Challenge #6: Mount Aconcagua February 1st-29th, 2024

Part of the Andes mountain range, Aconcagua is 22,838 ft in elevation. As a part of the country of Argentina, the range and peak are among the most incredible sights of South America. Expeditioners say the mountain is relatively “easy” and the tallest “non-technical” mountain in the world. Climbers usually do not even need supplemental oxygen and only see demands from the cold temperatures. 

The first person to the summit of Aconcagua was Paul Gussfeldt, a German geologist, in 1883 on the exact route that most use today. Once inhabited by the Incas of South America, it is known as a scared mountain. The Incas used the mountain to worship and sacrifice. In fact, it is here that the mummified remains of a child was found inside stone walls, giving clues to a social order in the early 1600-1700s.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconcagua
• https://www.alpineascents.com/climbs/aconcagua/
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Aconcagua
• Photo by Bjorn Christian Torrissen