Hosteria Infinito Sur El Chalten

... lake, mountain passes pass by like london buses, and what towers protruding towards the heavens in dawn and sunset illumination( more spiky peaks than you can take in)Some days we walk 16 k.- and some days we don,t.!<br><br>Animals<br>a puma was spotted the other day by one guide and we have seen tracks and Puma Poo! Lots of Condors , buzzards,and llamas, guanacos, spring flowers, and wild country. <br>MUST JOIN THE OTHERS FOR A BOOZE UP BEFORE SUPPER ...

... groep probeerde dat met een eigen houtje touwtje systeem dat uiteindelijk brak. Gelukkig voor hem was hij net over de rivier en had hij zijn backpack om want hij kwam wel hard op de rosten terecht. Onze uitrusting werkte wel naar behoren.<br>Eenmaal bij de gletsjer aangekomen moest je ¨crampons´ aandoen, een soort pinnen voor onder je schoen om grip op het ijs te houden. Die had je ook wel nodig om over de ijsheuvels te komen ...

... Fin was still ill and the English decided to stay with her, but another English from my last hostel had arrived last night and I set off with him. Weather was cloudy again but the winds were still below Day 1. We went to Laguna de Los Tres to get a view of Cerro Fitzroy as there was no chance of seing Cerro Torre today. We didn't even get a glimpse of it but it was still a fine hike. The last few hundred metres were very steep and over ice and snow, with a strong ...

... and grinning madly whilst Bruno got on his knees, hands on chest, begging. It probably looked ridiculous, especially as we obviously couldn`t hop in the back and half the front seats was not enough for two guys with full trekking bags. The guy stopped and gave us a life all the way to our hostel door. He was a nice guy, the owner of the El Gringito supermarket. I`m sure he would have stopped even if without our antics. Nice person :-)<br><br>That night we both had excellent and ...

... saying turn back if ice or snow but we were not turning back after we had booked the day especially to see this mountain peak).<br>The trek uphill was fairly savage and took us 2 hours to get up, mainly due to the conditions. It was a beautiful day and the trek would have been fine if there was no ice on the ground but it was severe and we had many many a slip as we reached up but thankfully no fallers (on the way up anyway). We had 2 big fine sticks for balance so ...

... wouldn't not recommend the hostel I stayed at due to the facilities', I had a great time there and met so many different people. After around 6pm when everyone is done with trekking, there is nothing to do in El Chalten. It's completely dead, there is not cell phone reception and depending on how strong the winds were determined whether or not there would be electricity or internet. The hostel I stayed in had a lot of DVDs, and I ended ...

... of rest... retire to the swimming pool and sauna for the day. Lago del Desierto: Decide to keep to our word and do another hike... only 3km each way this time... very steep climb at the end ...

... colour and clarity of the photos. It was truly an amazing sight, up there with Perito Moreno. There was even a condor flying around at low level when I got there, but I didnt get the camera out quick enought to capture it. It perched magestically on a rock on the far side of the lake for the entire time I sat there taking in the view. When I finally arrived back in El Chalten that evening I was exhauseted ...

... was no problem and spent an uneventful evening after a stroll up the river. I am amazed at how happy I am to sleep in a dorm. Having done the five star luxuries I now, on my own, prefer the camaraderie of the Refugio to the isolation and anonymity of the international hotel. Also I enjoy finding my own way above the guided luxury of my Himalayan trek. And it is much cheaper this way. I can travel light without tent, food or bedding because it is ...

... Burberry caps, drinking Stella and throwing kebabs at each other. Innit. <br><br>The walk was allegedly 2 hours there and 2 hours back, but we thought that made sense because there was no point chucking ourselves into a more challenging 6 or 8 hour trek when we're out of practice. There's nothing worse that walking for miles out into the middle ...