Hike: C Poincenot to Lago De Los Tres then to Chalten

January 1, 2026

Was awakened during the night by people shouting "Happy new year! Happy 20-26! Yeah...." followed by cheering, but I soon slept again and was awakened again by the hurried stamp of many people's feet walking around the campsite: also many lights. Headtorches. It is 03.19 when I look at the phone and I was feeling cold. I put off getting out, but not having charged my headtorch, I realised I'd be dependent on following others with lights to see the way up the mountain so soon got out and dressed.

There was little or no ambient light down in the forest as lots poured out of the campsite slowly finding the way along the rock embedded trail. I was dependent on the circle of light from the person behinds headtorch, though it was precarious going with a stream to cross where the board providing a crossing was icy and at one stage I used the phone's torch to show the way. However, once the mass of people settled in it was just a case of following close to the one in front in a long chain going up. And once the trail emerged out of the trees onto the less steep moraine, the sky was greying and red in the east while the great spires of the mountain stood sentinel uphead against the night sky.

On reaching the top there was already a crowd gathered for the rising sun with large groups here and there. I found a spot in the lee of a boulder and lifted a large flat stone into place to use as a seat, sat down and boiled water to make mate. Shortly a young east Asian guy comes along and stood 2 metres in front of me using his phone as a mirror while fixing his hair and then take selfies with the mountain behind him. There wasn't much looking at the mountain and I couldn't see the mountain at all as he was in the way, so I ask could he move to the side which he did, a metre or so to my left where he wasn't blocking anyone's view. A little later I offer him a drink of mate, handing him the gourd. He seemed unsure what to do with it until I tell him to sip through the straw, which he did and smiled. In return he poured liquid into a cup from a thermo and offering it said this is South Korean coffee. I drank it. Sugary sweet. I told him you don't need cake with this coffee.

As it got light most turned their gaze to the east to the bright horizon out on the stepp where at last the sun appeared and the mountains began to glow and continue glowing for nearly an hour.

I was getting cold standing still taking photos while many drapped sleeping bags around themselves. To warm up I packed up my stove and went for a walk down to the lake then up the small hill at the side. The mountain then suddenly turned grey like someone had turned a light off and looking the sun was seen moving behind cloud making it colder.

I was now gone 06 so I started down the mountain again. On reaching the campsite I packed up the bivouac and continued down the trail until I found a spot to sit and breakfast with a view of the mountains.

Toma mate y difrutar la montana mas iconica de Argentina: drink mate and enjoy the most iconic mountain in Argentina

While waiting for water to boil I pour a glass worth of wine from the bottle opened yesterday evening, a drink to celebrate the new year. The combination of early up and wine started to make me feel sleepy. However, it was a good place to end the experience sat looking up at Fitzroy in that vivid clear early morning sunshine where I remain for an hour before packing up and hiking down to the village.

Me played by an actor as I don't have the equipment for this type of self-timed shot

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