As it turns out, I didn´t need an alarm. Andres, the guy sleeping in the bunk above me is a tosser and turner; each time he moves it is like a mini earthquake down below. Unlucky for me, he got up to take a leak at 4:00 which is like a 7.2 earthquake, and thereby stole my last 15 minutes of sleep.
After 2 days of rain, the weather was perfect for climbing. My guia, Victor, and I started climbing just after 6:00 a.m. It was windier and colder than expected, so I had to put on all my clothes from the start. Thisincluded my "dog walking" primaloft skirt. I think I looked quite fetching! See summit pic below. The rain left the slopes icy. The climb isn´t really technical other than a few crevasses that we had to negotiate, but the top is very steep. We didn´t belay, but the guide insisted on short roping me, which is rather a blow to my ego. The thing about climbing with a guide is that I don´t get to call the shots. Ifyou know me well enough to read this, I am certain you can envision the power struggles.
Back problems notwithstanding, it was a lovely little climb with some great vistas. It took us just about 4.5 hrs up, 40 min summit break, 1.75 hrs down. Summit elevation is 2652m and elev gain is approx 1300m.
I got back to the hostel around 3:30 p.m. and immediately began drying and packing my gear. I did it yard sale style, which piqued the interest of many of the staid hostel occupants.
Tonight I fly out to Punta Arenas arriving at midnight. Long day!
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