Looking into the early sun on Garganta

To the right is the NW slope of Huascarán Sur. In 2011, this is where the normal route from the col went up. The Huascarán summits often get enveloped in clouds during the day, often well before noon. That's one of the reasons that almost all climbers pass here well before sunrise - unlike me right now. I understood that it was sometimes very difficult to find the trail in the darkness, and I can imagine that if there was a bit of fresh snow, going up here without someone with recent knowledge of the route would be a recipe to get lost. 8 August 2011