Sunrise at Fitzroy

We managed to snag the last two seats on our bus to El Calafate, only catch being they weren’t next to each other. It was tough but we did survive the 3hr ride a whole 5m apart.

We only had one full day in Calafate so after our complimentary breakfast, we stuck our thumbs out on the road to the Perito Moreno Glacier. Within minutes we had a ride with two Germans called Tobi and Carola who became our good friends.

The glacier was stunning. Busy of course but a very pleasant walk along the boardwalk takes you impressively close to the glacier where you can easily appreciate its scale.

Although we had already booked a bus to El Chaltén, Tobi and Carola turned out to be heading there the same day and offered us a lift! After confirming the refund policy of our bus tickets we promptly cancelled those and waited out front of our hostel the following morning to be collected. What service!

El Chaltén instantly impressed as we drove down into the valley. On our first morning there we walked right from our hostel across the river and up Cerro Paredón to appreciate where we were.

We spent New Years Eve here with some new friends we had met at the hostel. After a bottle of wine at the hostel, we headed out to a DJ gig we had seen advertised during the day.

Kenzie and I got chatting to another group just as we were about to leave and ended up leaving later than planned. As a result we welcomed in the new year while waiting in line to the bar with 2 British ladies looking at our clock app icon for the countdown. Not quite what we had envisioned but one to remember nonetheless.

On New Year’s Day we set out into the Parque Nacional for a night at Cerro Torre followed by a night at Fitzroy. To avoid the newly established and very steep park fees, our original plan was to wake up at 6am on Jan 1 and cut tracks before the rangers woke but during our night out we got some intel that suggested we could instead sleep in.

The intel proved trusty as we made off for Cerro Torre at midday without a ranger in sight. Despite the sleep in, it still felt too early a start for our hungover legs and lungs.

We set up camp, surveyed our surroundings, then lay down in the swift moving river for a mind-numbingly cold horizontal shower.

Due to the limited selection and high prices of the local supermarkets, dinner was a cup of 2 minute beef noodles with a can of peas and an entree of tuna. We did indulge a little though with a dulce de leche loaf for desert. Overnight we hung our food in the trees to avoid its consumption by rodents.

The following day we set out for Poincenot camp which is where we would base ourselves for sunrise at Fitzroy. This track was much quieter than the one to Cerro Torre and provided epic views of Fitzroy across Lagos Madre and Hija. A slim evening swim in Lago Madre cooled and cleaned us for the early night in bed.

We had meticulously planned this 3 day hike around weather to ensure the best chance of clear skies for sunrise at Fitzroy, however, we realised we didn’t actually check what time sunrise was. We asked our neighbours at the camp and were told about 5am. As we were getting comfy in our sleeping bags, we realised we also had no idea how long the walk up would take us. We conservatively guessed about 1.5hrs and set our alarms for 2:45am to be sure we didn’t miss out.

We left later than planned and held a good pace to make up for it, arriving at the top by 4:20am. We were the only ones up there! The trail of headlights below us though indicated we wouldn’t be alone for long. We found a spot along the ridge a bit and parked up with all our woolies on.

We were soon spotted by our friend Sophie who had walked in from El Chaltén and joined us in the anticipation.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, about 5:45am the main event finally began as the orange hue took over the peaks and soon the entire basin. A long wait but ‘soul-filling’ experience, definitely worth the early start. A new peak of our travels so far for me and Kenzie both.

After an hour or so appreciating Fitzroy and the new day, we headed back to camp for our standard breakfast of oats, raisins, banana, yoghurt, and coffee. A swift pack up of camp and we were on our way back to El Chaltén.

One day of rest and stocking up on snacks before our first overnight bus to Bariloche!

Lucas

Jan 10, 2025