After moving our gear from the Jorge Montt Lake up the river to the site of ouur first camp (in pouring rain - no photos of that journey), we then had to climb up the valley head a couple of kms away. On our first attempt we took a route up a side ridge that took a long time and was very tiring - lots of clambering over boulders , through bushes and in deep snow. We could see a good route though and left a small cache of gear up high for later on. Back down the valley to our tent and hoping to get the rest of our gear up the hill the next day. But then it rained - we stayed in the tent and listened to creek and river water levels rising.

We shufled gear up the hill the following day, camping near the top. We had magnificent views of the lakes and valleys we'd passed but still hadn't seen the Jorge Montt Glacier. We saw a couple of groups Huemul (deer) and an awe inspiring group of 6 Condors.