A nice cup of tea and a sit down

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A strange title for a blog entry you might think. Especially when I tell you that 5 of my 8 days in El Bolson were spent walking in the foothills of the Andes. But personally, I think it's the perfect title, and soon you will too.

I knew that Murray and Joyce, friends of my parents from yesteryear, lived around Bolson, and after a bit of effort, I had managed to get in touch with them. So after a couple of days camping in Bolson itself, Murray came to pick me up, and we sped back to Mallin Ahoghado on his quad bike. They live in a beautiful area, and have a pretty idyllic life, growing fruit and veg of all kinds (Joyce makes fantastic raspberry jam). From the moment I arrived, I was very well looked after, and treated to a lamb curry, and you guessed it, a nice cup of tea and a sit down.

The following day, I awoke to a question I haven't heard for over 4 months now "Would you like a cup of tea?" When this arrived, and I lay in bed happily drinking it, I considered whether it would be rude to abandon my trip and stay with them for the next 8 months. Unfortunately, I decided the answer was yes, and so I got up, packed up, and set off for a 5 day trek around the Rio Azul.

This time, I trekked solo, and I really enjoyed just being able to put my music on, and lose myself in my thoughts while wandering around yet more spectacular Andean scenery. The weather also treated me very well throughout the trek, aside from the first night, where unfortunately my tent got a bit wet, as I'd forgotten to close the door. Silly me.

The first day was from the Rio Azul upto the Regugio at Hielo Azul, a rather steep climb, which commenced with crossing one of the most unstable bridges I've ever come across. As is the case with trekking around here, the views made up for the effort put in, and I went to sleep a happy man. Of course I didn't wake up a happy man, and my wallet lay nicely in the biggest puddle of water that had made its way into the tent.

After a bit of a delay to let my money dry, I took a wander a bit further up the valley to see the famous Hielo Azul glacier, that gives the refugio its name. The warm weather meant it had melted a bit, but there was still flecks of blue to be seen. On my return, I packed up, and made to set off to the next refugio at Cajon del Azul. I was warned that 3.30 was a bit late to be starting out, but I made good time, and was home and dry by 7.30.

I learnt my lesson regarding tent closure, and besides, it didn't rain this night, so I got an earlier start for the long trek upto Los Laguitos. It was rather an uneventful walk, but definitely worthwhile, as the setting of this refugio, right on the lakeside, is perfect. I wished I could have spent another day wandering around here, but unfortunately time just wouldn't allow it, so after one night, and another filling meal of tuna, pasta, mayo, I set off the next day for Encanto Blanco.

The path to Encanto Blanco is not on the map, but the nice folks at the Club Andino drew it on for me. After the third hour of scrambling up a poorly marked, and near vertical at times hill, scratched to smithereens I knew why it wasn't on the map. Arriving at the refugio, I found that I was the first person to come over that way in 5 days, compared to the hoardes that had been doing the remainder of the days trails. Hmm. Still, it did avoid quite a lot of nasty backtracking.

Encanto Blanco was my last night, and the day after I walked back to Mallin, and to a shop where Murray had told me I could ring them from. Unfortunately, the number was in my wallet, and the ink had run. To compound this, the shop owners only had an old number for them. But this is where the fact that they had lived in the area for 35 years came to save me, as a chap came in that was a friend of theirs, and offered to show me the way. This seemed great, but as I waited for him to do his shopping, a lady came in with her daughter, and the shop owners chatted to her and pointed me out. Turned out she was Murray's daughter, and she took me all the way back to the house.

So it was back for one more evening of being well looked after. Murray and Joyce were off out to their granddaughters party, but I wasn't allowed to go because I had to pack! So instead, I just had a nice relaxing evening, watching the snow in England on BBC World News.

I'm currently in Esquel, so this is now bang upto date,

Stewart

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Photos

Mallin Ahoghado
Home of Murray and Joyce

Trail marker
I can't go anywhere without one of these now

Cerro Tabanos
Horsefly mountain... strange name