The summit of accomplishment

Paul Fejtek

Located in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, Mt. Aconcagua is the

highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. A staggering 22,840 feet

tall, the Stone Sentinel, as it is known, is the second highest of

the Seven Summits, trailing only Mt. Everest.

A perfect place for the next family vacation, you may ask? My

wife, Denise, and I thought so. On Jan. 3, we packed our bags

(including ice axes and steel-pointed crampons) and flew 12 hours to

Mendoza, Argentina. We were joined by our good friend, Shawn

Sedlacek, who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa with us in 2002.

The 15-day expedition consisted of us battling fierce winds,

sub-zero temperatures and labored breathing in the oxygen-deficient

high altitude environment. If that wasn’t enough to deal with, we

witnessed a massive avalanche on the south face and one of the group

members was hit by a large boulder.

Three other members of the climbing party had to be evacuated from

base camp by helicopter, due to unusually low blood-oxygen saturation

levels. A low reading is a primary symptom for a high-altitude

pulmonary edema, in which the lungs fill with fluid. It’s deadly if

it’s not treated immediately.

Denise was concerned after learning about what happened to a

Brazilian couple the day before we arrived at the base camp.

Apparently the husband-and-wife team reached the summit well after

the prescribed turnaround time and got caught in a snowstorm on the

way back down. The wife survived, but the husband froze to death on

the trail. His body was being carried down the mountain when we

arrived.

Fortunately, our experience was much different. We had clear skies

on our summit attempt and only had to overcome the biting cold of the

early morning hours. Our main fight was to keep pushing onward and

upward when our bodies and lungs were screaming to stop.

After 13 tedious hours, we stood on the summit of Mt. Aconcagua,

proud of our accomplishment and pleased that we were able to endure

the challenge together and complete a truly memorable journey.

Indeed, there are risks involved in climbing mountains, as with

many other things, but unless you leave your comfort zone every now

and then, you won’t ever know what you’re capable of doing.

PAUL FEJTEK

Newport Beach resident

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