Beachhead

"Chief among these motives was the overwhelming idea of the great whale himself. Such a portentous and mysterious monster roused all my curiosity. Then the wild and distant seas where he rolled his island bulk; the undeliverable, nameless perils of the whale; these, with all the attending marvels of a thousand Patagonian sights and sounds, helped to sway me to my wish. With other men, perhaps, such things would not have been inducements; but as for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts."

~ Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

If all has gone according to plan, this is how our Day 3 has gone:

Day 3
[Local Time]
9:00am - Secure two Aconcagua climbing permits. Valid for 20 days from entry into the park.

10:15am - From Mendoza, catch public bus heading to Santiago, Chile.

1:45pm - Exit public bus at Los Puquios, drop two 30 kilo duffels (carrying mostly food and fuel) for a mule to haul into basecamp. Depart back east for Punta de Vaca and the trailhead to Plaza Argentina. We'll hike today as far as we can go - hopefully, to Las Lenas, or further.

Salmon, rice and garlic mashed potatoes for dinner.