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Published: March 23rd 2009
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Dead tree from a previous fire, lit by campers El Chalten is when we seriously considered ourselves to be in Patagonia, although the region officially begins just north of Bariloche. This town hugs the border that Argentina shares with Chile and is located in the northern part of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. It's claim to fame: the Fitz Roy Range and most impressively Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy. Rugged and wild are two words that accurately describe the area. It's a hikers dream with trails and peaks that are so accessible, all you have to do is get out of bed in the morning. The town of El Chalten itself is still developing at a rapid pace, trying it's best to keep up with the growing demands of tourism. It has a long way to go but their first ATM was installed the week before we arrived! The funny thing is that the cash is only replenished twice a month so it runs out after only a day or two.
The impression we got on arrival in El Chalten was far from the pretty picture that we have painted above. After a 34 hour bus journey we were woken a little before 7am as the bus pulled up
on a side street to drop us off. Having made it through a second night on the bus using sleeping tablets we were exceptionally groggy and disorientated as we managed a quick goodbye to our new friends Matt, Krystal and Monique. To say that the weather was terrible would be a gross understatement. The clouds were low and so grey they were almost black, rain pouring down as well as horizontally, wind so ferocious it could pick up a small child. We must stress at this point just how far south we have come on the journey to get to this point. Bariloche was a balmy 25 degrees or so when we departed a day and a half ago, the reason for us dressing very inappropriately for the weather we have just found ourselves in. There is no bus terminal in El Chalten so we were just dropped on the side of the road. We took cover in a house part way through construction while we got busy pulling out suitable clothing - long trousers, rain coats etc. Unlike any other town in South America, El Chalten has a shortage of accommodations so every single bed is filled every single
night and there is no need for the hostel owners to meet the arriving buses and compete for business. In fact, they don't even need to open their doors until at least 10am. Having to wait for three hours before we could even begin to look for accommodation lowered our spirits considerably. Luckily we found a cozy little cafe to hang out in and the owner didn't seem to mind the presence of smelly, dirty backpackers. There was a hostel right next door to the cafe and we spied a set of keys hanging up at reception so we figured there was a good chance that there was at least one bed still available from the night before. We were the first people waiting on the step at 10am when the door opened and we secured ourselves a bed for the night.
There was a reason that this hostel had availability. We spent the next two nights in fear of our health, not wanting to touch the floor with even a toenail. We'll spare you the details and simply say that there were two bathrooms to service at least 20 people, showers didn't drain (made worse by the sound
Steve
Cerro Torre of a fellow traveller hocking up their lungs while showering) and the kitchen had unidentifiable growing objects where ever there wasn't a thick layer of grease. We had issues every night with noise, first with loud drinkers and then a girl who was clearly having a great time - for hours! This was easily the worst hostel that we stayed at during the entire four months.
Determined to make the most of our time in the area we got busy planning out the following days. We can't possibly begin to illustrate just how beautiful and stunning the mountains here are. Checking out our photos will give a good indication but they just don't do it justice.
The day that we arrived in El Chalten improved with every hour in terms of weather. We took advantage of this by hiking out to Laguna Torre. From here we enjoyed views of both Cerro Torre as well as Cerro Fitz Roy. Day two had us hiking out to Loma del Pliegue Tumbado. For the remaining days that we spent here we decided to escape the town and hike out and camp at Campamento Poincenot for two nights. With blue skies above
us and mountains in front, the hike in was a piece of cake. Even the 50 metre section of flooding that we had to negotiate was fun! After setting up camp on the first day we hiked the hour up to Laguna de los Tres for the sunset. We had every intention of hiking back up again the following morning for the sunrise (4:30am alarm) but could tell that the sky was overcast before we set off. We tried again the second morning also, correction Lottie stayed in the tent while Steve went and checked the weather. No luck again. Our second day was
spent lazily around the campsite for the morning and then in the afternoon we did a hike to Laguna Suzia. This hike wasn't on the map but gave us our favourite perspective of Cerro Fitz Roy. We heard about it from a Jackson Hole couple at the campsite the first night and confirmed it with the park ranger. A lucky find! All that was left for us to do was hike back to El Chalten on the final day in time for our bus to El Calafate.
The first thing to note about the
Fitz Roy Range area is to make the most of the weather when it's good...if the weather looks bad in the morning, don't write the day off. Chances are that waiting a few hours will see the day clear up. Similarly, if the weather in the morning looks promising, get those skates on because you never know when those clouds are going to roll in and when it happens, it happens fast. The second thing to note about the Fitz Roy Range area is the wind: it'll always be there, you can depend on that! One of the great things about hiking here is that the trails can be accessed easily from the town making both day trips and overnight/multi night trips not only a possibility but easy.
Cerro Fitz Roy is probably the peak that has left us with the most lasting impression. We'll never forget our hearts skipping a beat and catching our breath when she towered above us in all her glory.
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