Very nice getting out of the city for a handful of days. I'm finding it difficult to put my experience into words, so I'll do a play-by-play and hopefully it will seep through a bit.
9/28- Caught a flight to El Calafate with Mr. Chew and Mr. Kyle in the early afternoon. Landed in what looked to be a deserted wasteland surrounded by peaks and lakes at around 6pm. Hopped into a bus for a 3 hour transport to the small town of El Chaltén where we stayed 3 nights. Arrived after dark, ate a little dinner, and crashed.
El Chaltén is a tiny town in the northern sector of the Los Glaciares Nat'l Park. Over the past 15 years, the town has become the launching pad for trekking and excursions in the region. There are 2 basic trails leading from the town to the 2 most popular sights in the area; one being Cerro Torre, and the other being Monte Fitz Roy (both pictured below).
9/29- Took a hike to Laguna Torre at the foot of Cerro Torre. The trail left conveniently from the back door of our hostel. The trail was 22 km (14 mi) and took about 6 hours in total. The terrain surrounding the trail was wind worn and fairly uninviting, but the horizon and sky were particularly spectacular. We took our time getting to the destination, took a few minutes to soak it up, plugged in ipods, and booked it on the way home, making the "3 hour" trip in just over 2. We were destroyed.
The clouds were unlike anything I've ever seen before, and caused a significant contrast between patches of sky.
Laguna Torre, complete with its own glacier and Cerro Torre in the background, was the destination on our first outing.
9/30- Took my favorite hike at altitude of all time. We took another conveniently located trail (this time out the front door) and took a more leisurely 17 km round trip to Laguna Capri and adjacent viewpoint of Mount Fitz Roy (below). The trail passed through more scenic areas than the previous day's, and kept the gem hidden the entire way. Made for an enjoyable hike filled with anticipation for Fitz Roy. Easily, the most breathtaking natural wonder I have ever been in the presence of, Fitz Roy is an assembly of massive sheer rock walls violently protruding from equally jagged surroundings. It is something out of a fairy tale and resembles a powdered portrait even in person. To think that attempts are made at ascending its most lowliest of levels ignites speculation as to the mental health of these individuals. We spent a good chunk of time at the lookout and then ventured to the lake, where we ate lunch and lounged about some more. The scenery changed fairly abruptly as massive cloud groups swept over the peaks of the mountains. Fearing tumultuous weather, we made our descent. On our way down, we spotted a couple of condor, whose wingspans easily reached a couple of meters. Just had to endure a little rain and sleet. Eventually made it back. Again, we were destroyed.
Cerro Fitz Roy and surroundings
10/1- Lounged around all day waiting for our bus to El Calafate on the southern end of the Nat'l Park.
10/2- Woke up early and made our way to Perito Moreno Glacier (big draw of El Calafate). Unfortunately, we met nasty weather and were only able to view the glacier for 3 or so minutes. We spent the rest of the time huddled in the lodge, witnessing the wind, rain, and snow inhibit our glacier experience. We were, however, fortunate enough to see and hear a few chunks of glacier collapse. It was definitely a sight to see, but I guess I'm more of a mountain man than a glacier guy.
10/3- Walked around the town of El Calafate, bought a book, ate lunch (the food was some of the best I've had since being in the country), took a nap, and flew back to Buenos Aires.
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