We begin our hike near the National Parks office on the edge of town and take a well-marked trail in the direction of Laguna Toro (Bull lake) and the Paso del Viento.  After an hour of steady ascent beside small streams and forests of ñires and Lenga trees, we arrive at a wide-open area with a perfect postcard of the Fitz Roy, Torre and Huemul mountains.

The trail continues through the Pampa de las Carretas plain before diving into a forest of old trees, where it steadily climbs towards our destination.

Upon suddenly exiting this forest, we begin to hike through a completely different landscape. This part of our excursion passes through terrain that is relatively steep and rocky, and characteristic of the high mountains. While at first it seems completely barren, if you look closely you should see a variety of amazing small and colorful flowers. This Loma originated at the bottom of the sea and was raised to its current position through the tectonic forces that are actively creating the Andes mountain range. It is, therefore, possible to see marine fossils such as ammonites and belemnites that are hundreds of millions of years old.

When we arrive at the viewpoint, we will have an uninterrupted vista of the Fitz Roy river valley, Cerro Fitz Roy, and Cerro Torre with Glacier Grande spilling down to its base.  It is a truly remarkable viewpoint.

If the weather cooperates, we will stop in this privileged position to rest and have lunch. If we are lucky, we may even witness a Condor flying in the area. When we are ready, we will return to El Chaltén via the same route.