The Normal Route

 

I have not done a whole lot of research into our routes; however, it does seem like the best route for our expedition will be the Normal Route. I will list a couple of sites below to begin looking at. It seems, as was the case on Kilimanjaro, that slowly (aka Pole, Pole in Swahili) will be our best bet. I am in no rush to push to the summit. I want plenty of acclimatization days and safety will be our number one objective, after much prayer of course =) I just glanced a quick posting on summit post and it seemed their expedition was 8 days. I read something before that was 12 days, so I am more apt to go with 10-12 days, again no rushing due to summit fever.

I also came across this quote when I was briefly looking at descriptions of the routes: " In general no short-shafted ice axe or ropes are needed. For practical purposes climbers use only ski poles and crampons." So we are not looking at having to achieve the highest mountaineering certifications and sink thousands of dollars into gear, that's a plus. I would like to have ropes and crampons with and be sure the group knows how to use them. Again another quote: " This route is the most chosen by climbers as it does not present any technical difficulty; this means that the climbers don´t require a previous climbing experience on rocks or ice. It may be hiked, just by walking. You may have to use crampons and fixed ropes for your security, depending on the conditions of the route." As I am sure with many mountains and routes, the route can change drastically due to weather and surface conditions. So I would feel much more comfortable having the gear and not needing it, than getting up there and saying,  mmm... it would have been smart to bring that. 

There has been a couple of questions regarding beginning elevation. It appears that the ranger station, where the group is "check out" by the rangers is about 9678'. Look like the first day is a rather easy hike to 11,122' or Camp Confluencia. I would imagine we would want to spend at least a day getting acclimated there and keep to the hike high, sleep low mentality.

Link One: http://www.aconcaguaexpeditions.com/ingles/3/vianormal.htm 

Link Two: http://www.summitpost.org/aconcagua-via-normal-route/170841