Parque Nacional Los Alerces

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Ah, what a nice park this is! I arrived early in the morning, and had the super helpful guardaparques explain everything to me. The trail i wanted to hike was in a very bad condition due to the rain and storms, apparently, but as it was the only multi-day trekking option i had to take it. While the main road through the park has good facilities, shops and campings, there's only short walks available. Most of the park is unreachable - the guardaparque told me this was because it's in the first place a nature reserve, not a tourist attraction, and that makes some sense. Nevertheless, my two day hike was a return trip, not a loop, so i had to backtrack everything.
I set out to Lago Krügger at 10 am, for a 30 km walk with a mountain pass, and a predicted duration of 11-12 hours. There's one stop in between, but i intended to go the whole hog, to be able to do everything in two days instead of three. The trail led me through alerce (sequoia-like, tall and old trees) and arrayanes (cinnamon-barked, very pretty) forest and dense bamboo bushes. As soon as i gained a bit of altitude, the views of the surrounding lakes and mountains was very spectacular. In the forest - and in the rain - the smell and green light was very atmospheric. The further one gets away from the starting point, the harder the trail gets though. In the end it was definately not wide enough for someone with shoulders, let alone a backpack. Trees that had fallen down because of rain and wind made everything even more adventurous: climbing, crawling, wrestling with bamboo (bounces back, which can hurt), and this all for a pretty long time.
After 8 hours (hoo-wee!) i was very happy to reach the abandoned campground at the misty Lago Krügger. In need of a place to dry almost everything i had (yes, i forgot to waterproof my sleeping bag again), i found the sanitary building, where -praise heavens- there was a room with the bunkbed for the toilet lady, and the door was unlocked. Though it was all slightly spooky, i was very glad for not having to pay the astronomic amount of 45 pesos the camping charges and to have a roof above my head. I hung everything out to dry, saw night fall over the surrounding forests, and made a tasty polenta with mushrooms.
The next day didn't promise to be very exciting, i had to backtrack everything i did the day before. Luckily the sun came out, which made for supreme vistas. The everlasting bamboo bushes were still dense and very wet, but at least i could catch some heat, and only my legs and feet were really moist. Getting over the mountain pass was a lot harder - the road to Lago Krügger is a slow climb and a steep descent, obviously it gets pretty damn steep when you return - but the views were out of this world: The forest below me, and in the valleys lakes covered with clouds, above which the mountain peaks rose. Being above the clouds made me feel as though i was at far more altitude than my meager 1200 meters, it was more than impressive. Add to the visual aspect the reverberating cries of birds, and you get the ultimate forest feeling. The way down was very long, but in the end i was rewarded with a fine Quilmes beer, and a campfire and hot shower at camping Los Maitenes.
Sitting by the fire - polenta again - I wondered why i hadn't really been questioning the basics and essentials of my life during this trip. Generally, these doubts and questions are rather present, but here it seemed i was not really into them. I've had some interesting confrontations with being alone and with being given a hard time by nature, but that's it (very impressive, mind ye). It took me the whole night to figure out there's no need whatsoever to be questioning them right now: I'm exactly who and where i want to be. This is quite the new feeling. I'm inside the most ultimate love imagineable, and inside the big project of beauty that this journey is, and have the next big plan ready for afterwards. All in all, my present is perfect, and my future bright. I'm in an excited state of peace with all in my life, it is a grand feeling. Travelling the earth is the finest food possible for the mind, and it makes me feel the richest man in the world.

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