The other survivors — those who were too weak or injured to make the crossing — would remain at the fuselage and wait. If the three trekkers reached help, they would send rescuers back for the others. If the three trekkers did not return, the survivors at the fuselage would know that the western route had failed and would need to consider other options.
This plan was discussed openly with everyone in the group. The separation — the knowledge that the remaining survivors might be waiting indefinitely, or might never see the trekkers again — was acknowledged directly. Multiple accounts describe the conversations that took place before the departure: expressions of trust, of hope, of the recognition that what the three trekkers were attempting was extremely dangerous and might not succeed.
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## The Trek Begins: December 12
On December 12, 1972 — sixty days after the crash — Parrado, Canessa, and Vizintín departed the fuselage and began climbing toward the western ridge.
They carried the sleeping bag, food prepared from the available resources, aluminum sheets they could use for protection against the cold, and what clothing they had been able to assemble. They did not have proper mountaineering boots, crampons, ice axes, or the other equipment that climbers typically use for high-altitude glacier crossings. They had rugby cleats and boots modified with hardware to provide some grip on the ice.
The climb to the ridge took approximately three days. The ridge — which Parrado had sighted during earlier reconnaissance and which he had convinced himself would reveal lower terrain and eventually human habitation on the other side — was at approximately 4,503 meters above sea level. This was roughly 800 meters higher than the crash site.