaupi and stayed at Hostel Llovizno, much nicer.  Vladimir was the owner and spoke pretty good English.  We were up at 5:15 am and had the included breakfast of jugo, huevos, cafe and great jam.  Left at 6 am with Vladimir who gave us a ride to Le Virgin (a small statue) and we had to pay $2 each to enter the park on the way.  The day started off sunny with great views of Cotopaxi.  We started walking just after 6:30 am at 3900 m and just after got started a well behaved dog joined us and followed all the way to the summit ridge.   

We had to make some route finding decisions following rough vehicle trails through the trees, went left and doubted but it turned out to be the best approach.  As we got higher the views of the valley got better along with Pasachoa, Corazon, Cayambe and Antisana.   Pretty easy trekking until we got to the Refugio, which some stay the night.  On the way up passed a couple of french climbers descending along with guide and cook.  The cook told us the dog came from the village however was a mountain dog and had been to the top of most of the peaks in the area.  We arrived at the refugio at 9:30 am at 4607m, definitely feeling short of breath but pretty good otherwise.  It was a very clean and well kept refugio, we used the washrooms and left payment for it to keep the mountain gods on our side.  Nice trail from there to the Norte/Sur saddle then got scrambly with primarily good rock.  



We passed a spanish couple, the gal looked completely spent and the dog must have sensed something because it followed them down.  It slowly got steeper with some sandy areas however I followed some great directisimo bits up good blocky rock that looked like granite.  Finally passed around in front of the summit, some exposure but had trouble figuring out where the “passo de la muerte” was.  Then a bit of a steep bit on sand and loose rock to the summit ridge and onto the summit which you didn’t realize until were on it.   Summited at noon, with a large metal cross on the rock.  We stopped and enjoyed some lunch and the view as clouds came and went.  Very happy to be there and definitely sucking air!  I enjoyed this climb every bit as much as Cotopaxi.

We took an alternative way down which was more of a scree and sand descent. Came off the summit and down climbed some rocky bits, then across ridge with snow just above us and basically followed the track.  Very easy going and lost elevation quickly.  As we got closer we called for a ride on the radio Vladimir gave us however no one answered the calls.  Tried for the last hour down to Le Virgin however no response.  We met a young German and French couple who were climbing up as the weather was starting to turn.  Found out later they took the wrong turn and climbed nearly to the summit on the downtrack and eventually gave up and walked all the way back to the hostel arriving at about 9 pm!  Back at Le Virgin at 2:45 pm for an 8:10 hour (5 hours up and 2 ½ down with ½ an hour on summit) and 1250m day.  Met up with the spanish couple who had called a cammionette and we got a ride in the back, later Vladimir tried to say his wife called that cammionette for us but doubted it - ah life in Ecuador, it always works out but you don’t always understand how!


Wednesday June 8th Cotopaxi  5897m

We agreed after breakfast with Vladimir to go for it and organize a guide for the two of us on Cotopaxi, then we both feel pretty sick for a bit.  The guide, Marco showed up at the Hostel shortly thereafter and we all had lunch together at 1:00 pm. H spoke English although not terribly comfortable with it, obviously an experienced guide. Marco also had interesting skull and cross bones tattoos on back of each hand, more things that make you go hhmmm!  The four of us drove to Machachi and we hit the instant teller and forked over $200 each, then Vladimir departed on foot and Marco drove us to Chilcabamba to drop our packs off to stay on way back (one of the advantages of traveling with a girl, it was a higher end fantastic place to catch up on sleep after the climb).  We drove through the park which is pretty desolate near Cotopaxi and up switchbacks to the parking lot.  We left the parking lot at 3:30 pm and arrived at the refugio at 4:30 pm, 4800 metres.  

