(Nov 22)We get up at 2AM (I'm not sure how much, if any, sleep I managed to get). I have some coffee but ignore the rest of the breakfast in favor of some nutrition bars. We start climbing at 3:05 AM (not bad!).. The fog is incredibly thick and I can barely see the person in front of me so I'm very glad to climbing with someone that knows this mountain very well. The first 50 minutes is up an easy rocky trail to the glacier. The start of glacier is rocky and icy. (There are places it's very difficult to get a good ice-axe placement.) Fortunately, by the time we are climbing on the glacier about an hour later, we now have clear sky. Sur has gotten some snow overnight which has improved the conditions. We were originally facing a 45 degree ice slope on the start of the glacier but the glacier now has only a few icy stretches. We're all climbing roped with crampons, helmets, and alpine ice axes. Reni, Dianne, and I are also carrying ice tools but it turns out we won't need them on this climb. After the first hour above the glacier entrance, we see there is no clear route on Sur. Still working in the dark with occasional foggy patches, Reni does an expert job route finding. This would be difficult even if there were no fog. At several points Reni spends five to ten minutes probing crevasses and finding safe crossings. This mountain should be approached very carefully since these difficult slopes must be climbed in the dark. By 6 AM, the sun is up and we are high on Sur. The views are fabulous but it's hard to take time to take many photos since the climbing is very steep and we have to be very careful and also keep moving to beat the sun. We reach the summit (17,200 ft) at 6:35 and lounge until almost 7 AM. I lead on the way down and am amazed that on several stretches I can see no sign of our tracks (erased by the wind). We encounter a lot of rocks (but not a single one falls during our entire climb) and crevasses but because of early start none of these posed a hazard. (A prior team had reported significant rock-fall danger but they started climbing relatively late at 5 AM.) The most intimidating part of the climb was the start of the glacier at the bottom. Because of the dry year the start is very rocky and icy. (It's steep and no good snow or thick ice for placements). We're back in the hut by 9 AM. We hurriedly organize our gear to load the duffel so the horse can take it back to the LandRover parked at La Virgen (13,000ft). There is no sign of the climbers on Norte but we hear a report that at least two are having problems because of the altitude. (Note, that Norte while not technical should be approached with caution--there is a Czech climber that went missing six weeks earlier after leaving the summit.) We leave the hut about 11AM and zoom down to the parking area at La Virgen. From there we stop at the place that provides the horses and settle up with them (Dianne and I are charged $22). While we are there a man on bicycle rides up and charges us $5 each for admission to the national park. (If we hadn't stopped to pay for the horses I don't see how we could have been charged the park fee.)