Aconcagua Expeditions – The great roof of America

From the viewpoint of Aconcagua on the edge of National Route 7, at 2,800 meters above sea level, it can be seen. It clearly looms from the bottom like a colossus among huge mountains that surround it. However, he stands out with his eternal snow, with his lineage of “the greatest”. In the photo it looks small, just an optical illusion, it is enormous, and even more enormous if you see it as we did with binoculars.Indeed, the Aconcágua is the “Roof of America” ​​and measures 6,962 meters, a height that corrects the previous mark of 6,959 that still persists as an indicative sign on National Route 7 at the point of the viewpoint.Entirely in Argentina, Aconcagua also holds the record for being the highest mountain outside the Asian continent where the giants of the Himalayas are.To the north and east it is bordered by the Valle de las Vacas and to the west and south by the Valle de los Horcones Inferior. The mountain has several glaciers, the most important being the northeastern or Polish glacier and the eastern or English glacier. The view of these photographs is towards precisely the first of these, these being one of the most fearsome and difficult routes to climb together with the south wall.It is located within the Aconcagua Provincial Park, and it is a mountain very frequented by climbers from all over the world, this year again the influx of visitors has set a new record: more than 8,000 permits to ascend. Aconcagua Mountain GuidesGeological studies place the rise of Aconcagua between 200 and 280 million years ago. The hill was created by the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate during the Andean orogeny (Tertiary, therefore geologically recent). The origin of its name is unclear: it is disputed whether it comes from the Araucanian Aconca-Hue or the Quechua Ackon Cahuak. This last name means “Stone Sentinel”. We are about to begin a journey that is going to elevate you. So much so that they will be on the second highest mountain peak in the world. Let’s go to the Aconcagua Provincial Park in Mendoza and get ready to meet and ascend Cerro Aconcagua TrekkingThis place is one of the eleven protected areas of Mendoza. Located about 53 kilometers from Uspallata, it is beautiful wherever you look at it, in its more than 71 thousand hectares. Surrounded by the rivers of the Vacas and the Horcones, it also has the Cathedral hill, the Cuerno and the Bonete. This place is desired not only by tourists, but also by climbers and mountaineers. It is that such a number of meters implies a challenge since the 19th century, when the first one who wanted to climb it was a German -Paul Gussfeldt- who did not reach the top. Only in 1942 a group of Argentines, ventured to the ascent.The ascents are controlled by park rangers, who distribute information brochures and bags for waste. It is best to arrive several days in advance, to adjust to the weather and altitude. Quite a challenge…