Worth the wait!
Woke to a clear still morning! We jumped up and within half an hour we were walking up the trail with views of snow covered mountains. It seemed a different world without wind. We could hear sounds of birds, distant rivers and see mountains we never knew existed! After an hour we reached a viewpoint where, the day previously, we had seen no further than 3km. Today, there was a breathtaking view of Fitz Roy blasted with snow and ice across a canopy of stunted beach. It was one of those moments where you cannot speak and just have to stand and stare! After 1/2 hour we continued on up to the top three lakes into which glaciers spilled and reflections of the rocky towers above shimmered in the light winds (getting a bit carried away!). The conditions were perfect, with streaks of high cloud and occasional veils of stratus swirling around the tower base. We sat for an hour enjoying the constantly varying light and windless conditions and then headed back with a spring in our step. Just ½ hour later we turned back to see cloud blocking the view. When we reached town our legs were starting to complain from the sudden daily exercise (we realized that we had not been walking for nearly 5 months!) and we collapsed outside our usual café (El Waffleria) in the sun! There was still hardly any wind and the streets were suddenly filled with local children, lolling dogs, people watering their gardens (not next doors and passing tourists) and couples sauntering hand in hand without bracing themselves. We decided that we should try the Cerro Torre walk again tomorrow (walked in the cloud with no views on the first day) if the weather was clear. We even managed to cook a meal at the campsite and sit in the sunshine, talking quietly instead of shouting.
Fitzroy range.
Approaching the Tres Lagos viewpoint
View from Tres Lagos
Walking back
Camp
