Patagonian Adventure-PART VI-El Chalten

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PART VI: El Chalten: January 8 to January 13, 2007

The isolated village of El Chalten located at the base of Mount Fitz Roy is a true international destination for amateurs and experts in hiking, trekking and climbing. According to the Lonely planet, El Chalten was built in 1985 in order to claim the territory over Chile, and consequently became the youngest Argentinean city. From the village, we can observe , on a clear day, the gigantic mountains and their peaks topped with snow.

January 8

After finding a warm and clean hostel called “ Hospedaje La Cima” which was managed by a genuily welcoming lady named Liliana, we went for a late dinner at a restaurant recommended by a Scottish couple. La Fuegia ended up being an exceptional place serving a variety of flavourful meals. From the lamb couscous to the lomo served with beets and potatoes gratin, we enjoyed every bite of our meal. It will be unfair to omit the fresh vegetables salteados and the fluffy chocolate mousse!

January 9-10

The next day was dedicated to the preparation of our hike and camping adventure at the “Campamento d’Angostini”. Once again, we ate at La Fuegia for dinner and rolled back home early for a long night of sleep. On January 10, after a solid breakfast, we took the trail leading to the “Mirador Laguna Torre” to observe the Cerro Torre and other mountains. At the start of our hike, we could admire the village and the entire valley before stopping, our mouth open, facing one of the glaciers. After walking through a magical old forest, we reached the viewpoint “Laguna Torre”. Outstanding! With a clear blue sky, we could admire all the peaks! I was amazed by the impressive beauty of this landscape...

We continued hiking to reach campsite while admiring the glaciers. Arriving at the campsite located along the cold glacier stream, we hurried to establish our camp as the weather was extremely cold. The people camping at that side were from all around the globe except from Argentina! We fell asleep rapidly after a full-day hike but were awaken around 23h by violent winds filling our tents (and our mouths!) with sand. It was literally a wind storm as rocks were shocking our tents while 40-pound backpacks were moving over few meters! I have to admit that despite this sleepless night, the strong roaring of the winds and storm itself were magical. For those who enjoy watching the lightning and listening to the thunder, you will understand my joy of being in the middle of this storm...

January 11-12-13

We awoke the next morning to a cloudy and rainy weather and decided to go back to the village as the weather in the mountains is unpredictable. We went back up on January 13 to hike the trail leading up to Fitz Roy. The first viewpoint from that trail was spectacular: Mount Fitz Roy rising proudly with a clear blue sky in the background...I was stunned by the beauty of this landscape! We continued to hike through valleys of galciers and green fields with small glacier streams up to the last campsite and returned back to the village our head filled with unforgettable images of Mother Nature. It was an amazing hike and a wonderful way to end up our stay in El Chalten.

Next stop: El Calafate

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Photos

Pueblo El Chalten
View from the village...

Caballos criollos...
The sturdy horses of the Argentinean Patagonia...