Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
After a short two hour bus ride up route 40 we arrived in our next destination, the small mountain town of El Chalten. Born in 1985, after a race with Chile to claim the land, the actual town is little more than one main street and some dusty roads, but it is set in the most amazing location, surrounded by mountains and snowy peaks on all sides with a river running through the middle.
During our time in El Chalten we walked, climbed and scrambled up various mountains, saw beautiful waterfalls, and spotted numerous animals including a number of condors, in conditions ranging from howling winds and heavy rain to beautiful clear skies and everything in between. In total we covered around 60 km and climbed over 2500m in our three day introduction to Patagonian trekking.
However the highlight of our stay has to be the climb up to Lago de los Tres, the final viewpoint for the infamous Cerro Fitzroy. Never has the phrase "no pain no gain" been so true. After a fairly relaxing 4 hour walk through beautiful and diverse landscapes, we reached the foot of the 650m final ascent, with the warning not to climb in windy or wet conditions. Thankfully we had picked the one beautiful day and had perfect clear skies and sunshine (as the pictures show), so off we set. It´s fair to say that the mountain certainly didn´t look that big from the bottom, but half way up we were both suffering badly. Liz, to her credit, kept on going and some how reached the first summit. I on the other hand had to stop half way for a rest and crucial snack break just as my vertigo was setting in. A good hour after we started we did both make the summit and were greeted with truly spectactular 360 degree views with the mountains and valleys on one side and Fitzroy and Lago de los Tres on the other.
All this outdoor activity meant that our evenings weren´t very exciting although we did manage to sample some more delcious Patagonian food and the local microbrewery, conveniently located on the way back into town from the walking trails, provided a welcome stop off for a drink and a snack on our way down from the mountains.
Then, full of fresh air and good food it was time to brave another mammoth bus journey - two twelve hour trips down mostly unpaved roads with only an overnight stay in the middle - to head north into Argentina´s lake district.
- comments