El Chaltén - El Calafate, Argentina

At 7:30 yesterday morning Cody and I departed El Chaltén by bus on our way to the land of fire, Tierra del Fuego.  That last two weeks have been filled with friends, both old and new, and experiences we had only previously dreamed about.  

See you next time El Chaltén

Chapter 1: Empanada Party 

On January 15th the mountains were hidden and the weather dismal with wind and rain forcing most people inside.  That in turn desmates the wifi capacity of El Chaltén.  Over the course of our time in this tiny frontier town we discovered the wifi is marginal at best and only adequate from 4 to 7 am (while people sleep) or 2 to 4 pm on a sunny days. 

Thankfully, the weather was forecasted to change and the next 3 days were predicted to be perfect for trekking.  Eli was returning to town following a week of work and the theee of us had decided to embark on a four day-three night trek circumnavigating Cerro Huemul, a mountain south of El Chaltén which bears the name of an endangered species of deer indigenous to Patagonia.  

Cody and I spent our day preparing for the trek. We visited numerous tiendas in search of food and supplies required by the park service.   As I had slightly starved Cody on our previous trek he insisted we bring more food.  Finding light weight, nutritious and delicious backpacking food in El Chaltén is nearly impossible. We settled for oatmeal for breakfast, pasta for dinner, and large salami and cheese sandwiches for lunch.  While running our errands we came across a friend who invited us to an emanada party that evening at a house rented by Brits.  

After walking for 5 miles around town and visiting the park office twice to attain permits we were ready.  Eli arrived that afternoon and as always appeared at our hostel with a smile on his face.  

That evening Cody, Eli and I with wine and cheese in tow arrived at the empanada party. The small house was filled with gringo climbers and of all the people in the room, I was the only woman.  The three of us enjoyed wine and made new friends while watching the gringo empanada assembly line in action.  As with any food party, the empanadas were slow to come out of the oven but when they did, we all agreed they were the best empanadas we had ever tasted.  After hours of wine, empanadas and conversation we escaped in a rainstorm to our beds.

Emapanadas!

Chapter 2: El Sendero Huemul

On January 16 Eli, Cody and I embarked on our four day-three night trek circumnavigating Cerro Huemul.  Our first day of hiking involved expansive views of folded sedimentary rocks and Lago Viedma. We hike up rolling hills through dense forests of lenga trees and marsh lands filled with calafate and its dark blue seedy berries.  We enjoyed an hour long lunch and siesta in the sunshine over looking the lake.  After a few hours of hiking we crested a hill to glorious views of the Rio Túnel valley.  The hanging glaciers on Cerro Huemul and Cerro Solo were magical and cascades poured down steep walls creating small streams on the valley floor.  As we approached our camp near Laguna Toro the weather began to roll in from the west with rain and snow flakes blowing from the glaciers high above.  Thankfully our camp was sheltered in a forest grove with campsites surrounded by semicircles of sticks stacked a meter tall to break the fierce mountains winds. We ate dinner and swiftly went to bed.  The wind howled all night and rain fell.  

On our way to Laguna Toro with Cerro Huemul in the distance

In the morning we awoke slowly. the sideways rain hindered our desire to leave the sheltered grove and hit the trail.  Our mileage for that day involved a 2500 ft climb to Paso Viento, literally windy pass.  While registering for the hike we were warned that the pass was very dangerous in high winds and should only be crossed if conditions were pristine.  As we ate breakfast several people stopped by our camp to see if we traveling onward concerned about the blizzard currently engulfing the past.  The asked to join us and that is how three became six and we met Ludivine, Lucas, and Francisco.  The weather was daunting but the forecast from the previous day said it was supposed to improve around noon, so despite the wind and rain the six of us pressed onward.  Our first obstacle of the day was crossing a tyrolean traverse at the headwaters of the Rio Túnel.  While Cody and I had crossed many tyroleans in the past none of our companions had and several have never worn a harness.  The tyrolean was intimidating, running slightly uphill across a deep chasm of fast flowing water. I crossed first while Cody helped our new friends safely set up their backpacks and personal safety systems on the cable.  As it lightly rained we shuttled across people and backpacks.

