Summit - 22,841ft/6,962m Eldon at the summit (Photo credit: Eldon Boone)

Summit day begins very early, waking up at 5 and packing your gear, breakfast at 5:30. If you are on a guided trip your guides will have been up hours earlier melting snow. You'll set out in darkness, wearing headlamps, at 6 or 6:30am. Until the sun rises, it will be very cold. If you've brought enough warm gear to sleep in, and have been warm at night, it will not be too bad. But if you've had a cold night, getting warm will be problematic until sunrise. If there is wind and weather, you may not really get warm until you return to camp that evening. Be careful to use all your gear to stay warm. It may be tempting to think that you will warm up soon enough, but frostbite and hypothermia are a real danger. As the air thins, you have less resistance to cold also. The likelihood that you will be too hot is low, and you can always remove layers.

If the weather is clear, just before sunrise you may see the shadow of Aconcagua on the slopes below. A few hours into your climb you will reach the ruined Independencia Hut. It was partially destroyed by a climber who had to burn it to stay alive during a storm. Shortly thereafter you will likely have to put on crampons as you begin climbing on consolidated snow. Some hikers will camp here as the basis for a shorter ascent to the summit the following day. However, the extreme altitude limits the body's ability to rest and recuperate, and means another day exposed to the risk of a high altitude storm. So it is unclear of whether camping at Independencia affords much advantage.

Nearing the end of your climb you will reach "The Cave" at the foot of "The Canaleta", which is a very steep chute several hundred feet of snow and scree. It was at this point in 2005 that I was unable to continue my climb due to altitude sickness and general exhaustion. Summitting is optional. Returning is mandatory. While there is no virtue in quitting before giving the climb everything you have, neither is there virtue in continuing beyond your safe limits.

The rest of my team continued at this point, some climbing the rock and scree to the right, and others opting to climb the snow pack to the left. After a final traverse, the 3 hours climb from the cave to the summit is complete and the objective is obtained. A small metal cross marks the summit, which is flat and has space for many hikers at one time. I dream of being there some day.

In 2006 the entire team had to turn back just below Independencia hut because of weather. Weather had also forced us to make the attempt starting at Nido, rather than Berlin. It was very hard to be denied the summit again.

Returning to Berlin is much quicker than the ascent of course, but you will be so tired that it will still be a challenge. Most mountaineering injuries occur on descent, so it is imperitive not to be careless, even when every part of your body cries out to just lie down and sleep. A typical climber will take 12-14 hours for the round trip. However, it might take you longer. Make sure you have extra batteries for your headlamp, in case you do not return before sunset. If you have a guide, he or she will know what times you have to make points on the ascent in order to have time to return safely.

During the summit day it is critical to keep an eye on the weather. A storm can roll in in a few hours. Whiteout conditions are frequent during storms. Most injuries and deaths have occurred during storms that hit on summit attempts. Hikers can easily become lost and trapped without a tent during the storm, or wander off a ridge and fall. In this day and age I recommend carrying a GPS and a compass as a backup, even if you are on a guided climb. During my time on the mountain in 2005 a storm claimed the lives of two hikers who were a few days ahead of us on the ascent, and another suffered severe frostbite after being stranded for two days, lost during a storm. Most injuries and deaths do also appear to occur to climbers that do not have the support of a guide service. If you are on your own, there is no safety net or backup if things go wrong. If the challenge of an unguided ascent appeals to you, just be sure you have the right experience and know the risks.

Hikers will typically descend from Berlin to Base Camp the following day, and from Base Camp to the park exit the day after that.

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