It was a fairly large refugio, max 75 people, however fortunately not nearly full. We took a couple of bunks and stored our stuff in one of the large lockers supplied using our padlock.  Met some others climbing and some who just came out to stay, many were sick and hadn't acclimatized much.  Marco made us chicken with mushrooms on spaghetti for supper and it was awesome.  We went to bed at 7:30 pm however lied awake for some time, I got up to take a leak and there was a clear sky and awesome stars, however gasped for air in the sleeping bag.  12:10 am woke up having slept through the alarms.  I took another 250 mg of Diamox after taking the same the previous noon, supper and just before bed.

We left the hut at 1:15 am, scrambled climbers right of refugio for 30 minutes until we hit the snow and put on crampons.  We then scrambled up perfect cramponing snow, mostly clear however quite windy with the occasional gust containing grappel.    One woman and guide passed quickly, a large group was just behind however we put distance on them fairly rapidly.  I was having trouble with my headlamp as it was old and (like me at times) not very bright.  We stopped at 2:45 to rope up at 5175m, up until then pretty consistant 30 degree snow slopes.  We were using the one mountaineering axe and one ski pole technique and Deanna was tied in just behind guide and I was 4 metres behind.  Marcos was good with MENSA chick, giving her instruction along the way as it was the first time she had used crampons.  From here up I didn’t see much except what was directly in front of me. We worked our way up to around the right hand side of a large rock face.  4 pitches of steeper snow about then however didn’t belay anything.  It actually got quite cold on the hands and we used handwarmers, it was coldest between 3 and 5 am and I would estimate 5 below celcius.  I found the pace pushing it and spent most of the way up huffing, MENSA chick seemed to be doing better.  We stopped 3 times in all for food and drink and to catch our breath, the last time at the top of the rock step at 5600m.  Some interesting crevasses and features going around the rock face, definitely large terrain.  We met the fast gal coming down with her guide about then.  On the way up, Marco had to stop a few times to check the way otherwise we were just following crampon tracks.  I had tingly fingers from the Diamox early on however once around rock face started to get clouded vision in my right eye and as the day wore on in both.  It was quite slow from 5600m to the summit and just before summit the sun started to come out and we turned the headlights off.  We summited at 6:15am, 5 hours up which felt pretty quick.  It is a broad summit looking into old valcano crater, great views of surrounding peaks including all of the high ones.  

Unfortunately, my vision was still clouded - felt like cataracts and stung just a bit.  I thought it might be the blast of grappel every now and then as climbed (should have had goggles) however after some research believe it was because I took too much Diamox.  It was definitely a lot of work, however have hurt worse.  Spent 30 minutes walking around in a daze on the summit and eating some great tasting food (including a twinkie like roll).  

Two female English teachers arrived on the summit just before us and we had a great chat.  Descended quite quickly - 2:15 hours.  Snow good all the way down, didn’t soften up as some cloud came in.  My vision got a bit worse and couldn’t take photos.  Neat to climb down in the daylight and see what climbed up.  

We basically went straight down the lower part to the rocks.  I had one loose boot and didn’t bother tightening it up.  Should have as my big toe swole up and got red and sore for a couple of days, eventually lost the toenail.  We got down to the rocks and took off our crampons and harness, rested for a bit then headed back to hut.  Arrived back at 9 am, 5 hours up, ½ hour on summit and 2:15 down.  Rested, organized and rehydrated until 10:30 am then Marcos gave ride to Chilcabamba.  
Deanna tipped him $30 which he didn’t seem to expect and Chilcabamba was a treat - perfect way to recover and my sight came back in time for supper (after much sleep).  Great adventure, got up early the next morning to watch people climbing Cotopaxi through the scope at the hotel.

Patagonia Part III - attempt on Rafael Juarez Anglo-American route

December 12th- January 5th, 2011/2012 El Chalten, Argentina


After getting back to El Chalten from the Guillaumet trip on Tuesday December 27th, we had 4 days of bad weather in the mountains.  As usual the first day back was a great chance to sleep, eat, drink and repeat.  We did attempt to go rock climbing in town the first afternoon back however between howling wind, crappy rock (no it's not all crappy) and widely spaced bolts we quickly decided to get back to what we do best - eating a largely meat based diet.