Eli and I looking back at the first tyrolean as the weather improves

Enjoying the Túnel glacier

Our trek continued up valley and we stepped on the the Túnel Glacier.  We were in awe as we trekked for over a mile across the terminus of the glacier.  A highlight for all was drinking the fresh and cold glacial runoff directly from the surface of the ice. By the time we exited the glacier blue skies were appearing on the horizon and the winds had died down.  We continued our upward climb on reasonable trails enjoying indescribable views of the glaciers below.  The winds were almost still as we crested the saddle of Paso Viento and were treated to views of the mind boggling expanse of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field in the world.  It was the most beautiful site I have ever experienced.

Hiking up to Paso Viento with Glaciar Túnel in the background

Paso Viento and the Southern Patagonia Ice Field

Our fairytale campsite

 Mountains poked out in the distance through rivers of ice and small blue lakes dotted the hillside below us.  Our descent followed the lateral moraine eventually reaching a small stream in a hummocky valley of alpine.  The stream was from a fairytale and led us to the Paso Viento Refugio.  A small cooking shelter on the shore of a small lake where were set up our camp for the night.  We spent our evening speaking Spanish and learning more about our new friends.

Overlooking Glacier Viedma on our way to Paso Huemul

Glaciar Viedma and the Southern Patagonia Ice Field

Ascending to Paso Huemul

The next morning the wind Patagonia is so famous for struck with a fury. The six of us set out toward our next objective, Paso Huemul.  The hike though alpine tundra was other worldly but the winds were treacherous.  As we climbed up the valley walls we enjoyed impressive views of Glaciar Viedma and I felt small in this incredible world of rock and ice.  The final climb to saddle of Paso Huemul was surreal with winds at our back so strong they literally knocked me off my feet.  Cody found that if he made himself large his body acted as a sail and the wind lifted him up the hill.  I did not enjoy the sensation of flying as much as Cody and was grateful to reach the top with only a few bumps and bruises.  From the pass we took in our final views of the Ice Field and our new views of Lago Viedma a turquoise lake over 50 miles long.  We descended from the pass on a near vertical trail of loose dirt and gravel through a lenga forest. Even with trekking poles nearly everyone slipped and fell at some point.  By the bottom my feet were aching and my hips sore.  The only reprieve were the views of icebergs floating, rolling and breaking apart near the lakes' northern shore in Bahía Témpanos. It was a relief to find our picturesque camp at the bottom of the hill.  

Icebergs and a rainbow

Mud cracks on the shore of Lago Viedma

Everyone slept well on our third night and we awoke in the morning to still air and sunshine.  Our final day of hiking involved traversing the lake shore and climbing rolling high desert hills with view of Glaciar Viedma flowing into Lago Viedma.  The day was easier than the previous two as we made our way to the Río Túnel delta.  A final and easy tyrolean followed by several kilometers of grassy fields filled with flowers and chirping birds ended our epic adventure.

Cody on the final tyrolean

 From the trails terminus at the Bahía Río Túnel boat dock we considered walking another 3 hours back to town along a dusty road but we all elected to take a 20 minute bus ride instead. We arrived in town sweaty and dusty and Eli, Cody, Ludivine, and I went straight to Domo Blanco, the artesanal ice cream shop in El Chaltén. Cody and I shared a 1/4 kilo of ice cream before heading back to our hostel for showers and relaxation.  That night, the six of us regrouped for dinner followed by another 1/4 kilo of ice cream.  My favorite flavor was tied between lemon with ginger and chocolate hazelnut while Cody as always loved his mint chocolate chip. I feel so lucky to have made new friends and to have shared this adventure with such wonderful people.  In total we hiked over 60 kilometers and Cody and I agree that the Huemul trek was the most surreal and breathtaking backpacking experience of our lives. Hopefully we have not set the bar too high for our the next stage of our journey. 

