El Chalten y Cerro Fitz Roy

  El Chalten, Argentina
Thursday, January 31, 2008

Llegamos a El Chaltén. Un pueblo de reciente
fundación (1985) en un ventoso valle al pie del macizo del Fitz Roy. Nos
instalamos en la posada y salimos a hace compras de provisiones y en busca de
un transformador de 220 a
110 voltios, que hasta ahora nos hemos encontrado después que se quemo el
nuestro. Luego armamos las bicicletas y nos deshicimos de las cajas!!! Algunas
otras diligencias y ninguna calle asfaltada...!

El 25 de enero más compras, nos mudamos a un
Camping con servicios más económico y contratamos una excursión para
complementar el trekking en el parque nacional. Una caminata en un glaciar con
escalada en hielo incluida!!!

El 26, salimos por el sendero norte rumbo al campamento Poincenot, cerca del Fitz Roy. 
Buena caminata, incluido par de pájaros "Carpinteros Gigantes" (macho y hembra) a los cuales logramos fotografiar y filmar. Nos instalamos en el campamento y nos fuimos a disfrutar de la vista del Cerro Fitz Roy que lucia parcialmente nublado entonces.

El 27 subimos temprano al mirador "Laguna de los Tres", justo debajo del macizo. Una hora de subida empinada hasta el mirador. Frances se fue adelante y Yo un poco más tarde por dormir unos minutos
más. Jejejeje. La alcancé en el mirador; un montón de fotos y videos y
regresamos al campamento. Desayunamos, recogimos todo y partimos hacia el
campamento De Agostini, cerca del punto de encuentro para la caminata glaciar
del día siguiente.  Una travesía bastante cómoda por parajes de montaña, con bosques espectaculares casi mágicos. Bellas lagunas, una liebre que pudimos filmar y fotografiar y 3 y ½ horas después
estábamos instalando la carpa en nuestro nuevo campamento.  Esa misma tarde fuimos a la Laguna Torre, a descansar y disfrutar de la vista del Glaciar Grande, sobre el cual caminaríamos el día
siguiente. Además una excelente vista del Cerro Torro y demás agujas del
macizo.  Esa noche Frances se acordó de Yo estaba de cumpleaños ese día; me felicitó y a dormir.

El 28 salimos temprano al campamento de las empresas de excursiones a 20 minutos del nuestro.  La cuando pasamos frete a la laguna nos sorprendió la vista de las torres reflejadas en la laguna. Impresionante.

Laguna Torre

Yo me
devolví a la carpa por mis lentes de sol, mientras Frances seguía hacia el camp
de las empresas. La alcancé allá y esperamos por el resto de los turistas que
venían de El Chaltén.

Al llegar el resto, partimos hacia el glaciar y lo que primero nos topamos en el camino fue un cruce de río en Tirolesa! La foto lo explica.

Edgard pasando la Tirolesa

Cuando llegamos al glaciar, nos colocamos los granzones, nos adentramos en un fantástico mundo de hielo. Colinas, grietas, montículos,
canales de agua helada. Maravilloso. En una pared de hielo del glaciar nos
detuvimos a almorzar y a realizar la escalada. En definitiva vale la pena las
más de 8 horas de actividad que representa esa excursión.

Caminata en Glaciar Grande

El día 29 bajamos del campamento De Agostini a El Chaltén. Merecida ducha, siesta, almuerzo, descanso, cena y a dormir!!!!

El 30 no mucho. Frances fue al Calafate en busca de efectivo y algunas provisiones y Yo, mantenimiento a las bicicletas y a la cocinilla, averiguar datos del viaje y esperar.

Hoy 31 de enero, relativa calma en la mañana. Comprar lo que falta, lavandería, clasificar todo el equipo y provisiones para empacarlos en las alforjas de las bicis. Y de repente: Suas!!!! Se acabó el
buen tiempo que veníamos disfrutando. Vientos fuertísimos (si! más aun!), nubes
borrascosas y muchísimo polvo en el aire.

Mañana partimos a nuestro viaje en bicicletas. Por fin!!!
Emoción e incertidumbre. Que nos depara el
camino? Ya veremos....! Saludos a todos!

Edgard y Frances

Extranas nubes patagonicas

Thursday, 24th January

We left Calafate in the morning, and by 12 noon were in El Chaltén - on the
northern end of the Los Glacieres National Park. El Chaltén is the starting
point for walks around the Cerro Fitzroy area - another lot of mountains, snow, lakes and woods. El Chaltén
itself is a half finished sort of a place - a curious mixture of souvenir
shops, hippie vans, backpacker hostels, outdoor shops and construction site. It
has a nice relaxed bohemian feel, but unfortunately no bank - or in fact
anywhere you can change Argentinean pesos to Chilean ones, which is a bit of a
bummer since in our ignorance we had assumed that being such a touristy place
there would be a bank. Also we spent far more than we expected in Calafate what
with the hidden "extras" in the tour cost such as the entrance to the Los Glacieres
National Park the day before. So its back to Calafate, 4 hours away, to a cash point and money
changer! Moral of the story (obvious really so I won´t bother to repeat it).

