HIGH, HIGHER, ACONCAGUA!

Since I was four or five years old, I’ve been going on hiking trips to the Drakensberg with my parents Gene and Poppie. Climbing mountains is in my blood! After I matriculated in Nelspruit (now Mbombela), I worked as a waiter for a few months to save up to climb Kilimanjaro – the highest peak in Africa. It was such a great experience that I started to dream of climbing other high mountains.

It took another two decades, but eventually I got my chance to tackle Aconcagua in Argentina. At 6 960 m in altitude, it’s the second highest of the so-called Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. It’s said that if you can climb Aconcagua with ease, you should be able to handle the thin air of Everest. Also, unlike many of the other summits, climbing Aconcagua isn’t too technical – you can do it on your own without an expedition operator. This suited me fine because I love to experience the wilderness alone.

DAY1–2 Confluencia camp

After three flights and a