We were camped at El Refugio and it was clearly getting busier, we had heard that January is when a lot of Argentineans' take vacation and it gets very busy.  Interestingly enough prices were going up as well, that old supply and demand thing.  Thursday was windy but not raining so we decided to stretch our legs out and hike to Mirador Pilegue Tumbado. Given it's not an approach to any climbs it would be a chance to check out some country we wouldn't get to see otherwise.  The path starts out behind the ranger station and we left about 10:30 am and made it up in just under 3 hours.  

We were greeting with excellent views and a lot of wind.  The snowy peak on the left is Cerro Solo, next moving right is the Torre group and of course further right is Fitzroy.  Our next biv site would be in the valley between the latter two.  We managed to do a little map study and even grabbed a nap before heading down.  As mentioned, the camp ground was starting to fill up and there were a fair number of climbers and lots of characters, probably the biggest was Juan - the owner and "manager" of the place.  He spent a lot of time muttering and moving sprinklers around.

The next two days (last of the year) were worse weather wise; windy and rainy.  It was about then that we made hay with our discovery that the least expensive thing to cook in Argentina is beef and the Argentinean Malbec's are very tasty.  We did a lot of inquiry and decided our next route would be the Anglo-American on Rafael.  It gets us into new country, was in the right realm grade wise and had no snow on top so we wouldn't have to climb with our heavy boots and tools in the pack.  The weather looked like it would get better early in the new year so we planned on leaving new years day.


New Years eve in the campground was a great affair with lots of BBQing going on and folks from Argentina, Germany, USA, France, Belgium and Canada.  Great fun and about midnight Wilfred, the guy from Belgium, brought out a bottle of "Vino Generoso" which ended up being cheap port - perfect!


We got up, a little fuzzy headed, the next day and managed to pack and leave town about 10:30 am.  After 3 hours we were back at camp Agostini and the tyrollean traverse. 

As you can start to see, this time didn't go quite as well.  The water was higher and there was more slack in the rope.  The first time I jumped on it I got about 1/4 of the way through and got wet feet and pack.  Backed up, reriged and tried it again with more success.  Wet feet - great way to start a 4 day trip (gave me an excuse for the smelly feet!).


We followed the same path up the moraine that we had used to approach Cerro Solo previously for about an hour, then found a shortcut down to the glacier.  There was one tricky crossing of a creek just above a waterfall, as you can see the water was really high.

From here we followed a rough trail down to the Glaciar Grande.  Along the way we had to cross an area where the path had avalanched.  Not horrible but an area that you wanted to focus.  Guides had stopped running trips to walk on the glacier for non climbers due to the instability of this section.

Once alongside the glacier we had heard from a friend, Glen, that the easiest crossing was to carry along for a kilometer or so until climbing above a small waterfall and gaining the glacier.    While the footing was a little tricky in spots, the seracs along the glacier with waterfalls and pools were spectacular.

Eventually we found the way around the waterfall and batmanned up a fixed rope to gain the easiest access to the glacier itself.  Great fun with the overnight pack!

By the time we gained the glacier it was 4:30 pm and neither of us was feeling particularly energetic.  Getting on the glacier with firm ice beneath our feet and little elevation to gain felt like a reprieve.  Given there was no snow and you could see the crevasses we didn't bother roping up.

There are three bivouac sites in the valley ahead; Nortuagos (the Norweigan camp) which is typically used for climbing Torre and those spires close by, Polacos (the Polish camp) where we were headed, is used for climbing the west side of the Fitzroy group and Niponino which is literally not Polacos not Nortuagos and in the middle.  We had heard that Niponino as on the right had edge of the flat rock (Mocho) to my left in the photo above.  This ended up being one of those days that you keep trucking along but the mountains just don't get any closer.  We finally got to the right area for Niponino at about 7:00 pm however there didn't appear to be anyone else in the valley and we couldn't figure out where the Niponino site was.  Having said that the view of the west side of the Fitzroy group was outstanding.  From left to right is Pointcenot, Rafael, St. Exupery and Agula de la S.  On the far right you can see the back side of Mojon Rojo that we had climbed earlier.