Beautiful views of the high desert landscape with Glaciar Viedma Flowing into Lago Viedma

Chapter 3: 22 miles of Running, Hiking, and Glacier Walking

After resting on a rainy day, Cody and I knew our time in El Chaltén was winding down. We were both antsy to move on and see more as we were not going to climb in the snowy mountains. However, another short weather window approached and we wanted to make the most of our last days.

Crossing the tyrolean over Rio Fitz Roy

Glaciar Grande and Laguna Torre before we desend the fixed lines

So much wind and so many smiles!

On January 21 Cody and I awoke early and rain 7 miles to a tyrolean traverse over the Río Fitz Roy.  Unlike our previous time at Laguna Torre the lake was filled with icebergs including one near the tyrolean.  As Cody crossed, the iceberg rolled and for a moment we thought it may slide under him.  The wind was bitter and fierce, gusting at over 60 mph, but we made our up valley gaining a knife edge ridge before entering another beautiful lenga tree forest. We crossed a drainage below Cerro Solo and then stood above the wall of ice entering Laguna Torre.  We descended the steep and loose lateral moraine using fixed lines for the steepest sections.  At times we cowered behind large glacial polished blocks as gusts blew dust and gravel. Our ultimate goal had been to walk on Glaciar Grande and we were determined.  We followed the edge of the glacier passing cascades flowing from Cerro Solo in awe of the small iceberg filled ponds and large crevasses.  The shapes and colors of the ice were remarkable.  After several miles of hiking we gained the glacier walking up steep slabs of rock covered ice.  The wind howled and when it gusted we cowered hiding from ice and debris blowing down on us from the mountains above.  The crashing of rockfall and breaking of ice were unnerving.  Due to the high winds, flying debris, and an incoming storm we only ventured 400 m onto the ice before returning from whence we came.  We retraced our journey up the fixed lined before running back to town.  In total we covered over 22 miles, the furthest either of us had ever done in a day and it felt marvelous.  

So many beautiful cascades

On our way to the Glacier Grande

Fighting the wind while backing in sunshine, Fitz Roy is the mountain smoking on the far left.

Chapter Four: El Calafate

The day following our run we finally made plans purchasing our bus ticket to El Calafate and reserving hostels in Puerto Natales, Chile.  Cody sold the remaining alpine gear we wished to part with and we enjoyed a final night cap with Eli, as he had just arrived in El Chaltén with another group of Backroads adventurers.  

Parrilla cordero asado

We arrived in El Calafate and to our disappointment the buses for that day to Puerto Natales were fully booked.  We bought a ticket for the following day and set off to find a hostel.  We were lucky again, and found a wonderful place several blocks off the main drag called Mochileros. The operator and his wife were friendly and gave us a private room for the price of a dorm.  Cody and I wandered the town and enjoyed a traditional Patagonian meal of lamb cooked parrilla style called cordero asado.

Flamingos take flight

This morning we awoke before sunrise to watch flamingos and other birds in Lago Argentino. This afternoon we will say goodbye to Argentina for now and will enter Chile where we will stay for the next month and a half.  Love to you all, we are ecstatic for the next stage of our grand South American adventure.  

Lago Argentino

Buenos Aires - El Calafate - El Chaltén, Argentina

Eli and I infront of Casa Rosa

Where to begin...  The last week and a half of been somewhat of a whirlwind. On January 5, Cody and I landed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We took a taxi from the airport and were met at our hostel by our good friend and wedding officiant, Eli Barnes.  He is working Argentina as a travel guide with Backroads for the next several months and we discovered via Facebook while we waited in the Portland airport that he was on or flight to El Calafate the following day. With Eli we spent the day wandering the city looking at beautiful architecture, both colonial and modern, murals and statues, and quaint city streets.  We visited the cathedral containing the tomb of San Martín, the liberator of Argentina.  Our afternoon was spent with a pitcher of sangria and a public tango show in San Telmo square.  After a short siesta we went out to dinner at a restaurant called the Bowie, as in David Bowie, and met up with an old Argentine friend of Eli's named Ceci.   After dinner we all went to Ceci's house for a dessert of Argentinian wine, cheese and chocolate.

