At 6,962 meters (22,841 ft), Cerro Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas, and the highest mountain outside Asia.  It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza.  The summit is located about 5 kilometers from San Juan Province and 15 kilometers from the international border with Chile.  It lies 112 km (70 mi) west by north of the city of Mendoza.  Aconcagua is the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres.  It is one of the Seven Summits.

Aconcagua is bounded by the Valle de las Vacas to the north and east and the Valle de los Horcones Inferior to the West and South.  The mountain and its surroundings are part of the Aconcagua Provincial Park. The mountain has a number of glaciers.  The largest glacier is the Ventisquero Horcones Inferior at about 10km long which descends from the south face to about 3600m altitude near the Confluencia camp.  Two other large glacier systems are the Ventisquero de las Vacas Sur and Glaciar Este/Ventisquero Relinchos system at about 5km long.  However the most well-known is the north-eastern or Polish Glacier, a common route of ascent.

The mountain was created by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American plate during the geologically recent Andean orogeny; however, it is not a volcano. The origin of the name is contested; it is either from the Arauca Aconca-Hue, which refers to the Aconcagua River and means 'comes from the other side', the Quechua Ackon Cahuak, meaning 'Sentinel of Stone', or Quechua Anco Cahuac, 'White Sentinel'.

The climb was a great experience, and definitely prepared me for my next step to reach Everest. It began at the entrance to the Vacas Valley; 40 miles and two days later, we arrived at base camp situated at just below 14,000 feet. The weather was nice although was a bit breezy, especially during the nighttime hours. From basecamp we prepared for the upcoming two weeks of forward carries and also for the scheduled rest days. The trip up to camp one, at approximately 16,200 ft, was somewhat uneventful, but that changed rapidly. The wind, as was predicted, picked up. At nightfall the real fun began and as we were preparing to sleep, the winds increased to a sustained 50 mph, with gusts between 80-100mph. Our tents were being shredded, anchor points being pulled free, and cords being snapped. We were all forced to repair and temporarily re-anchor our tents while the winds were still howling. When morning came our lead guide explained that during his 30+ expeditions on the mountain, he had never experienced that type of wind. Well, the days passed, we forward carried, and rested between each move and slowly progressed up the slopes until we finally reached our high camp #3 at 19,600ft. Our summit bid began just 10 short hours later. Beginning before sunrise is always difficult. It's cold, dark, and fear of the unknown is overwhelming. So as we set off toward the summit loaded with food, water, and all of our warm clothes, we hoped that we would be lucky enough to reach the top. It's the moment when you are faced with the challenges you've trained so hard to be able to overcome. The final 3,300 ft of ascent lasted eight hours, when finally we stood on top. As we were approaching the summit it began to snow so clear views were impossible. I stood on the top January 22, at 1:30pm. Total time from high camp to the summit then back took nearly twelve hours, with about an hour of that spent on top. After a short celebration at high camp, we all retired to our tents for much deserved sleep. The following three days were spent descending to basecamp, and then out to the entrance to the Vacas Valley were our transport van was waiting to take us back out to civilization.

I'll be planning my next trip to Cho Oyo, just 12 miles from Everest. Hopefully I can make all arrangements and join the Spring-time climb of 2012.