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Published: February 16th 2008
During my research and my whole way to El Bolson, even at the tourist office, I planned to stay in hostels here. However, I don´t want to get ahead of myself.
A New Yorker ended up sitting next to me on my bus from Bariloche to El Bolson (2 hours). We talked about everything possible and he let me take a look at his Andean trekking guide which is an essential tool. Good thing everyone else has one! His wife was seated in front of us. They met while he was studying abroad in the Czech republic. A little foresight...I ended up seeing this guy all over Patagonia as well!
I arrived in El Bolson and went straight to the tourist information office just like everyone else. I asked about hostels and hiking trails. They gave me a couple suggestions of hostels and directed me to the CAP, Central Andes Patagonian Mountaineering center (or something like that). THey were extremely helpful and helped me decide to spend my time in the mountains. I was able to leave almost everything I owned at their office for 5 pesos/day. After gaining as much info as I could and sharing a mate with them, I headed out to prepare for my trip. I decided to go for one or two nights. My first night would be to Refugio Cajon del Azul...a 10 km hike. The bus to the trailhead left town at 5, so I had a bit less than two hours to get organized. I bought some bread, 4 apples, and a peach. I ate the peach right away. The rest I knew would need to last me quite a while. I brought my daypack with me along with my sandals, thermal longsleeve shirt, hiking shirt, camping knife, headlamp, journal, guidebook, water bottle, and some money. I quickly realized I hadn´t brought enough money and I survived in such comfort thanks only to the unending hospitality of the Argentines.
I fell asleep on the bus and when we arrived had no clue how far out of town we were...it looked fairly close on the map. I went into a nearby restaurant to steal some toilet paper...you never know in Argentina. Then, headed up the mountain. The first part of the trek was a descent on a a gravel road to the river. Crossing the river were extremely sketchy bridges. They have signs that say ´One at a time´...150 kg max. I watched a girl behind me cross and then asked if she wanted to walk with me. She said ok and we began. She wanted to talk in English to improve, but I in Spanish, so occasionally she would ask a question in English and I would respond in Spanish. She was studying and working in Buenos Aires, but living in El Bolson for a month with some friends. They managed to find an apartment to rent for 600 pesos for the month.
The hike up is incredible, following a river the entire time. As we got closer to our destination refugio, the trail climbs upwards, but remains the same distance from the river (aka cliffs). The ´Cajon´is about 70 or 80 meters above the river, were it is only a few meters wide. There are two large boulders that lean in towards eachother at the top and almost touch. A bridge is laid out over them just in case. In addition, the entire river is a beautiful green color. I saw so many places I wanted to swim in and jump in from, but considering I started the hike around 6 pm, it was getting late and a little colder. Maybe tomorrow...
As we crossed the Cajon the wooden gate to the refugio invited us down a corridor with fruit trees and shitting sheep on either side. This appeared to be more of an estancia than a hut like what I was used to from california. We arrived and immediately became friends with the guys who were hanging out outside. Lucas, Leandro, and Santiago. We sat, talked, and drank mate for a long time even before I had a chance to go inside and get situated. The group had brought up pasta, so I was able to eat a good meal with them. I sang Chili Peppers songs with a couple people on the other side of the room while my new friends cooked dinner and played chess. At least I had my bread to add to the meal...
This was the first place I noticed that most Argentines do not own the proper footwear for a hike of any kind. Converse are not uncommon to see on 20 km+ treks.
We had a very nice dinner, I washed our dishes, and registered for the night (27 pesos). After a bit of conversation, we walked to the Cajon and enjoyed a nicely-rolled ´porro´(my first of argentina). We returned to the refugio and sat outside on the deck talking about how to choose a worthwhile area of study, and we watched Santiago roll around on the ground dying of laughter with no apparent cause. We finally went to sleep around 3 AM. Although it was raining outside, I was warm in my travel blanket inside the refugio. At that point, I hadn´t given much thought to my next day. Was I headed back down the mountain, higher up the mountain, or to another refugio?
Day 2 of El Bolson in my next blog...
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andrew baskin
non-member comment
really?
fruit trees and shitting sheep huh? i'm so glad you can write these man! it sounds like a killer time bro. i'm inspired. can't wait to see the pictures!