Patagonian Pampa and Peaks
Trip Start
Jan 20, 2004
1
61
165
Trip End
Ongoing
El Calafate,
Argentina
Friday, April 1, 2005
We drove for a couple of long days under the wide-open Patagonian skies and saw barely a handful of other vehicles, and even fewer signs of human habitation
01 Desolate and windswept
. Settlements that were marked on the map often turned out to be just a 'puesto fijo' - a solitary government building to claim Argentinean sovereignty. As recently as 1985 there have been border skirmishes with neighbouring Chile, and the remote western margins of Santa Cruz Province are still under dispute. The road is gravel, and is generally well maintained except for the odd stretch of potholes or bad washboard. Due to the isolation it is not the place for a major breakdown, and we were lucky to only have to deal with a cracked fuel filter, presumably damaged by a piece of flying gravel. The repair was easily effected with a replacement from our stock of spare parts, and we were fortunate to discover it before we had lost too much fuel - gas stations are very few and far between these days!West of Tres Lagos we turned back towards the mountains to spend a few days in the northern sector of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. This is home to possibly the most majestic and awe-inspiring series of peaks in the whole of the Andean cordillera: the Fitz Roy Range. Heading into the trekking and climbing centre El Chaltén at night, we were dazzled by the bright lights of the 'big city' (resident population approximately 500, but swelling to several thousand with transient visitors in the summer months) after the splendid isolation of the pampa.
Easter Sunday morning found us trekking and contemplating the marvels of this snow and ice-capped wonderland, and eventually confronting the jagged summit of Cerro Fitz Roy across the valley
02 RN 40 and endless pampa
. The whole range is named in honour of the captain of the "Beagle" who navigated up the Santa Cruz river from the Atlantic Ocean to within about fifty km of these mountains in 1834, with his more well-known naturalist on board. Hikers are apparently often disappointed as this area is frequently obscured by low cloud, but we were lucky to have the opportunity to sit and meditate with the stately peaks offset against a backdrop of wind-driven cotton wool clouds and blue sky. As we watched, a huge shelf of snow sheared off the rock face and plummeted down into the valley below, landing with an enormous crashing roar and precipitating a huge flurry of snow. Later, we noticed a lone condor soaring effortlessly around the craggy heights and across the glaciers, and our thoughts naturally turned to Mike. Our second hike was into Laguna Torre. This is a great time of year to be here as there are far fewer visitors than in the height of the summer season and the southern beech forests are taking on a mantle of the gentle oranges and reds of autumn. We were again surrounded by stunning snow-covered peaks, but the famous spire of Cerro Torre remained partially cloud-shrouded and hidden from view. As we were quietly eating our bread and cheese lunch the silence was shattered by the explosive fracturing of a 'bergie' breaking in half in the lake below us. By early afternoon the temperature dropped dramatically and the winds sweeping off the glaciers brought us a smattering of snow and hail.
We were reluctant to leave this superlatively beautiful area, but with night temperatures down to 1̊C we were reminded that time was marching on. As we headed back to join RN 40 again (enjoying immensely the 55 km of newly constructed, smooth-as-silk, tarmac!) we were able to watch the amazing panorama of the Fitz Roy Range gradually recede in our rear view mirrors. Even from a hundred km across the pampa it was a stunning sight. Eventually it was left far behind on the horizon as we headed further south to El Calafate, gateway to the famous Perito Moreno Glacier.
