Over the past week we have spent 5 nights on the mountain. The weather has been very good (until today) and we had two great windows of opportunity to climb Cerro Solo, a glaciated peak overlooking Fitzroy, Cerro Torre and the rest of Chalten.
The route has been elusive. The first attempt we traversed the right side of the mountain. A tight length of rope spanned a blue, glacial river and we crossed upside down, clipped into our harnesses, and pulling ourselves along. Luckily it separated us from the crowd, which is just as well. We set off on a terrible trek over scree and crumbling rocks trying to find the way. Time and time again we tried to find a route over the cliffs and to the glacier but we were unable. We climbed high into the a pass which overlooked the Southern Patagonian ice fields, one of the largest in the world, but still did not find a way. Instead we found ourselves on glacial ice which was sturdy under our crampons but unerving when we traveled close to crevases which opened many meters into the blue abyss. The journey back that day was exhausting and we found ourselves in several sketchy situations. One particular time I found myself scampering on my hands and feet across a scree field of small stones and sand when, without warning the thin layer of stones gave away to solid ice and I realized I was on the side of a glacier without crampons. Luckily I had momentum to make it to the other side and I breathlessly warned Mike and Steph to go around. We made it back to camp that night right as it was getting dark, it had rained for the past hour but luckily we had found the trail by then and had gotten off the glacier.
The days inbetween our next attempt were spent making a quick trip into town to resupply and resting our tired bodies. My whole body was sufficiently sore so we rested an entire day up on the mountain. The beautiful weather made it perfect for a couple short hikes that further showcased the fantastic scenery.
I had brought a New Testament bible on the trail that my dad had given me before I left and I decided to read it through. In the past four days I have completly read through the gospels. If I am to be honest, I had not read much scripture for a very long time. It was refreshing to discover it anew, although sometimes it was a bit repetitive. Several parts leaped out at me, one being that Jesus went into the wilderness when he prayed: (Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:26) "So He (Jesus) Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." Luke 5:16. There is something about the wild, far from man made comforts and creations that makes you feel close with God. Jesus knew this, and I must agree. I feel alive here, less suffocated by the every day worries of civilization. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matt 7:34. These things I have thought about during our rest which included many hours of sleep and homemade empanadas we had made a couple days before.
Our second attempt fared much better and we made it up a spur and high into the jagged cliffs which defended the mountain's glacier. The climbing here was slow and steep. Electing to stay off the unstable scree that never gave sure footing, we climbed high into the cliffs. Luckily the climbing was mostly easy and aside from our high exposure, relativly safe. Still, no matter how many spires we traversed, we could still not find a path to the glacier. Our final push brought us to the top of this towering wall of rock and scree, only to look over the saddle and stare across an empty expanse of air, the glacier crumbling and falling a thousand vertical feet to a turquoise, glaciated lake below. Dejected, we sat down and decided to call of the attempt. We took advantage of the extra time by snapping some pictures and enjoying the sun and shelter from the wind high on our perch. At that moment, not reaching the top was alright. We were alone, with vistas of glaciers and some of the most unique mountains on the face of the earth. I was content.
The trip back down passed quickly and we even got to ski down a deep scree field, descending hundreds of feet in minutes. Back at camp that night the weather degraded and we ended up walking to our next campsite in an odd mix of sun and rain. The next day was worse however and we walked back to town soaked.
Earlier today we walked to a water fall with some volunteers that work for the park. We had the traditional Argentine Matte which is a type of tea sipped through a straw/sieve. We sat at the base of the water fall for 2 hours, passing around the Matte, playing guitar and eating bread. It was one of my favorite experiences so far. Dinner tonight for Steph's birthday (she's 24!) was incredible, and the local craft beer was very delicious and unique. After a quick brunch (we are making desayuno americano or American breakfast for our Argentine friends) we are off again Saturday morning for a multi day trek that will take us over glaciers and through raging glacial rivers...it should be a blast!
As always, thanks for reading and hasta luego!
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