But first, before the bank trip, we are off on another hike, four days this time
and hopefully as beautiful as the Torres del Paine but easier on the legs, to
another viewpoint, this time of Cerro Fitzroy, and then on a guided glacier
walk. Also we have finally taken the bikes out of their boxes and are riding
them round El Chaltén to get the legs in gear and our throats used to the taste
of dust!

Saturday 26th January

I am writing from an open sunlit patch in Lenga
(Patagonian version of pine) woodland, next to the Poincenot campsite, with the
Fitzroy, Poincenot and Saint Exhubery peaks looming in front of me. Bare rock
and snow and the clouds rising against a blue blue sky.

Fitz Roy desde el mirador

It was a nice relaxing 3 hr walk from El Chaltén to get here, mostly through woods. On the way up we
saw a Giant Red Crested Woodpecker giving it his all against a tree trunk,
guzzling insects. The camp is quiet and peaceful. Tomorrow morning we will hike
up to the lake just in front of the peaks - an hour of hard slog up a steep
path - but now there is plenty of time to rest. The only bother being the large
horse flies that buzz around us - fortunately they seem more interested in
Edgard than me! There are a pair (male and female) of large falcon like birds
(Caricari in Spanish) that are wandering around. They seem quite tame and strut
about the place followed by photo hungry tourists. Tomorrow, after the hike up
to the lake, it´s off to the next campsite, De Agostini, named after a
mountaineering monk, and the day after on a guided glacier walk.

Bosque Patagonico

Sunday 27th January

From the De Agostini campsite. It was a lovely walk to here, first by a couple of lakes "Mother" and "Daughter", midst English type pastures with daisies and buttercups, then down through Lenga woodland -
twisted, gnarled, white grey bark against green undergrowth.

Liebre Patagonica

At the edge of the wood we rounded a corner and left Patagonia for Arizona, dry scrub, thorns and red sandy
soil, and in the distance at the head of the valley the whiteness of Glacier
Grande and Glacier Torre, above which rise Cerro Torre and Cerro Egger. Two
hours later, walking along the side of the large U shaped valley we arrived at
the free De Agostini campsite, in the woods. After making camp we walked the
10minutes to the lake below the glaciers, surrounded by the rock and earth of
moraine left by the last advance of the ice - only about 300 years ago. We
rested a while in the sun by the lake and then it was back to the tent for
supper and bed.

Monday 28th January

Today was the day of the Guided Glacier Walk.
We got up early and arrived at the Tour Guides camp - only 20 mins away from De
Agostini, to wait for the other tourists to arrive. We were each given a safety
harness, crampons and gloves, and then it was a 2 hour walk up the side of the
valley to Glacier Grande. Then onto the ice - and ouch the crampons are tight. Then walking on the glacier, stomp
stomp  - make sure all the spikes on the bottom of the crampons are touching the ice. Stomp stomp stomp over ice hills and down ice valleys, past icy blue pools and waterfalls gushing over crevices.
Stomp stomp stomp and then it was time for lunch and the chance to do some ice
climbing - up a 30ft vertical ice wall, using the crampons for your feet and
iceaxes for your hands to climb with - quite safe with the harness and security
rope. I was first up - nobody else seemed that keen, so I was roped up and
given my iceaxes, one for each hand. This time you had to kick into the wall
with the 2 horizontal spikes on the front of the crampons, and pierce it from
above with the iceaxes. So it was iceaxe iceaxe, kick kick, iceaxe iceaxe, kick
kick, all the way up until I was nearly at the top, and then my left hand
started to tire and the axe wouldn´t pierce the ice - but banged against the
wall, and then my foot slipped and I was left hanging by the right ice axe (and
of course the rope which held me secure). My balance recovered, I tried again
with the axe and this time got a good grip, and kick kick, iceaxe iceaxe and I
was up victorious. I dropped the axes to my sides and was let down on the rope.
Splendid stuff. After lunch it was back over the ice, down the valley and home.

En el Glaciar Grande

Tuesday 29th January

Rest day. Just a quick 3 hour hike back to El
Chalten, put the tent up, make lists of "things to do", and bed.

Wednesday 30th January

Back in Calafate today to get cash out of the ATM. I don´t think much of the main street in Calafate - all leather and posh souvenir shops. Fortunately there is another Calafate about 2 blocks away where
I found a non gourmet place to eat lunch. I arrived back at El Chalten at about
10:30 pm. Edgard was there to meet me - beer in hand - what a sweetie he is!

Thursday 31st January

Last rest day before the "Great Bike Trip". Not much to do except the last of the food shopping, organizing the packs and rest. Lots of rest. Tomorrow will be a tough day and the wind´s getting up......

Cheers for now

Frances and Edgard