Day 16 - Fitz Roy, the backdrop of dreams
November 29 - El Chaltén, Argentina
We woke early, recognizing we had some work to do before we hit the trail. Unfortunately the town of El Chaltén does not share the same urgency, with most places opening at 9 or 10 AM.
The bakery next to our hostel opened at a reasonable hour, so we opted for a few layered quiches and hung out until a few more places opened. We had to hit the ATM (only one in town, and only open during the day), the park ranger station, collect groceries and fuel canisters.
At the park ranger station, we talked through our proposed route - we had to register for one of the hikes we were going to do, promising to return when we were back in town to let them know we had made it (should I be concerned??). Everything else was free and no registration was required.
Our backpacks were loaded with camping gear and extra layers, down sleeping bags, our $6 stove setup, and a new tent (MSR's Hubba Hubba), carefully selected to handle the winds and rain of Patagonia. We gathered food for camping meals from the tiny grocery and had to wait for an outdoor store to open to grab fuel for our camp stove.
What is so unique about this town is that the hiking trails literally leave right from town. You walk to the edge of town and BAM you are starting on the trail. I truly believe living an active life is easier when you focus on eliminating barriers - well, this eliminates a major barrier of having to find transportation to at trailhead. Can I stay forever?
We hiked to the camp area, Camp Poncenot, approximately 5 km from the trailhead, pausing at the Mirador al Fitz Roy on the way. Despite the fact they were no longer hot, we enjoyed our empenadas and salami sandwiches on a quick break, then continued on.
We set up camp, then decided to continue on to Lago Sucio, to determine if it was do-able in the dark for sunrise. The hike to Lago Sucio was a bit more challenging, including "veggie belay" up a cliffside, working our way over a boulder field, and a few creek crossings. Once we climbed up over the final mound of boulders, we reached the lake, the jagged peaks of Fitz Roy standing fiercely in the background. We enjoyed the view for awhile, then worked our way back down, taking our time down the boulder fields, arriving to camp happy and hugry. We cooked a hot meal of pasta with tomato sauce. We zipped into our sleeping bags, retiring early, with plans to do a morning hike to another lake, Lago de los Tres, in the morning.
We woke early, recognizing we had some work to do before we hit the trail. Unfortunately the town of El Chaltén does not share the same urgency, with most places opening at 9 or 10 AM.
The bakery next to our hostel opened at a reasonable hour, so we opted for a few layered quiches and hung out until a few more places opened. We had to hit the ATM (only one in town, and only open during the day), the park ranger station, collect groceries and fuel canisters.
At the park ranger station, we talked through our proposed route - we had to register for one of the hikes we were going to do, promising to return when we were back in town to let them know we had made it (should I be concerned??). Everything else was free and no registration was required.
Our backpacks were loaded with camping gear and extra layers, down sleeping bags, our $6 stove setup, and a new tent (MSR's Hubba Hubba), carefully selected to handle the winds and rain of Patagonia. We gathered food for camping meals from the tiny grocery and had to wait for an outdoor store to open to grab fuel for our camp stove.
What is so unique about this town is that the hiking trails literally leave right from town. You walk to the edge of town and BAM you are starting on the trail. I truly believe living an active life is easier when you focus on eliminating barriers - well, this eliminates a major barrier of having to find transportation to at trailhead. Can I stay forever?
We hiked to the camp area, Camp Poncenot, approximately 5 km from the trailhead, pausing at the Mirador al Fitz Roy on the way. Despite the fact they were no longer hot, we enjoyed our empenadas and salami sandwiches on a quick break, then continued on.
We set up camp, then decided to continue on to Lago Sucio, to determine if it was do-able in the dark for sunrise. The hike to Lago Sucio was a bit more challenging, including "veggie belay" up a cliffside, working our way over a boulder field, and a few creek crossings. Once we climbed up over the final mound of boulders, we reached the lake, the jagged peaks of Fitz Roy standing fiercely in the background. We enjoyed the view for awhile, then worked our way back down, taking our time down the boulder fields, arriving to camp happy and hugry. We cooked a hot meal of pasta with tomato sauce. We zipped into our sleeping bags, retiring early, with plans to do a morning hike to another lake, Lago de los Tres, in the morning.
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