The next morning Eli, Cody and I caught and Uber to the airport and boarded our flight to El Calafate. Cody and I were able to book a room for a night at the same hostel as Eli.  The three of us spent our afternoon wandering the small city center/tourist trap that makes up El Calafate. Cody was still feeling poorly so he went to bed early and slept in late. 

One of the many incredible murals in Buenos Aires

Cody's new amigo

The next day we bought groceries and caught the evening bus to El Chaltén.  As the bus approached El Chaltén the Fitz Roy range peeked out of the clouds, a sight of awe and inspiration.  Cody, unfortunately still sick and bogged down by jet lag spent the first two days recovering in our expensive private room at the Hostelería Alma de Patagonia. Everything in this tiny town is so expensive; from lodging to food in the sparsely stocked (and vegetable free) supermarkets and overpriced restaurants. We spent time on our second day looking for a cheaper hostel going into more than 10 establishments before we found one with both availability and in our price range.  The next day we shuttled our four large backpacks across town to our new hostel. The hostel, Condor de los Andes was nice, clean and cozy with helpful and friendly staff whom all seemed to be named Florencia.  On our fourth day, Cody, while still sick indulged me on a short trail run just outside of town which gave us incredible views of the El Chaltén to the north and Lago Viedma to the south. While I was quite happy with our new hostel it was a little pricey so my darling Cody, frugal as always, found the cheapest accommodations in town for our next place of residence. We made a reservation for several days out because a weather window was coming and we were planning to spend the next few days backpacking in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. 

Eli and I and one of the many cool sculptures in El Chaltén

Over those first few days in El Chaltén we ran into and caught up with several old friends who are in town for the climbing season.  This year has been more typical compared to the previous two climbing seasons which were drier and had multi-day weather windows  There's a bit more snow and ice than we are comfortable with so as of right now Cody and I think it is unlikely we will climb here.  Neither one of us are disappointed as we are content to hike, run, sport climb and explore this picturesque region.

The day before Cody's 32nd birthday, we embarked on a three day-two night backpacking trip in the park. Our morning was spent hiking up the traditional trail to Laguna Torre.  From there we made a tyrolian traverse over the Rio Fitz Roy and another wandered down a climber approach trail to the access point for the Glacier Grande.  We spent our first night at a small climbers camp located in the forest above Laguna Torre and Glaciar Grande.  On a clear day Cerro Torre's narrow summit would have towered 7000 ft above the valley floor. Alas, the cloud ceiling spent the day about half way up its face. Never the less the glacier and mountain views were indescribable even though Cerro Torre never fully emerge from the windy and cloudy skies. Many climbing parties passed us lounging leisurely on the lateral moraine of Glaciar Grande as they made their way to the Niponino base camp.  From there we found a sheltered spot to enjoy the sunshine and watch icebergs float in the lake as light and clouds danced amongst the mountain tops. That night we fell asleep to the sound of the glacier calving into the lake.  Cody and I enjoyed a restful night alone at our campsite and I think he finally began to feel like he was on the mend. 

