Blog Archives - Angel More

welcome to my blog!

My name is Angel More and I am 16 years old. I'm climbing mountains, biking, swimming open water, and doing triathlons to raise awareness for Children International. Children International is an organization that supports children in poverty and I want to raise money to $1 million for Children International’s HOPE scholarship fund—to support 5,000 teens around the world who want to further their education in high school, college, or technical school, so they can escape the cycle of poverty. Follow my blog for updates about my adventures and fundraising.

let's end poverty for children worldwide!

Last swim of 2014

12/31/2014

I cannot believe that in a few hours it will be 2015! This year I started my open water swimming journey, and I have completed many swims and conquered many challenges. In less than a year I swam 6 miles and shedded the wetsuit. I am really excited to see I will achieve next. Last swim of the year!

Swimming in Viña del Mar.

12/27/2014

Since my hike got short, my dad and I decided that we could stay in Chile so I could training in the ocean. Pedro, my coach, from Water World Swim, was staying in Chile at the same time as us, so I could train with him. Today I swam 1.5 miles, the temperature was around 58-59F. It was my first non-wetsuit swim, under 60F! Here are some pictures:

Abandoned climb

12/26/2014

On the night of 22nd December, Hemant (Angel's dad) got a medical emergency helicopter rescue. The winds have been unusually high this climbing season, temperatures unusually cold, his being the 10th rescue. A window opened up after 27 hours of waiting for the helicopter to safely land and perform the evacuation.

While climbing, enroute from Casa de Piedras to Plaza Argentina (4200 meters elevation), the strong winds may have begun an infection or HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema), causing severe he...adache, nausea, cough and weakness.

Angel did very well on the climb but had to turn back to be with her dad, who is recovering rapidly.

Arrived at Base Camp

12/21/2014

After three beautiful days hiking we arrived to base camp, yesterday!

Today is a rest day and a good occasion to take a shower and go for a short walk. We will divide expedition loads to carry to the next camp; community gear, fuel, food and individual lunches.
We will be carrying loads up to the next camp and returning to sleep below at the previous camp. Carry high and sleep low. The next day they will move to the higher camp. this will allow them to acclimatize better.

After their rest in Base Camp we will do a carry to Camp I, at approximately 16,300'. This is a challenging day where we will gain 2,500 feet with a heavy load, up some easy but sometimes tricky, loose terrain.

A NEW ACONCAGUA ADVENTURE BEGAN

12/21/2014

Eight climbers and three guides left Mendoza today. They had a nice and smooth meeting yesterday in the Park Hyatt and then went for a great dinner and some Malbec red wine.

One of the climber of this group is Angel More a 12 year old girl that is climbing Aconcagua with the purpose of raising money to help kids all over the world. This is Angel blog you can read more about Angel and help her to reach her goal angelmoreblog.weebly.com

They rode a van to Los Penitentes (2700m), a small place in the heart of the Central Andes, the last bed and hot shower in two weeks for them. They will begin their 3-day hike to base camp tomorrow.

The guides of this expeditions are Rolo Abaca, Matias Sindoni both from Argentina and Beau Carrillo from Seattle. They are very experienced guides. They have participated in numerous expeditions to Aconcagua, Argentina Bolivian and Peruvian Andes and in some expedition to Denali.

The climbers are Richard Johnson, James Blackwood, Jason Jackson, Jeff Ferman, Max Ross, Erin Bohler, Hemant More (angel's father), and of course Angel More.

We will post more news every time they call us by sat phone

Cheers!
The Aventuras Patagonicas Team

got the permit

12/18/2014

We went through a long and very tedious process to get the permit. I had to appear in court in Argentina and convince 5 judges. And also, was checked by the mountaineering physician to get an additional medical certificate.

None of this would have been possible without the participation of Arturo Erice. Erice is a lawyer and was in charge of accompanying me in the administrative and judicial proceedings to undertake the journey to Aconcagua.

It was necessary that special authorization is sought, as the laws in force in the province only authorizes over 18 years to undertake the ascent.

meeting the team

12/17/2014

The Guanacos Valley Traverse Route we are taking is a pristine approach to Aconcagua. The elevation gain between camps is designed to allow more efficient acclimatization. Acclimatization is the key element to summiting this highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.

We expect to see a large guanaco herd in this valley, a rare sight in the Aconcagua region. This route approaches Aconcagua via the Guanacos Valley and traverses to the summit, then descends via the Normal Route of Aconcagua. It circumnavigates the mountain, explores several valleys, and passes by four spectacular faces of Aconcagua.

Here is what the guides planned for each day:

Day 01
Group meets in Mendoza, Argentina. Equipment check and afternoon briefing at the hotel.

Day 02
Drive West from Mendoza to Penitentes ski area at 8,500 feet. Our drive winds along the Rio Mendoza deep into the heart of the rugged Andes mountains where we begin our acclimatization in Penitentes.

Day 03 - 05
Approach to Plaza Guanacos Base Camp, mules carrying our gear. This approximately 35 mile approach is essential to our acclimatization. For the first two days, we follow the same route as Aventuras Patagonicas old Traverse and Polish Glacier Expeditions. The third day begins our new approach. We continue up the Vacas Valley instead of ascending the Relinchos Valley. The chances of seeing other expeditions on this new exciting route is remote. The chance of seeing numerous wildlife is much more probable. Spectacular glaciers contrasting with a desert backdrop make this approach both surreal and unforgettable. We have an excellent chance of seeing herds of guanacos.

Day 06 / Dec 21
Plaza Guanaco Base Camp at 13,000 feet. Rest and acclimatization day at Base Camp. The most effective way to summit is to take the time to acclimatize to the low oxygen environment. We will incorporate rest days into our schedule and climb in traditional expedition style. We will be carrying loads up to the next camp and returning to sleep below at the previous camp. The next day we will move to the higher camp

Day 07
Carry a load to Camp I at approximately 15,200 feet. The route goes up the narrow valley between the North side of Cerro Ameghino and Cerro San Francisco. Here we will be able to see Nieve Penitentes, unique snow and ice formations created by the direct sun. Return to Base Camp.

Day 08
Leave Base Camp. Move to Camp I.

Day 09
Carry a load to Camp II at 16,500 feet, a pleasant well-protected area with tremendous views of Cerro Mercedario, Cerro Mano and other Andean giants. Return to Camp I.

Day 10 /Christmas day
Move to Camp II.

Day 11
Carry a load to Camp III, below the Polish Glacier at 17,800 feet.

Day 12
Move to Camp III. Improvise depending on how group is doing.

Day 13
Carry to High Camp, Piedras Blancas (White Rocks) at 19,200 feet.

Day 14
Move to High Camp.

Day 15 - 17 / New Year’s Eve and New Year 2015!!
Summit! Weather permitting. We allow several days for our Summit Day in case of poor weather.

Day 18
Descend the Normal Route to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp. This will be quite exciting since we will be descending a different side of the mountain

Day 19
Hike out the Horcones Valley with its impressive views of Aconcagua's South Face. Mules carry our gear. We arrive in the afternoon to Penitentes where we take a quick shower and head on to Mendoza to the comfort of the Mendoza Park Hyatt.

Cerro de la gloria

12/17/2014

Visit to the freedom monument while doing a 10 mile hike.

Termas Cacheuta

12/17/2014

This is a geothermal water park is located only 38 km from Mendoza City. Surrounded by the Andes, and the Mendoza River, water park has several pools filled with thermal water at different temperatures.

We went for a day trip. On the way we got the glimpse of the cold and icy Andes mountain range that has Aconcagua summit somewhere in it. It looked really cold and I felt nervous....

Greetings from argentina

12/13/2014

Right now, I am in Argentina! I am doing many things to get ready to begin my adventure on the Andes mountain range. We are trying to get an official permit, since I am an underage climber and can't go unless permitted. To do this, we have go through the "families and minors" court system. Yesterday, I had to convince a judge why she should let me hike up Aconcagua.

There also is a lot of paperwork needed. In fact, my mom had to drive from San Carlos to Sacramento (a 260 mile round trip) to get my birth certificate apostilled in pouring rain and the strongest storm in CA since 2008! Thank you Mom! :) Mere notarization of the birth certificate is not sufficient. Neither is the fact significant that I presented my passport which lists my birth date. Therefore, we have to get my birth certificate apostilled. The apostilled document is on the way to Mendoza via UPS extra fast delivery. As I check right now, it has made it to Miami.

We went to dinner with my lawyer and his wife. The food was great and presented awesomely!

I am getting all the remaining gear needed for climbing. The guide did a gear check and said it will be too cold necessitating rental of an additional down jacket. Also, we are renting sleeping bags.

We are also trying out the local food from Argentina. Yesterday , we went to a winery named Familia Zuccardi, 35 km away from Mendoza and ate delicious food served in 5 courses with wine pairing. I stayed away from the wine.

To add on we went to a restaurant called "Siete Cocinas" (Seven Kitchens). I had the four course menu while my dad had the seven course menu. The food is from seven parts of Argentina. It was one of the best dinners I have had!

Tomorrow, we are going to thermal springs. They are located 37k outside of Mendoza. It is an spa with warm water from the Andes mountain range. It is rated very high because of the facility and the grand lunch buffet.

Since Argentina is really into soccer(football), each time they win, a big celebration happens with a lot people and lot of noise. This is truly an adventure!!

Celebrating the Game
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