29th – Moving to El Salto

We started the day a bit earlier than usual as the morning also included packing up the camp. When waking up it seemed very dark when lying in the tent, but it wasn’t due to the sun not having risen but rather due to dense mist and rain. Thinking it was impossible the mist was actually even denser than it was yesterday and adding the rain into the equation it all felt quite miserable. But the guides came by the tents and collected our plates, and soon after we had breakfast in bed! Great service.

Slowly but steady the rain decreased in intensity and the camp equally slowly came alive, we packed our bags and tents, and we were soon ready to leave the location. The mist didn’t change character but as we ascended towards El Salto it eased up a bit.

Arriving at El Salto the weather was better than we had been warned it would be; only a breeze and despite the mist conditions were comfortable. Tents were pitched and we quickly fell into the usual routine; relaxation and doing as little as possible. Bo & Preben took a walk further up to have a look, but they were the exception. Even the guides were kicking back. Everyone seem to be mentally preparing for the summit attempt tomorrow of Cerro Vallecitos. It shouldn’t be a big problem compared to what I have been doing in the past, but a climb of 1200m from camp to summit still manages to get on one’s nerves – even if the summit isn’t the final conclusion of the trip but rather a warm-up.

As the evening progressed the mist got once again denser to the point where it felt like a gentle constant rain. This meant that anything not inside a closed tent (or in a waterproof bag) would get moist. It was almost like being back in the Amazon; the difference being the humidity was cold here as opposed the Amazon’s heat. We hadn’t been prepared for this so inside our tent all surfaces have a thin layer of moisture.

I found out a small quirk with my new camera, or rather; a small quick with the combination of my new camera and my polarized sunglasses. Holding the camera horizontally there are no problems, but vertically the screen gets extremely dark. Scared me quite a lot the first time I experienced it but I calmed down – though quite annoyed – when I found the cause. 

We were greeted in the morning by low clouds.

Pablo relaxing in El Salto.

Dina relaxing the best way she knows - by knitting.