Dispatches from American Alpine Institute's worldwide mountaineering expeditions, including the West Buttress of Denali, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the Seven Summits.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

2018 Aconcagua Expedition (Jan 8 - 29) form Jan 10th

Guides:

Tad McCrea

Climbers:

Carlyle Eubank
Winchester Eubank
Jeffrey Gephart
John McCrea

The Aconcagua expedition is working to get back on schedule after a baggage delay in Mendoza.

Our friends have left Penitentes and are on their way to Papa de Lenas. It's roughly a 7 mile trek through the low lands approaching the big mountain. Fortunately, there's only about 1,300ft of elevation gain.

With the support of local mules (who carry the bulk of the weight) our climbers had light packs on their way to camp. We have undying gratitude for our four legged friends who work as our expedition partners.

The team plans to trekSpiritualized

"Spiritualized" are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire by Jason Pierce, who often goes by the alias J. Spaceman, after the spectacular demise of his Spacemen 3 outfit. The membership of Spiritualized changes from album to album, with Pierce being the only constant factor.

The first Spiritualized release was a space rock-esque cover of The Troggs' 'Any Way That You Want Me' in 1990, a record which heralded the official split of Spacemen 3 following contractual wrangles over the band's name. Of the final Spacemen 3 line up, bassist Will Carruthers, drummer Jonny Mattock and session guitarist Mark Refoy joined Pierce in the first phase of Spiritualized (for the debut LP, ''Lazer Guided Melodies''), alongside his then girlfriend Kate Radley. None of the original line