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Aconcagua
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I awoke this morning with a rush of thoughts, for Willie, for everyone still up on the mountain. 15 minutes later Willie burst into our tent, “good morning”!!. Immediately I was filled with relief and joy. It was so good to see his face, exhausted as it was. He spent all day up on the mountain the day before. Last night a storm had struck, dropping our tent at base camp to 20 degrees, and that is including our body heat and a small propane heater. As it snowed for hours, my thoughts were up with Willie and the crews. Willie told us this morning everything that happened the previous days. Of the stranded party, two have died so far. The guide, stricken with edema, was left on the mountain--a heartbreaking decision for his best friend on the rescue team. Another woman had died earlier, also from edema. All of the survivors have their wounds from nearly 3 below zero nights at 21,000 ft. All of them have extreme frostbite, and others also have snow blindness with other symptoms. Yesterday almost every porter and guide from base camp rushed up to help the rescue teams. That’s about 80 volunteers willing to help in the middle of a snowstorm, in absolute freezing temperatures, and all above 17,000 ft. All the people on this mountain, no matter their differences, were tied together the past days to help those in need--it’s incredible to witness. Willie also told us this morning that he found the “missing” Japanese man. Apparently he had been missing for five days, but really he was just having fun hiking around by himself, forgetting to check in. So Willie found him and shouted his name. “Yes!” the man replies. Willie inquired about him that yes he is missing. “No, I not missing, I know where I am.” Willie informed him that yes he is missing and that he must check in. “Oh, I must go down then. Bye Bye Aconcagua.” We all found it amusing how he was proclaimed missing when really he was just having fun playing on the mountain, oblivious to everything. It is also said that when he was at camp 2 he sent for a porter and gave him 270 dollars to bring him a sandwich and a bottle of water.Things are clearing up here at Base Camp, and the new snow on Aconcagua is blowing off in an enormous beautiful wind plume.
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