I think there were 7 deaths on Aconcagua during the climbing season when I was there. Most seemed altitude sickness related, either cereal edema or pulmonary edema, fluid on the brain or lungs. I felt pretty good on the climb except near the top where the air is so thin it took about three deep breaths per step, any faster and you would black out due to low oxygen absorption blood levels. You would see your peripheral vision blacking out and know you have to stop and just breathe. I lost 25 lbs on that three week climb. Many of the other climbers were Colorado marathon runners. I did better than all of them because I was fit and had some reserve body fat to burn off. They just seemed to hit a wall. I started slower than them, but I could keep my pace and passed them. By the time we were high enough to stay roped up I was faster than them and was not pushed in my pace to keep up.
My hats off to you. In my younger days I hiked up a few peaks (lived in Colorado during college and after for a bit - I enjoyed your photos on your page) - but even something like that doesn’t sound like much fun anymore. I did look up to see what sort of hike it was to get to the top of a very distinct peak from my neighborhood in Puget Sound. Just to be able to look at it and say “I was up there!”.
It has no marked trail, the lower part is heavy brush (many hikers said they spend the day trying to bush-whack a trail and gave up). And once you clear the brush - just go up the steepest part.
Like I said - doesn’t sound enjoyable. 20 years ago it would have been a possible adventure. Of course now I do have extra “reserve body fat” in order to sustain me!
I spent four days of work out in the field in Alaska (steep, brushy and wet) over the summer. My wife thought my pot-belly had diminished a bit when I got home!