Page 22 - 2017 AMA Summer

Laguna Verde is volcanic there were naturally occurring hot springs in the campsite that allowed us the luxury of a warm and relaxing bath. Our first night here was difficult as bodies adjusted to the higher altitude (approx. 4,300m), with most not sleeping particu- larly well. Our first acclimatisation objective in this area was to be a walk to a foresummit of Tres a’ Meurte. Tres a’ Meurte is 5,800m high, but we were going to be ascending to a point at 5,300m. Although the path we were taking was initially very good it soon deteriorated and the conditions underfoot proved to be the most challenging yet. Sharp, loose rocks and sand made for hard going. Whilst we were having our lunch stop we were able to see our objective for the following day, Nevado San Francisco (6,018m). As usual the walk down was much quicker and a good evening meal was eaten before an early night in preparation for the alpine start the next day.
Waking at 0430hrs was shock to the system! It was cold outside with a light frost on the ground, the stars were still shining and the mountains looked dark and uninviting. After breakfast we drove up an increasingly rough track to the start of our walk. We began at approx. 5,100m in bitter cold, not helped by the wind. Although the track up Nevado San Francisco was good and well-trodden, it
was relentless in angle and seemed to go on forever. As the sun started to creep around the edge of the mountain we were treated to some stunning views, it also warmed the air a little which raised our spirits. Eventually the path relented as we approached the extinct crater at the centre of the mountain. We stopped for some food and a much needed drink before caching bags before the final summit push. This being our third summit we were well aware of the need to draw deep on our mental and physical reserves to ensure that we made it to the top. When we finally got to the summit the feeling of pride on reaching a 6,000m summit was immense. Seeing all the other mountains around us was amazing, we even got views over to Ojos. After such a hard route up this was our reward. We spent a little time taking photos and enjoying the scenery before beginning the route down. As altitude was lost the walking became easier. A couple of team members had altitude headaches and felt a little sick, but after the evening meal everyone was fine again. After two hard mountaineering days it was decided that the following day would be a rest day to allow us to recharge before the final days on Ojos.
During our rest day SSgt Col Kingshott was shown the weather forecast for the next few days. This didn’t look good. With strong
20 ARMY MOUNTAINEER