Fortunately, Polacos is pretty easy to see as a large rock marks the spot so after hunting around a bit we carried on. After checking out the bivouac spots higher and closer to the water source we decided to use the rock itself and it made for a great biv site, well sheltered with fantastic views of the Torre side of the valley. 

Home sweet home, after 10 1/2 hours and 1250 metres of elevation gain we were ready to get organized (read throw our crap all over the cave), eat and sleep.

Sunday was to be a bit more of a relaxed day, our goal was to recon the approach to our route on Rafael and leave much of the heavy climbing gear at the base of the rock so we could to make quick travel the next morning.  We took our time getting ready and left the comfort of the rock at 10 am.  The weather was a mixed bag and stayed pretty consistent, the Torre group had their heads in the clouds and the Fitzroy group had blue sky, there wasn't any rain however the winds were pretty strong and gusty.

After a false start we found the right break in the rock band above Polacos, it was the first one to the left of the water source straight above camp, and made our way.  The route finding wasn't straight forward and we were happy to check it out in the daylight with some blocky scrambling mixed with snow and ice.  

The cleft above is the start of the Anglo-American route on Rafael, it is 12 pitches of rock climbing and gains the smaller right hand summit before following the right skyline to the top.  The first 10 pitches are moderate with the last two a little tougher (read 10b and 10a respectively) but with lots of gear to pull on if necessary.  Once we made it to the rock and stashed the gear it was a quick trip back down 800 meters of elevation to the biv site.  I had a brain fart half way up and left my pole in the snow before some blocks, naturally couldn't find it on the way down.  We were back at the biv site at 6:30 pm and had an early night of it.


That night we were happy to have such a sheltered spot, the wind blew hard - patagonian hard.  The gusts sounded like a freight train and deposited fine silt in just about everything; including your ears, nose and sleeping bag.  We planned on getting up at 2 am to allow for some route finding challenges however were both wide awake well before then.  What followed was a classic discussion - "well might as well at least go up and get the gear" all the while thinking of all the foolish things I've talked myself into with similar logic.  We left Polacos at 2:45 am.

Knowing the route we made pretty good time and didn't even need the headlamps for too long.  We made it to the gear stash at 6 am and along the way Brian even found my pole, good times!

There were a few funky moves on some ice bits on the way up to the first belay station.  As luck would have it one of my well used crampons broke on the way up, the plastic front bale snapped.  Fortunately we had the strap from the cookset with us and jury rigged it to a usable form.  Having said that I did find a chalk bag just past the gear cache, booty!


Rock, paper, scissors ensued and I got the first lead which looked a bit heinous from the belay.  I followed an ice runnel up to a dripping wet sheet of rock.  I stood on one foot and then the other taking my crampons off, getting in a solid tool placement and making a funky move only to go around the corner and realize that there is a bunch more ice.  Fortunately it was a short pitch and the next anchor was an obvious place to switch to rock shoes and leave the boots, crampons and tools.


Brian then led out right out of the gulley and onto the rock wall.  At this point we were climbing with all the clothing we had brought and gloves.  Brian had some severe rope drag however it was from the wind.  He traversed about 10 meters before placing gear and starting up, the rope was actually going up from my belay device and back down to the first piece! Needless to say communication wasn't brilliant.

At this point it was a little hard to tell if we were on route or not.  There weren't any anchors however it looked like one usually rappels down the gulley so there wouldn't necessarily be any anchors on the face.  The climbing was pretty straight forward and about right for the grade so we carried on.  Finally on the fourth pitch Brian headed left to gain a ledge that we had heard about, festooned with several rap anchors.  Next pitch was mine and I hunted around for the line and finally decided to head up a wavy feature with mostly fun climbing. 

