Tupungato itinerary
Below is our 13 day itinerary for our climb of Tupungato:
- Day 1 – Begin approach up Rio Colorado, camp at Baños Azules (2500m, or 8,200 ft.)
- Day 2 – Day 2 of approach, camp at Vega de los Flojos (3290m, or 10,785 ft.)
- Day 3 – Last day of approach, camp at Base Camp of Los Penitentes (4410m, or 14,470 ft.)
- Day 4 – Planned rest day at base camp
- Day 5 – Carry load to Camp I (4878m, or 16,000 ft.)
- Day 6Move to Camp I
- Day 7Carry load to Camp II (5554m, or 18,220 ft.)
- Day 8Unplanned rest day at Camp I (due to snow storm)
- Day 9Move to Camp II
- Day 10Summit North peak (6565m, or 21,540 ft.)
- Day 11Descend to Base Camp
- Day 12Hike down Rio Colorado to Agua Bueno, approx. 2650m (8,700 ft.)
- Day 13Hike out to trail head
GPS Coordinates
The following coordinates were taken from a hand held GPS unit during our expedition, unless otherwise noted with a (*). All GPS coordinates are in zone 19 H. * = UTM coordinates taken from map AFTER correction for map UTM Grid error. Format: place name, altitude (m), UTM Easting, UTM Northing:
- Rio Colorado Trailhead, 2160m
- Banos Azules, 2500m
- Agua Bueno *, 2650m, 413 E, 6306 N
- Vega de los Flojos, 3312m, 419479 E, 6310965 N
- Los Penitentes, 4413m, 0425510 E, 6313779 N
- Camp I, 4878m, 0426610 E, 6313406 N
- Camp II, 5554, 0427713 E, 6311687 N
- Tupungato N Summit, 6565m, 0428271 E, 6309170 N
Be sure to use the correct datum for your map and GPS as detailed below.
Tupungato Topographical Map UTM Grid Datum
Be sure to set your GPS device so that it’s datum matches the datum of the maps you are using. If you don’t match the datum, your GPS and your maps may be shifted relative to each other, often by hundreds of meters! Below is an example from the following map: Instituto Geographico Militar de Chile, Tupungato, 3315 6945, 1st Edicion 1994. The UTM grid lines on this map appear to be shifted 180 m west and 390 m south (as shown in the following diagram). This apparent error is a result of non-matching datums between the GPS and the map.
The following map shows our route from the Rio Colorado Valley to the summit of Tupungato, including the positions of our camps on the mountain: