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El Chalten, the main hiking destination in Argentine Patagonia is the gateway to Mount Fitz Roy and Mount Torre, both popular among hikers. It is actually the newes town in Argentina, built only 20 years ago due to border problems with Chile. This has made it basically the Milton Keynes of Argentina but a lot lot nicer.
We arrived a bit apprehensive about all this hiking business with zero experience. We were not put at ease with the news of bad weather and strong winds, yay. We stayed in a hostel called Aylen-Aike which had a cottagey feel to it and was a great shelter from the strong winds (top tip - most hostels don't have lockers or do breakfast except for a few so do your research before you stay - we had to carry all our valuables on the hike which was less than ideal).
We got up early (something foreign to us on our travels so far) to set off to see mount Fitz Roy, a 20km hike, stocked up on empanadas, crisps, pasta, and far too much water. I think we actually had more food for lunch than some packed for overnight camping.
The way up was a bit steep but worth it for fantastic views over the valley and after 3 hours we reached the base of the climb for Fitz Roy. The final hour climb is very steep and we decided not to do it, not because we weren't fit enough I might add, but because the clouds meant the views wouldn't be worth it and the wind too strong.
Full on pasta we started our descent back stopping at lake for one final view over Fitz Roy. After our first real bit of exercise whilst travelling (does lying on a beach count?) we treated ourselves to own brewed beer and Argentine stew at a place called La Cerveza, a perfect end to a tiring day.
Now we've got the hang of this hiking we are off to Torres Del Paine to take in Chilean Patagonia.
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