Jim comes up and leads a long pitch of intricate stemming and jamming. As we gain altitude we can see over the mountain ridge to the west onto the vast Southern Patagonian Ice Cap, the largest non-polar expanse of ice on the planet. Soaring mountains and brilliant white paint the entire western horizon. Looking at the ice cap framed by Desmochada on the right and the Northwest Buttress of Poincenot on the left is like looking through a magnifying glass - the Ice Cap seems but a reach away. Contemplating Cracks Jim gets his hero lead next - 35 meters of strenuous squeeze chimneying.
Protection is sparse.
My belay is a comfortable seat of yellow granite. I won't be able to jumar the pack up inside. A series of grunts come down the crack. I jumar the pitch easily. Great lead, stud.