About half way up I took off my gloves as there were some funky moves although still had an extra coat and balaclava on.  My hope was to find a way left or right before the roof higher up, as luck would have it I didn't find an easier way.  Given I had good protection on both ropes just below the roof, after fiddle farting around a bit I just went for it (perhaps forgetting for a brief moment just where I was).  Just as I was stretching a bit for a hand hold above, I came off.  Not one of those graceful "lob off in a wonderful ark and gently touch down on the rocks" kind of falls but rather a "slide down the rock attempting to do anything to slow the progression" kind.


The fall wasn't long, maybe 5 meters at the most, but on the way down I managed to catch my right foot on a rock rib with quite an impact.  I yelled down to Brian, let him know that my ankle was likely broken and apologized for the predicament I had just put us in.  The ankle was a bit sore and the foot at a funny angle, I put my hand under the sock looking for blood and was quite relieved that there wasn't any.  It was 11:15 am so at least we had a lot of daylight left.

In the back of my head I was thinking - "let the games begin" we had a long way to go. Brian lowered me to his stance and I took out the extra gear, as luck would have it I was past the halfway point in the ropes so we used a small anchor to break it up.  The first rappel was good and steep so Brian and I rappelled together.  After that we were faced with some lower angle rappels down the gully and decided that it would be easier to rap separately.  Brian was using his head and pulled the padding out of his backpack and duct taped it to my right knee so I could rappel with one foot and one knee which actually worked quite well.  All we had for the pain was ibuprofen and I had a couple, it was pretty tolerable except for the couple of times I smacked my foot on the rock.


We were pretty lucky with the ropes as there were a lot of horns that it could get stuck on however on the third rappel our luck ran out and a rope got stuck.  Brian played with it a bit until it was within 15 meters of the end then we pulled out my knife and cut it.  That put us down where we left the boots and ice gear.  Fortunately my foot hadn't swollen too much and I could get my climbing boots back on.  We then did one more short rappel to the last station, I put on my styling rain pants and Brian tied the ropes together and lowered me down the ice and much of the snow. Fortunately the snow had warmed up there was good footing so I was able to down climb much of that section on one foot once we ran out of rope.  As luck would have it, the one crampon I needed was the one I broke earlier in the day.  At one point my footing was feeling a little tenuous and I looked down to find my crampon and come off and was sticking two inches out the back of my boot.  Fortunately, I was able to move over to a rock and fix the issue.

Once down from the upper snow slope it was time to make our way through the blocky stuff. It was going painfully slowly and I checked my watch to see that I was descending at 25 metres per hour.  Given we had 600 meters to go and it was 4 pm, I was running through options in my head.  Apparently Brian was doing the same math and brought up Plan B, sit and clear a biv spot and he would run for the gear.  Neither of us liked the idea much so I suggested we give it one more hour, after which Brian came up with his second great idea of the day; to tape our mountaineering axes to each side of my ankle helping to stabilize things.  Between this and two poles I was able to develop a technique of using the heel of my right foot, along with the good foot and two poles.  Where ever possible I would bum slide on snow and rocks. 

We also moved into the snow where ever possible and Brian would set up and anchor and lower me down the snow, when I hit rock or ran out of rope I would untie and make my way at the usual glacial pace while Brian would move ahead and set up the next station.  It worked very well and helped speed up the descent significantly.  At one point we found a fixed rope that we had seen the day before and we rappelled down it.  Unfortunately, we essentially rappelled down a small stream and it was hard not to get soaking wet.  In addition, with the wind howling around us there was a lot of water flying around near the snow however we knew that the biv site was well below the freezing mark so weren't terribly worried.


We hit the last of the snow in the gully at about 7 pm and at the point only had about 250 meters of descending to go.  Unfortunately, that was the last of the easy terrain and from there on in it was a matter of just putting our head down.  I managed to get to the biv site at 9:15 pm, 10 hours after the "incident" and a long long time since we started with totally shredded rain pants.  I don't think I've ever been happier to see my sleeping bag!


