Watching the sunrise at Fitz Roy was really a pinch me moment for me (cliché I know!). This photo is magic to me. When I look at it, I remember how excited and awed I was to see Fitz Roy glow golden.
In the space of 5-10minutes, we saw the sun light up the tips of Fitz Roy’s peak and then the rays slide down the rest of the peak. It was so so cool – if only I’d set up a time lapse! Nature really is something else!
It’s also crossed my mind several times how incredible it is that Fitz Roy just so happens to perfectly face the right direction to catch the sunrise! It’s the same with the Towers in Torres del Paine. Thank you world!
For a sense of scale, can you spot the tiny human stood on the lake’s shore in the bottom right hand corner of my photo?! I’ve only noticed him recently!
To see the sunrise, I hiked to Fitz Roy in the early early hours of the morning. (For the record, most people, wishing to see a sunrise, camp at the nearest campsite to Fitz Roy. However, not having a tent meant that wasn’t an option for me.)
I was so determined to be at Fitz Roy for dawn, I was prepared to hike alone. At the last minute, I was introduced to another girl who was keen to go and we teamed up. I was thrilled and off we went at 3am, already laughing with our head torches lighting the way!
The stars and night sky were amazing! Every so often we would stop, turn our torches off and stargaze – thousands of stars and ooh the galaxy! During one stargazing pause, a light streaked across the sky right in front of us. I’m going to say it was a comet, but perhaps a big shooting star?! Either way, I was so so happy!
At Fitz Roy, I remember being very impressed at the preparedness of two American guys who offered us hand warmer packets. My hands stayed so toasty warm in my pockets thanks to them!
I can’t say enough how much seeing the sunrise at Fitz Roy meant to me. I think even more so as I had missed out on a sunrise at the Towers in Torres del Paine due to the weather. I was over the moon I got to see a sunrise in Patagonia!
I would love to hike there again!
If you’d like to read more about my hike to Fitz Roy and my stay in El Chaltén, click here!
