Lost in Extreme Patagonia

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Some other backpackers told me that there was a beatuful boat crossing including some hiking into Argentina......I had to hurry to make it in time for the wednesday ferry, but hurrying and hitching is not a good combination.
I broke my record of waiting !! it went up from one hour (and that in 3 weeks hitchhiking!!!) to 7 hours, yeah almost a full day. next day was sort of the same couse just a couple cars passing by a day (Probably you wonder why I didn't take the bus....becouse they just drive there once or twice a week!!!)
So I unexpectedly made it on Tuesday to Villa O higgins, wich realy felt like the end of the world, but a beautiful world full with glaciars, snowcapped mountains, waterfalls, fiords and one dirt road!!
My happiness from making it in time went away when I heard that only on the next saturday was a boat....hitching back was no option, would take me to long and waiting for 5 days...I dunno!!!

This is were it all began. Asking around, I got a great tip of hiking to the next estancia(farm) across the boarder. just 2 days they told me. Well, for just 2 days I could carry all my stuff with me and it was the fastest option to get to Argentina....I thought!
The first day was beautiful, started at 4 in the afternoon, hiked 4 hours and found a great campingspot near a river(drinking water) and along the magnificent lake!!!
Next day crossing the icy river took me an hour, and the path was kind of vague....after 1 hour could't find it at all, but I kept on walking across this steep mountainside. Some 60 decrees and a lot of loose rocks, the parts where it was more flat it was even worse, becouse of the thick vegetation! Walking for 12 hours!!! today I made it only 12 kilometres closer to the habitated world.....too slow and since it was more bushwalking and climing than hiking this was not the way I expected it. It crossed my mind to turn back, but I din't want to walk on this mountainside again, too hard, and a bit dodgy aswell.

After continuing 2 hours hiking the same way on the third day, I looked up to the mountain ridge 500 meters above me and decided to climb over it in order to find a walking path there!!
It took me 3 exhousting hours bouldering up over loose rocks and steep sides. Climbing the Acongacua was easy compared to this!!
I never new that I could be so happy to see some horse shit, but I was when I find it at the other side!!! Finaly some signs of animals and thus people!!! After hiking a sort of trail, I ended an hour later at a steep cliff and looked 600meters down!!! The only option was to hike back for 45 minutes and walk around to mountains....
The logical thinking worked because after walking that direction I found the trail, followed it for another 5 hours and by the time it got dark I was exhausted but happy that I found the trail again.

Skipping a meal in order to leave some for tomorrow, was the only option after studying this lousy map!!! Just when I thought it would be an easy hike on the 4th day, I cursed the cows that were making trails to nowwhere, so that I could't find the right horse trail!!! Swampy grass, paths that never are flat but always go up and down and searsching for the right trail, was making me pretty tired. But finally at 5 a saw light in the darkness, when I saw some horses and a farm!!!

By the time I got there I was pretty dissapointed, the houses under the mud, nowbody there...and now food left.........untill two dogs came barking at me.
A small shack was build a couple of hundred meters furter and there I met this great looking man (see the photo)
I explained him my situation and half an hour later I was drinking hot tea and eating some home made bread (realy tasteless but it was great food at the moment)
He told me it was 7 hours more to the next farm....and after asking how much it was with the horse...I decided to ignore my blisters, my tiredness and do another long hike.
The fith day I made to the other farm, got some good food there, a bed where I crashed and had a good night sleep. Better than the night before, where I camped near the shack but where the winds would blow my tent flat and would disturb a good sleep.
AFter spending the sunday with the few people that lived a life there like in europe hunderd years a go, I got a ride in to the first Town in Argentina....Happy to be in the civilised world again after spending 5 days in this by God forgotten part of Patagonia.

There where days where I wished I was back in Holland again, but after arriving in beautiful El Chalten I decided to keep on travelling but ofcourse hope to avoid some extreme stuff like this....
So next time hopefully a more relaxed story (and shorther...I now it was long!!!)

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