Milestone 2 details
Milestone 2. Spectacular: Acclimatization climb to Plaza Francia
You’ve made it to Confluencia! That’s fantastic news — it means you have officially completed the easiest segment of Aconcagua’s Normal Route. The reward is an acclimatization hike to the lower Horcones Glacier and Plaza Francia, which offers you unobstructed views of Aconcagua’s imposing Pared Sur (South Face). To reach Plaza Francia, you have to cover 3,263 ft of total ascent. Start climbing: there’s a mountain waiting for you.
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EXTRA INFO ON MILESTONE #2
This is the first time on an Aconcagua expedition climbers are nearing the mystical 14,000ft mark: Plaza Francia sits at an elevation of 13,901ft above sea level. Pared Sur, Aconcagua’s South Face is a 9,000ft steep and forbidding alpine wall, one of the biggest of its kind. It has been climbed several times but only by the most experienced and hardiest of alpinists. For most Aconcagua hopefuls, a day-hike to the base of the South Face simply offers a fantastic acclimatization opportunity with amazing views.
After reaching Plaza Francia, climbers return to Conflu where they spend another night prior to starting the long hike to Plaza de Mulas (basecamp) — that is, if they pass their medical check at Confluencia. Doctors are stationed at Conflu and at Plaza de Mulas in order to monitor climbing teams for oxygen saturation, signs of altitude sickness and pulmonary or cerebral edema. A climber may only progress in their expedition if the doctors don’t spot any red flags.
Plaza Francia really is a special place. It is also a critical puzzle piece for acclimatization during an Aconcagua climb: the secret to acclimatization is "climb high, sleep low" -- and the visit to Plaza Francia fits that rule perfectly, as it allows climbers to push to close to 14,000ft before returning to a sleeping elevation of 11,234ft at Confluencia.
Bonus challenge: The acclimatization hike to Plaza Francia doesn’t involve any load carries, but it is a long day for expedition climbers: the total distance for this out-and-back hike is 13.1 miles — the precise distance of a half marathon! For extra credit, complete a single 13.1 mile hike, bike ride, or run as part of this Milestone.
*Sunny's story about Plaza Francia:
These days, every time I visit Plaza Francia I have to think about Eric Bender. Eric Bender and Adolfo Benegas attempted to climb the South Face in 1990 and vanished to never be seen again. Ever since then, there are persistent rumors of the ghost of Eric Bender haunting Playa Ancha, the stretch of valley that leads from Confluencia to Plaza de Mulas. Now I didn't know about Eric & Adolfo, or about the story of Eric's ghost, until I read about it in a March 2019 article in Rock and Ice.. but I'll have to tell you the full story about that ghost after you complete this milestone and move to tackling the subsequent climb from Conflu to Plaza de Mulas!*
