What Parrado saw when he finally reached the ridge and looked west was not lower terrain with villages and farms. He saw more mountains. The Andes extended west for what appeared to be an enormous distance. There was no evidence of human habitation visible from the ridge.
This moment — the revelation on the ridge — is one of the pivotal scenes in every account of the survival story. By his own account, Parrado experienced something between despair and defiance. He had climbed to the ridge on the conviction that Chile was on the other side. What he saw was more mountains. He made the decision — without deliberation, he has said, because there was nothing to deliberate about — that he was going to keep walking west no matter what.
Canessa’s reaction was more complex. He has described, in his memoir and in interviews, the profound discouragement of that view from the ridge and the genuine internal struggle that followed. He wanted to turn back. He also understood what turning back meant: going back to the fuselage with nothing, with no better plan, to continue waiting in conditions that were killing people more slowly every week. He kept walking.
Vizintín turned back on approximately the third day of the trek. The decision was practical: by carrying food for three people, the expedition had used more of its resources during the approach than if they had been carrying food for two. Turning one person back — having them return to the fuselage on a rudimentary sled constructed from aircraft debris — would allow the other two to continue with more food. By accounts from both Parrado and Vizintín, the decision was made rationally and without bitterness. Vizintín returned to the fuselage, arriving around December 15. The remaining survivors learned from his return that the trek was continuing.