Brian did a fantastic job of setting up my sleeping bag with the feet high, making us supper and feeding me ibuprofen on a regular basis.  We only cooked half of what we had just in case and I actually had a pretty good nights sleep.  


We were up at 6 am the next morning given it was going to be a big day no matter how we approached it.  The ankle was a little sore, but my sense was that we could get out under our own steam.  After a quick breakfast, we packed all of the heavy climbing gear in my pack and left it with a note in the back of the cave.  Brian took the bulky and heavy stuff and I took a few things in his day pack.  After re taping the mountaineer axes to the ankle we were off at 7:30 am.  With no snow to slide down it was slow going.  Brian went ahead to scout the easiest trail and I followed behind.

We hadn't seen a soul since crossing the Tyrollean on the way in and I assumed we would be on our own until then on the way back.  However when we were descending the edge of the moraine Brian yelled back that he saw someone and was going to run ahead to catch up. Frankly, I doubted that it was going to make any difference and just trudged along with my head down.  I was surprised when a Brazilian named Marcio jumped up beside me and offered to carry my pack.  It was 10:00 am and he lead us back to a biv site they had found (Brazilico?!) and met his climbing partner Guy.  Two brilliant guys who had just carried a couple of big loads in the day before.  Best news of all was they had a radio!

Marcio and Guy had a contact at a trekking agency in El Chalten that was feeding them weather reports every morning.  They managed to get word through that we could use some help and agreed to call back in half an hour.  They were good enough to feed Brian a little coffee and taped up my ankle to help support it.  Reception was a little hit and miss however when Brian called back we were left with the impression that there was a rescue group on their way.  After discussing it a bit we decided to carry on as far as we could under our own steam.  The guys from Brazil were good enough to join us so we could have access to the radio along the way, so much for their rest day.

It was a bit of a long, slow haul however it was good to have some company and the Brazilians had sussed out the easiest route .  Like the previous day the wind was strong a gusty, from time to time I had to stop and lean on the poles until it subsided enough to carry on.  Here we are on the Glaciar Adela on our way to the Glaciar Grande.  As you can see a lot of the glacier is covered with rocks and we stuck to the sticky bits and didn't use our crampons (the Brazilians were in running shoes).

After a couple of hours we approached the Glaciar Grande and given it was a true Glaciar crossing elected to stop just before in the shelter of some large boulders.  The Brazilians didn't have glacier gear with them and Dr. Carolina, the doctor in El Chalten and the person organizing the rescue suggested that we stay with the radio.  It was 2 pm and we thought we might have a couple of hours to wait so hunkered down out of the wind.  Brian and I had some sausage, cheese and crackers to share all around.  We heard over the radio that a team of 8 were on their way.  I really didn't get it and was wondering what all 8 were going to do, 1 under each armpit and 6 budwieser girls?


Well, we just got comfortable and had something to eat and from our vantage could see a couple of guys running across the glacier.  The first two, Diego and Leo, were the leaders and spoke some English.  They took a quick look at the ankle, gave me a something for the pain and suggested they help me walk to the edge of the glacier.  By the time we started moving the others had arrived and ran around to the edge of the glacier.  Some discussion ensued as they put together the stretcher and at the edge of the glacier and "packaged" me in. 

At the outset one of the arms for the stretcher was missing however they soon figured out that my mountaineering axe fit perfectly and Brian had the well used padding from his back pack that fit over and all was good.  Funny, I kind of fought the idea of being rescued at the start and let Diego know several times that I could make it under my own steam.  He was very patient and reminded me of all the damage I would do if the ankle was broken.  I couldn't help but think of all of the effort that it would take to get me back to civilization this way however after about an hour I gave into it and just enjoyed the ride.  Of the initial 8, two were wearing parks jackets however all were volunteers.  At least they weren't missing a good climbing day.

