Ojos del Salado even in summer. Despite the generally dry conditions, there is a permanent crater lake about in diameter at an elevation of on the eastern side of the mountain. This is most likely the highest lake of any kind in the world. The ascent of Ojos del Salado is mostly a hike except for the final section to the summit which is a difficult scramble that may require ropes. The first ascent was made in 1937 by Jan Alfred Szczepański and Justyn Wojsznis, members of a Polish expedition in the Andes. Its name, meaning roughly "Eyes of the Salty One" in
La Plata Mountains La Plata Mountains The La Plata Mountains are a small subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of Colorado, United States. They are located on the border between Montezuma and La Plata counties, about northwest of Durango. Their name is Spanish for "silver". The peaks of the range are easily visible from U.S. Route 160, which skirts the range on the south. The La Plata River and the Mancos River have their headwaters in the range. The Colorado Trail accesses even towards the northern peaks. The best-known and highest peak in the La Plata Mountains is Hesperus