Click here to go to the photo album for this day

Flat as a pancake he said. Luke, I hate to break it to you but no one wants your pancakes!

Today was a long day – 17(27 km) miles of hiking back to the park entrance. I was more sore today than after the summit. I could barely walk when we got back to Penitentes. We had several hill climbs & descents, as well as a ravine to get through. Was it hard? Not really, especially when compared to what has come before. Craig debated taking a helicopter out – it’s around $700 a person if three people go, which is incredibly cheap for a heli ride but there weren’t enough takers so he ended up walking with us.

We got started around 10:30 AM after some excitement over a few people thinking they’d lost their passports. Luckily everything was found, though a forced extended vacation in Argentina really doesn’t sound so bad.  It’s hard to believe we’re at 14,000 ft(4,300 m) – coming from 23,000 ft this honestly feels like sea level. We have so much more power than up at camp three, it’s quite noticeable.

We had some ups and downs initially before it flattened out for awhile while we walked through a giant dried riverbed. With Aconcagua to our left and high mountains to our right, this was one of the most beautiful days of the climb. The further we hiked and the more we descended, the more vegetation returned and the greener things became. The group became very separated, and we ended up over an hour apart by the end.

It did start raining on us as we got into Confluenzia – an intermediate camp about two hours from the park entrance but we found shelter soon after it started raining. After eating snacks and having some Tang, the weather cleared up, leaving the ground fresh and the scenery became even more beautiful. I was pretty sore at this point and was ready to be done with the trip. All I could think about was a hot shower and the hotel room!

We did eventually make it back to Los Penitentes, and subsequently Mendoza at around 10 PM, after stopping for dinner-to-go at a restaurant. I’m told that the steak sandwich was one of the best they’ve had. My veggie sandwich was pretty good as well.
Back in Mendoza, I ended up having to take two showers to get all of the grime off of me but that was one of the best showers I have ever had, despite the cloggy drain. And to use a real toilet after so long! To sleep on a real bed again. What luxury!! This is partly why I go on these trips. It forces perspective upon you. We have it good in the US, sometimes we lose sight of that. Nothing like a few weeks on a mountain to make you realize all you have going for you in life!

Continue to the last day – Exploring Mendoza and the Voyage Home