The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Climbing Ojos del Salado, the Highest Volcano in the World

After my Peak Lenin frostbite issue (see my post from September 2017), until now I had hesitated in climbing another high peak. But curiosity as to the lingering effects on my fingers must have gotten the better of me. This past two weeks eight of us (five Brits, myself and another American, and a Swedish woman (the only woman) attempted to climb a series of ever-higher peaks culminating in the 6891 meter (22,608 ft) Ojos in Chile. Ojos, whose summit is on the Chile-Argentina border, is the second highest peak outside of the Himalaya and the highest volcano in the world. Unlike its slightly higher (about 200 ft) more southerly neighbor in Argentina, Aconcagua, climbing Ojos does not require stumping up about $1000 in permit fees. It also has an interesting scramble at its summit, which is generally protected if you are using guides, as we were. Also, since it is not THE HIGHEST mountain, but only the SECOND HIGHEST in both the western and southern hemispheres, only a fraction of the number of climbers attempt the summit. Finally, the road systems, mostly made for the mines in this corner of the Atacama desert, provide many options for nearby acclimatization hikes, eliminating the need to repeatedly go up and down the mountain before summit day.

The photos which follow give an idea of the experience. Just imagine you are in a meat locker with a high-powered fan blowing while climbing. Read on to see whether I reached the summit.

Vallecito acclimatization hike vista. Our first hike was a short leg-stretcher about 1500 ft above our 10,000 ft campsite in the Vallecito Valley
Laguna Santa Rosa at sunset. We spent 3 nights in a hut beside this lake while doing two acclimatization hikes.
Laguna Santa Rosa from our Hermanas Peak hike. This photo shows the mineral salts around the lake. Hermanas Peak is 4950 m (about 16,250 ft). A little blob in the landscape, it is higher than Mount Blanc. Forty-plus mile an hour winds on the ridges made the climb not particularly enjoyable.
A flamingo feeding in Laguna Santa Rosa at sunset. There were several dozen altogether, but they were very shy so my 6x optical zoom couldn’t really do them justice.
Summit view from Cerro Pastillitos (5090 m, 16,700 ft) with the Tres Cruces far in the background. This peak was a long scree climb, our first over 5000 meters. All eight clients attained the summit.
Lagunas Verdes in the morning. After Laguna Santa Rosa, we drove to this highly toxic lake at about 4200 meters for the next 2 nights of camping.
A dessicated cow at Lagunas Verdes. Perhaps it drank from the arsenic-laced water that precludes any life? The warm springs on the lake shore were a welcome relief to some of us, however.
Some of our group at a rest stop during ascent of Carrancas Blancas. It was our first 6000 meter peak.
The Vagabond Hiker pointing out Ojos from near the Carrancas Blancas summit
Our summit team on Carrancas Blancas. I am on the left here. Only four of the eight clients reached the 6000 m (19,700 ft) south summit. The true summit is more than a mile along the ridge and only 200 ft higher, so no one made the additional 4 hour trek.
The Atacama Basecamp. About 5220 meters (17,100 ft), we camped there four nights during our climb of Ojos.
Ojos from the road hike up to Tejos Refuge. At 5825 meters (19,100 ft) supposedly it is the highest refuge in the world. While it is sometime used as a high camp, the small container-like building only has 8 bunks so we later chose to drive up to it to commence the summit day climb.
Ice Penitentes on the hike up to the Tejos refuge. These formations are common high in the Andes, and are a product of very dry air, strong winds, and of course the cold.
Dawn view with my boot on the Ojos climb. We had started climbing at 2:45 AM and I took this photo at about 6:30 during a rest break. There was no snow, so ice axes and crampons were not required. With the cold, though, double mountaineering boots were mandatory. At this point sunrise was about 1/2 hour away, but on the west side of the mountain it would not reach us until the summit block.
I reached the summit of Ojos del Salado (6891 meters, 22,608 ft) at 9:15 AM. Note the burly mitts to keep from getting a repeat of my Peak Lenin frost bite. Argentina is behind me. Two other clients (out of eight) attained the summit.
A final view of Ojos from Murray refuge with mining junk in the fore ground. We completed the trip in only 11 days (10 nights), much faster than is typically done on Aconcagua.
A study in contrasts on our jeep descent through Atacama foothills. The streams are created by snow melt in the summer. Contrary to common perception, it does precipitate in the Atacama, though generally only at high elevation as snow.

For the next 3 days I will be in Santiago, then on to other parts of Chile for the next 7 weeks. I expect to do another 2-3 posts during that time, though admittedly nothing nearly as extreme as Ojos. Stay tuned and keep hiking!

The Vagabond Hiker

Comments

  1. Congratulations on reaching the summit! Hmmm…cold, windy and exposed… not my cup of tea. Nice to enjoy seeing your adventures though. When are you going to write a book?!

    • Perhaps I’ll try next month when I’m alone in the Atacama desert. Sort of like Georgia O’Keefe minus any artistic talent. Kent

  2. Wow those photos! Congratulations on the summit (and saving your fingers)! What phenomenal memories you are making. And, I agree. When are you going to compose this into a book?!

  3. Fantastic pictures buddy.It was a pleasure climbing with you.Forever onward and upward!
    Jerry

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