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The great outdoors
Entry 41 of 88 | show all | print this entry |
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It was time to get down and dirty and do some hiking and camping! We made our way north to El Chalten, a part of Patagonia well-known for its opportunities to hike, trek and mountain climb. Neither of us being climbers, we opted for the less treacherous activities of camping and hiking. The 4-hour bus ride from El Calafate was not terribly exciting from a scenic standpoint, mostly brown and barren, until we got closer to the town to see the amazing mountain ranges surrounding it.
We did meet a really nice Argentinian couple on our bus ride, Andres and Mary, who were on their honeymoon. We learned that Andres had studied a semester at UC Riverside so he was familiar with parts of Southern California...how fun!
El Chalten is a tiny little town that is located within the rather large Glacier National Park. The town pretty much exists for tourism, with restaurants and lodging being pretty much the only businesses in town. There are no ATMs or banks, a couple small markets, and a couple places to access the internet...but for a hefty price. The surrounding scenery is incredible and truly inspires you to want to be outdoors and exploring. There are many different mountains but the most famous, the star, is Fitz Roy.
We rented a tent, sleeping bags and mattress pads, a small burner and a couple pots and set out to hike and camp. The national park office was really great and super organized so the hiking trails and camp sites were clearly marked, making it easy to just enjoy ourselves along the way. We were very fortunate to see few people along our way so most of the time the only sounds about us were our footsteps and the wind in the trees. Our goal was a place called Laguna de Los Tres which required a gruelling uphill hour-long hike, but it was well worth it for the lake, glacier, and mountain views and the tranquility of the place, in general. Fortunately for us, our campsite was at the base of that hike so we were able to set up camp and leave our packs before heading up so we didn't have the burden of the extra weight. It is amazing how much more effort each step requires when hiking with a heavy pack on your back! It was a chilly night and the wind was howling. We were thankful to have a good tent that stayed securely fastened despite the wild weather.
The next day we hiked along a river and over some GIANT boulders to arrive at the base of another glacier, Piedras Blancas, with a lake below...with no one else around. It is such an amazing experience to arrive at a beautiful place and then to be able to take it all in with total silence around you.
After 2 days of hiking most of the days we returned to the town of El Chalten with very sore and tired muscles but addicted to hiking. We were glad to have a shower and warm bed to recover before a big day to follow...our first ever ice trekking on a glacier!
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