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Published: April 24th 2011
El Chalten, Argentina
The peaks of Cerro TorreWednesday 6th April - Wednesday 13th April.
Well rested, fed and watered (steak and red wine well earned!) after the exploits of Torres del Paine, we headed back across the border into Argentina and on to El Chalten, the trekking capital of Argentina and home to Mount Fitz Roy (3,400m). After the “W”, we were hungry for more.
The drive there provided another journey to add to the list of bus “experiences”. We still can't figure out if the headlights didn't work or the bus driver just didn't like using them! Either way, he seemed pretty chuffed with himself as he continually pointed out the moon lighting up the outline of the mountains ahead of us, whilst we drove along in the dark. A pretty impressive view, however we decided the best approach was to put the ipod on and nod off.....ignorance is bliss right?!
Now expert trekkers and without heavy packs on our backs, the 22km return hike to see Cerro Torre, three shards of rock towering 3,100m above Glacier Grande, was covered with ease and made for an excellent day. The sun shined for the most part and we got see Cerro Torre in all its
El Chalten, Argentina
Along the way to Cerro Torre glory with a blue sky back drop. Not to mention the walk through the valley, where the beech trees had turned into the most incredible yellow, orange and red colours for Autumn. Stunning!
Our plans to rest our limbs the next day in preparation for the more demanding Fitz Roy trek were shelved soon after we awoke to another clear, sunny day. With some American friends from the hostel we took a cab to Hotel Pilar, where our trek would begin….or not, as it broke down merely 5 minutes into the journey. Adding an extra km to our day, we were forced to drag our heels back into town with the driver shaking his head. A replacement vehicle soon arrived and we were on our way, for the second time.
Like Cerro Torre the day before, the trek to Laguna de los Tres (Fitz Roy) led us through colourful forests as we climbed the ridge opposite a glacier, with Fitz Roy in full view, snapping prize winning photos as we went. Even the big, evil looking spider on the path didn’t upset our rhythm. (Chris just gave it a wide birth, on passing..)
The final ascent to
Laguna de los Tres was difficult and dangerous, and certainly not one to be attempted by amateurs (see pic). Experience, check. Hiking boots, check. Good state of fitness, hell yeah!
It was pretty much a straight climb up for 45 minutes, entering recent snow fall as we neared the top, so pretty tricky and certainly tough on the legs…however, the views of Fitz Roy and the surrounding valley were jaw-dropping. So nice in fact, that we stayed for a good hour by the glacial lake, soaking up the sun, enjoying a picnic lunch (last night’s pizza!) and trying to take in our surroundings. Chris’ idea to go for a swim to cool off was brought swiftly to an end when his right foot entered the water…..when there’s chunks of ice floating around in it, it’s cold, yes, bone chillingly cold!
The 12km trek back to El Chalten seemed to last forever as the previous day’s exploits caught up with us and we started to look like a pair of oldies hobbling back into town. (A technique Keri called – ‘saving the knees’.) We decided if we look like oldies, we may as well act like them….yep, a nice
El Chalten, Argentina
Laguna de los tres, destination glass of vino tinto by the fire to finish us off for the day… ahhrrr bliss..
With El Chalten considered conquered and our appetite for more trekking waning (actually it had gone…..), it was time for another long distance bus journey. With the option of taking a pretty basic bus on the infamous Ruta 40 (a gravel/dirt road) for 35 hours not sounding too appealing, we headed north east to Puerto Madryn, with the hope of seeing orcas, elephant seals, sea lions and penguins. This option offered a mere 25 hours on the road (a paved road).. less could be said for the onboard entertainment.. Shrek in spanish with spanish subtitles does not make for good viewing. What is the point of that?!,
Founded by Welsh settlers in the late 1800's, Puerto Madryn is an Argentine seaside resort, but is probably most famous for being the gateway to Peninsula Valdes, a nearby wildlife sanctuary.
Exploring the peninsula alone by car was expensive and not recommended, due to the risk of accidental damage and lack of insurance on offer, so it was time for another tour.
An excellent, English speaking tour guide (woo hoo!) told us all about the
Puerto Madryn, Argentina
P-p-p-p-p-pick up a penguin area, the peninsula and it’s wildlife and whilst our dream of seeing orcas beaching themselves (a hunting technique for catching sea lions) didn’t quite materialise we did get to see lots of guanacos, a few scurrying armadillos - pesky little things, that didn’t seem to mind taking full charge at our naked toes in flip flops, a grey fox – curiously surveying the scene, penguins – (soo cute!), going about their daily duties, I could have watched them for hours, and we were able to get really close! We also saw some big dopy elephant seals from afar and scores of sea lions – it was great to see them in the wild, swimming in the water with their young, however I couldn’t help feeling restless watching them awkwardly and slowly hauling their heavy blubber bodies up the sand, laying over each other, shifting about uselessly immobile, and barking out loudly.
Back on the tour bus, our friendly guide explained the Argentinian phenomenon which we’ve observed and curiously pondered since entering the country.. the local hot tea drink called yerba mate (pronounced mah-tay), which we’ve seen almost every Argentine local nurturing their wooden cup with a metal straw and
Puerto Madryn, Argentina
Gaucho Elkins with his yerba mate a thermos held under their arm, like a religion.
Mate, a favourite amongst gauchos (cowboys) is a traditional Argentine drink made from rainforest holly tree leaves. Whilst we're told it has the strength of coffee, the benefits of tea and the euphoria of chocolate all in one beverage, putting it bluntly, it tastes pretty rank! It’s like very strong green tea, very bitter. However, despite the metal straw that burns your mouth as you drink it, there’s something about it that just makes you (Chris) want to drink more….. I think it’s the caffeine..
With trekking withdrawal symptoms setting in and having not seen a mountain in all of 2 days, we booked our bus trip west to Esquel, a town south of the Lakes District. However, we had most of a day to kill and decided it would be best spent hiring bikes and tackling the 34km round trip to Puerto Lomo, home to a colony of sea lions. The cycle there was great, sun shining, lovely ocean views and the wind at our backs….unfortunately for us, the wind grew stronger and stronger, turning the route back to town into what can best be compared to trying
to cycle vertically upwards with someone firing sand in your face! After a while, even the flats required the lowest gear possible and then, soon enough, to Chris’ despair and embarrassment, we were walking! We started to make estimates on how long the journey back was going to take and if we’d make it before dark.. 3 hours possibly 4… then a light shone down from the sky in the form of a 4x4 driven by the park guard, with a space in the back just perfect for two mountain bikes – timing is everything……
So on to Esquel we go…..keep smiling :o)
C&K xx
ps Cooko, the beard challenge is complete....and it's coming off!
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Brilliant photos. Keep the beard!!