Overlooking El Chaltén on our trail run

Glaciar Grande and Laguna Torre

Overlooking Glaciar Grande and Cerro Torre

The next day we hiked back down the Torre Valley to Camp Poincenot while enjoying spacious views of the Fitz Roy Range. We were lucky to have clear views of the elusive Cerro Torre from the terminal moraine that dams Laguna Torre from the valley below.   Our hike was breathtaking meandering through alpine tundra, mountain lakes and gnarled forests containing burl filled trees with wide branches and small leaves laying flat collecting sunlight. After arriving at Camp Poincenot, Cody and I decided to press upward to the majestic viewpoint below Fitz Roy at the Laguna de los Tres. According to the park the trail rises over 400 m in 1 km. While the trail was well maintained and easier than many climbing approaches it still felt longer than 1 km to the top.  The view  of Fitz Roy was while slightly obscured by clouds was majestic and breathtaking. We sat on a boulder and spent time enjoying the mountain view while a red fox scampered among the talus and a condor soared above us. We only left when clouds shrouded the rock face, an icy wind blew fiercely and snow began to fall from the sky.  By nightfall I accepted I had caught Cody's upper respiratory malaise but at least the views were making up for my runny nose and sore throat.  We spent the night at Camp Poincenot with many other hikers and wistfully remembered the solitude of our previous evening.  For Cody's birthday dessert we enjoyed two Dulce de Leches, Argentinian chocolate covered caramel filled biscuits, given to us by Eli before we parted ways in El Calafate.  

Cerro Torre finally came out of the clouds!

Burls on the lenga trees

Our third day included a casual hike back to town cruising down to the valley floor while enjoying marvelous views of the Rio Fitz Roy below.  We arrived at the cheap hostel and tried to settle in but immediately knew we were getting exactly what we paid for. The rooms and bathrooms were filthy and insecure and the kitchen loud and dirty.  The next day we awoke and walked across town in search of something better.  We were both feeling demoralized after trying a few hostels we had previously passed over only to find them full.  Only a few blocks from the cesspit that currently housed our possessions we wandered into a bright blue building and found the Hostel Glaciar Marconi, a welcoming, quiet, clean and cozy hostel in the heart of town.  So for the fourth time in eight days we moved all of our belongings but at least now we have a place we can be comfortable for the next week or two. 

Cody and I and Fitz Roy

Today, I am hoping to get over the cold my husband so graciously gave me. But tomorrow we hope to go sport climbing at one of the local crags.  Eli has five days off work so hopefully we can spend some time with hiking or backpacking with him in the next week. If the weather clears again we may head out for a walk on a glacier. These mountains are majestic and intimidating. I'm not sure what the next weeks will bring but I'm sure no matter what we do I will enjoy it.  

On our way to Fitz Roy

Overlooking the park from Laguna de los Tres

Nosotros vamos (We go)

It is hard to believe that tomorrow we go.  Leaving on what will likely be an adventure of a lifetime. I find it difficult to process the full magnitude of our pending journey.  Over five months we will visit at least four countries (Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru), traveling primarily overland by bus, taxi, and foot and partially by ferry.

These last 3 weeks of unemployment have passed faster than I ever thought was possible. We moved from Edmonds, Washington and packed our entire life outside of this adventure (including two cars) into a 10 ft by 30 ft storage unit in Oregon.  In these weeks we had hoped to see more friends, practice more Spanish, spend more time training, more time helping my parents on their farm, more time with my sister and more time feeling prepared.  But alas, time is the most precious commodity and there is never enough of it.

As with any leap into the unknown there is trepidation.  Our fitness is not where we hoped it would be. My Spanish language skills, while much improved over the last six months still feel abysmal. We carry with us some tools we have scarcely used, and hope we have brought enough, but not too much to accomplish our goals and enjoy our journey.

This penultimate week has been particularly rough on both Cody and myself.  Five days ago I came down with either a bad case of food poisoning or the flu leading to nausea, vomiting, headache, body aches, chills, and fever that put me out of commission for 3 days.  This morning Cody awoke with similar symptoms (minus, thankfully, anything gastroenterological).  Hopefully, a day of rest, Gypsy Cold Care tea, and Thera-flu will get him back on his feet for the 48 hours of travel we begin tomorrow.

At least our bags are packed. Despite how we may be feeling, tomorrow we launch off on a Boeing 777 that will land us in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a 24 hour layover before heading further south on a 737 to El Calafate.  From there we will catch a bus that will take us several hours north to El Chalten, our first extend stop on this extended journey.

Hasta luego mi familia y mis amigos.  


- Celene