6th December 2024

Making dinner in the hostel the previous night we struck a conversation with a couple who were saying that there may be the perfect weather window for seeing Fitz Roy illuminated orange by the rising sun. In order to see this rare phenomenon it would require hiking up the mountain at 1am to reach the trail summit for sunrise.

The couple stated that they were not surprised when they saw us in the common area at 12:50am the next morning with packs donned, head torches at the ready, and trail runners on.

The four of us made our way through the hostel restaurant past crowds of people still eating their dinner and enjoying drinks. We walked up the hill guided by head torch which illuminated about 2 meters of terrain, trusting this to lead the way. 

The floor below us changed as our journey progressed but our surrounding stayed a vision of black. You would get a sense that you were passing through woods or turn back and see the faint outline of the overbearing mountain face, but without light the majority of the hike was the ground below us.

The last 2km of the hike included 420m of elevation. This was a classic scramble over rocks and hazardous terrain. Behind us was a cloud inversion highlighted by the first rays of sunlight.

At the top, the cloud had lifted leaving an uninterrupted view of Fitz Roy that very few who visit El Chaltén get to see in real life. Behind it the night sky was spotted with stars which faded as light dawned.

As the sky lightened the tip of the peak turned a rose gold pink which deepened and descended down to the lower peaks. Before long the mountains were glowing orange, the colour reflected in the still lake below it. A sense of awe was felt as if each person felt connected by the moment and basked in the unbelievable luck to witness such an event.

The illusion lasted about ten minutes before the peaks turned gold as the sun grew higher to touch the rest of the basin. We enjoyed the view for another hour before slowly descending back down the mountain the sun now revealing the path we had blindly followed early that morning.

It revealed lush green trees, glacier feed streams and rivers, and ongoing mountain ranges. We were amazed at how unknowing we were to the beauty around us during our ascent. We wondered off the path to view Piedras Blancas Glacier where we sat eating lunch (at 10am!) and saw part of the glacier fall with a loud crack that carried cross the valley.

Arriving back at the hostel called for immediate naps. The two of us crashed in our bunks and slept from midday to two o’clock.

Later on we had a planned dinner with friends we had walked Fitz Roy with but had also bumped into friends we made in El Calafate who we invited along. The evening passed quickly with lively conversation quickly becoming tired slurs after a couple of drinks and generous portions of food. We retreated to our rooms feeling exhausted but fulfilled.