Aconcagua. Start
Aconcagua. Puento del Lenas
December 20
The second day of our hike along the Rio de las Vacas. Our next destination is Casa de Piedra. It is 17 kilometres hike with elevation gain 400 meters (from 2900 to 3272).
The scheme:
After the heat of the previous day, we decided to start early to hike at least part of the route in coolness. We waked up at 7 am, but with all these packings of duffels for mules were on the route only at 8-30 am. We still got some time for the hike in the chill air, but only about 40 minutes before the sun appeared from the ridge. After this, the HEAT started, and no even small wind presented to give us some freshness.
Arriaro collect the miles after the night rest:
Helicopter to Plaza Argentina:
Bridge across the river. At this point the sun got us.
Time to undress.
We were the first group that left the camp (well, one group did it before us, but so much early that we didn’t see them before the next camp), so we moved in pleasant privacy, and only groups of mules sometimes passed us.
A lot of interesting plants around.
Adesmia is a very typical shrub here. There are at least three different species of Ademsia on the Aconcagua. All of them very thorny and bloom with plenty of small yellow flowers.
Cactuses
During the snow melting the river becomes pretty wide.
Here we met a couple of hares. They came to the river for a drink.
This is another species of Adesmia. It grows at a higher altitude and it is very-very thorny.
Here is the Astragalus arnottianus around the Adesmia. The Astragalus genus is very widespread, but Astragalus arnottianus is endemic of the Andes.
Another one.
This is Barneoudia major, another endemic. Well, this mountain is full of endemics.
En route.
The river valley becomes very wide.
Sort of swamp.
The camp appeared.
A little rangers hut. Mules try to catch some grass.
Mules like to run away from arriero to eat some grass, drink water from a river, and wallow into dust. The last thing they like to do with duffels on their backs. It explains why our duffels always were dusty and stuff crumple independing on quality of packing.
Well, it is very dusty here. The soil is loamy and dry, feet of people and mules grind it down to fine dust, that saturates everything.
We came from here:
First view of Aconcagua. We will turn into this canyon tomorrow.
Near the camp a spring formes a little swamp inhabited with plovers.
As soon as we came to the camp the wind started to blow. It was so cold that despite the hot sun, we dressed up and hidden in the tent. From this time to the end of our journey the wind never stopped completely.
In the evening we took our steaks to arriero, and they fried them for us. It was a very unusual supper for a multiday hike. Only the wine was missed strongly.
