“Never let an opportunity pass by,” says Pete McAffee. This American climber understands well the meaning of this phrase; he went from halfhearted participation in a social media contest to the top of the highest mountain in the world outside of Asia, Aconcagua.
The opportunity, in this case, was a contest created by Deuter USA (the American division of the prestigious German backpacks), developed in a joint initiative with Grajales Expeditions, to offer a spot on an expedition to Aconcagua. The same campaign that is happening today in Brazil, with Gear Tips’ participation.
But obviously what made everything possible was Pete’s determination, rather than the chance itself. This exciting story was described in this firsthand account he made about the well-deserved climb to the summit of Aconcagua.
What would you do if you were given the opportunity to climb the highest mountain in the southern and western hemispheres? What kind of questions would you ask yourself? Am I in good shape? Am I mentally strong enough? Why would I do this? To complicate matters, I’m a right-leg amputee… Am I physically capable of achieving this? These were the questions running through my head when I received the phone call.
I had signed up for a Deuter USA campaign to win a spot on an expedition to Aconcagua. Who would have imagined that you could win something on social media? Well, let me tell you, that spot was real, and I had five months to train before departing for this expedition.
Tanner Schaefer, my good friend and climbing partner, helped me dispel my doubts. He told me that if this were a real lottery, “they are the lucky ones, not you.” Most of my doubts quickly disappeared when I accepted the offer. To be fair, Tanner was right; at least I had as much chance as anyone of successfully reaching the summit of Aconcagua. I was already an avid skier and mountaineer. I spent every other week playing in the mountains of northern California and in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and southern Washington. It’s not like I hadn’t done difficult things before. I had climbed several technical and non-technical peaks, as well as high-altitude volcanoes in Ecuador. Heck, a group of friends and I successfully climbed and skied down Denali, and we did it without a guide! Tanner was right. My confidence was growing and I was starting to believe I was the right man for the job!
That said, I wasn’t going to take this lightly. A great opportunity was at stake and I wasn’t going to let it slip away. I increased my training, carrying 34-kilo backpacks in the mountains and increasing my cardiovascular work on non-mountaineering days. I started spending longer days in the mountains and began climbing up and down, instead of climbing up and skiing down. I preach a lot about the need to prepare to be lucky. I already had a good cardiovascular base and spent a lot of time in the mountains when this opportunity presented itself. I was in a good position to “get lucky.”
The grueling five months of training passed quickly until January 26th. My bags are packed, my gear is organized, and I’m boarding a plane to Argentina.
The next day, I met my team for the first time. We were eight people in total, two guides and six clients. It was a very culturally diverse group of men and women, but we bonded immediately and the team got along very well. We did a gear check and took the opportunity to eat in Mendoza.
No expedition is complete without a bit of drama and this was no exception. Due to abnormally high temperatures and the potential for flooding in the Vacas valley, the Argentine government closed the Polish Traverse route. This meant we wouldn’t do the route we had planned. Although this was disappointing for some, I maintained an open mindset and decided not to stress about things I couldn’t control. I was happy to adapt and move forward with the next option: we would climb the normal route.
Our team would spend the next 13 days working through beautiful and desolate valleys and climbing a rocky and arid mountain. The camps, including base camp, were extremely well established and supported. They offered many amenities and delicious food provided by Grajales Expeditions. And I’m not kidding, these meals were gourmet. I’ve never eaten so well in my life!
With each move to a higher camp, even more impressive views of the Andes and surrounding glaciers emerged. I’ve never seen more beautiful sunsets than those I experienced at Nido de Cóndores (camp at 5,500m).
As soon as we moved to the high camp, Camp Colera, at 5,980m altitude, the effort to attack the summit would be underway. It was already windy and very cold, but the forecast was to worsen overnight. I lay in my tent, praying for an opportunity to attempt a summit. I didn’t pray for a successful summit because the summit itself must be earned on one’s own.
In the early morning hours, we launched our summit attempt, in far from good weather conditions. Considering we were dealing with winds strong enough to knock down a man, extreme wind chill, and lenticular cloud formation at the top of the mountain, for all this I consider myself very lucky to have successfully climbed Aconcagua!
But I was sad to see that none of my teammates were there to share that moment with me, as they were all forced to turn back due to extreme conditions. I was blessed to have shared the struggle with another man, from another Grajales climbing team, whom I had gotten to know well throughout the expedition.
I am eternally grateful to my incredible Grajales guides, Julián Castro and Jorge González, who believed in my ability and took a risk by letting me continue. Less experienced guides would have sent us back, but Julián has over 20 years of experience. I believe he has developed an eye for reading people on the mountain and knowing who will make it and who won’t. Julián and Jorge were on the verge of sending us back several times that day, and I’m grateful they didn’t. The only option to reach the summit in these conditions was to move very fast and we were the perfect team to do that.
I had no idea what I was getting into when I accepted a spot on this expedition. I made relationships that will last forever and this mountain tested me. I experienced something that cannot be put into words. Something that few people on Earth have the opportunity to experience and it made me a better person. I would like to thank Grajales Expeditions, Deuter, and Ortovox for funding the expedition and giving me this opportunity. Never let an opportunity pass by!
Pete McAfee
There’s not much to add, other than a big thank you, on behalf of the Grajales Expeditions family. To Pete, for climbing with us and for kindly sharing his experience; to our guides Julián and Jorge, for their professionalism and exceptional leadership skills, and, last but not least, to our partner company Deuter, for allowing us to be part of such a rewarding journey. As Jane Austen once wrote: “It is such a happiness when good people get together – and they always do.”
Check out Pete McAfee’s review here: https://www.facebook.com/GrajalesExpeditions/reviews
This post is also available in: Português (Portuguese (Brazil)) Español (Spanish)