We started in the stretcher about 3 pm and the first step was to cross the glacier.  One guy on each end, two on each side and two went ahead to scope the best route.  Although the footing was a bit tricky this was one of the easiest sections.  The guys were fantastic and I felt badly about my lack of spanish.  They would stop for a break every now and then to catch their breath and all I could give was a "mucho gracias" or two.

When we made it off the glacier the terrain got more difficult however a couple of other volunteers caught up.  We stopped at the place where Brian and I batmaned up the rope and they had set up another rope so I could rappel down and then got back in the stretcher and continued.  With the bumping around the straps would loosen up and a couple of times I thought I might fall out but after a while I figured out how to tighten the straps when necessary from the inside.


I was wondering how we were going to handle the section of washed out moraine.  There was no way they were going to be able to take the stretcher across so I assumed I would just have to get out and make my own way.  I was totally shocked  when we arrived and another team and come behind and had set up fixed line all along.  I literally got out of the stretcher, clipped into a line and hoped along with two poles while one person pulled me and another pushed.  It went very slick.  Back in the stretcher making our way to the Tyrolean, Brian and I counted over 30 people.  I heard later that our local contact, Manuel, figured out it was me and let them know that I was a big boy (by Argentinean standards) and they better get lots of help. In addition to the locals they had solicited climbers hanging out at the main campground in town.  Needless to say I was absolutely blown away, a fantastic group of people and I was already wondering how to give it back.

Climbing up from the glacier was a ton of work, good thing there were lots of hands.  Then into the trees and down a steep path.  When it got very steep people had run ahead and built an anchor around one of the trees.  A rope was then fed down and attached to the stretcher so they could better control the descent.  Up to the Tyrolean, we would take a quick rest stop every 45 minutes to an hour.  Everyone offered me food and drink and were unbelievably friendly, especially given the work I was causing.  We made it to the Tyrolean and across at about 10 pm and took a short break.  It was about then I realized how totally screwed Brian and I would have been if we had to do it all on our own and how lucky I was. I also caught a glimpse of Brian and believe he looked more shattered than I've ever seen another human being.  I thought to myself I may have trouble talking him into another adventure for awhile.

A whole new crew took me along the hiking path, sometimes with a wheel under the stretcher and sometimes carrying it.  Funny enough when they were wheeling me it was actually harder as I had to work a bit to stay on the stretcher, hard to complain though.  It was definitely faster going than up high and near the end the army showed up.  Very organized, divided into four teams and rotated amongst themselves in a very orderly manner.  They basically marched the last hour and a half without putting me down.  

I was watching our progress however we took a different path into town at the end and was actually surprised when we arrived at 2 am.  I was wondering how this trip was going to end, Brian and I had joked about being rolled into the gutter.  I was put down right behind an ambulance and unzipped.  Being a little at a loss for words I started applauding and everyone there joined in, a bit of a feel good moment and another round of "mucho gracias" - I got to learn more spanish!  This was the first time I've been rescued from anything and words can't convey the appreciation that I still feel for such a group, they saved my bacon and were unbelievably good about it.

When I went to get up, I was motioned to stay in the stretcher, they pushed it into the ambulance and Manuel jumped in with Dr Carolina.  I was never so happy to see a Doctor! The photo above was taken in the back of the ambulance, being self employed it's good to know what I'd look like as a street person!  Dr. Carolina was spectacular and took me straight in for Xrays, when I came out all of our gear was laid out neatly on the floor by the rescue team - unbelievable!

A long story short Cesar, the ambulance driver, took Brian and I back to El Refugio at 3 am in the ambulance and picked us up the next morning at 9:30 am for a 2 1/2 hour drive to El Calafate to see the specialist.  There I was told my ankle was definitely broken, admitted for two days and put on an IV antibiotic for a nasty infection caused by all the activity.  Brian headed back to El Chalten for all of our gear and I started flying home on January 11th, arrived in Edmonton on the 13th and had surgery on the 16th.  All is well and I certainly have a special place for the mountains and people of El Chalten!