Old Friends/New Friends in Chile

For our southernmost stop of the trip, Mark and I decided to hop over the border for a few days in Puerto Natales, Chile.  Each summer, hoards of backpackers descend upon Natales in order to launch into the famous Torres del Paine mountains.  But we had a different incentive: we came to rendezvous with Rich, an old friend of mine who I had barely seen since we spent a semester together at HMI in 2005.

Puerto Natales looks out on one of a series of bays that eventually reaches the Pacific. 

Me and Rich backpacking in 2005

We had advanced fashion tastes for our age

8 years down the line...we still dress alike

Rich now lives in Santiago, Chile and was traveling with his close friend Charlie and sister Rebecca.  He and Charlie have been in South America over a year, working as English teachers and taking every opportunity to improve their Spanish.  Brave move!  They seem to be loving it.

Our two crews combined seamlessly into one

Our stint in Natales was a welcome change of pace for both groups.  We focused on quality time, sharing stories and laughs together over dinner, drinks and even morning crepes. 

Naturally, we decided to take a hike.  An hour and a half of climbing rewarded us with a view of Natales and the glacial landscape beyond. 

Windy, but sunny

The boys!

It was really amazing to catch up with a friend after so many years.  I was struck by how quickly Rich and I got back into a friendly rhythm and I loved talking with him about the defining role HMI has played in our lives.  On the bus back to Argentina, we received a legendary sunset-sendoff.  Hasta luego Rich, Rebecca and Charlie!  Hasta pronto Chile!

The Perito Moreno Glacier

After our time backpacking around Fitz Roy in El Chaltén, we took a three hour bus down further south to El Calafate, a town named after a tart berry found throughout southern Patagonia. It is said that whoever eats the calafate berry is destined to return to the region. Having enjoyed the berry in the wild, on crepes, and in ice-cream form, I think it's safe to say this won't be our last trip to Patagonia.

But enough about berries. El Calafate is really known for the Perito Moreno Glacier, which is located about an hour outside of town in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares (coincidentally the same national park where Cerro Fitz Roy is located--it's a big national park).

The glacier is one of only three glaciers on earth that is stable (meaning it yearly regains the ice it loses the previous summer) and is spectacularly massive. It is 97 sq. miles in total and 19 miles in length. The average height is 240 feet above the water.

We knew we had to get an up close perspective of this massive natural wonder.

A series of boardwalks and boat tours allows visitors to see the "front" of the glacier. Periodically, ice chunks fall into the water, making a thunderous sound. On a sunny day, the "rupture zone" is extremely active.

The view from the side of the glacier.

We took a five hour trek on the glacier. We saw ice rivers, caves, lakes and huge boulders moved the power of the glacier.

It's not every day you find an ice cave on a hike!

Our guides took us deep in to the middle of the glacier. An adventure like nothing we'd ever done before!

All smiles on top of a massive ice field.

I'm typically not a big fan of cold weather, but this was so much fun.

The numerous streams provided us with frigid water for drinking, and kept us on our toes during our hike.

We made a quick video with the GoPro video camera I borrowed from work (Thanks Bruce!). Check it out below!

If you ever get the chance, go for a hike on a glacier!

Fitz Roy

We made it out to sleepy little El Chaltén and immediately got a lesson in how tranquilo small town life can be in Argentina.  For starters, there is exactly on ATM in town, which is guaranteed to run out of money by the weekend.  We had to entirely restructure our Fitz Roy multi-day hike in order to come back into town and take out cash.  On top of this, every afternoon as we geared up to do our food and equipment shopping, the whole town would shut down for siesta.  And as for cell phone service?  And internet?  Forget it!  

El Chaltén services some of the world´s best trekking, climbing, and mountaineering.  Good luck using a credit card there. 

It took us 3 days but we finally got cash from the ATM!  Fitz Roy here we come.

Patagonia's Reds, Whites and Blues

I dug deep into my geology background to try and explain to Mark how U-shaped valleys are carved by glaciers.  

I knew coming into this hike that Mount Fitz Roy is one of the most-visited areas in the Andes.  But even I wasn't expecting the hundreds and hundreds of tourists we passed on our way to and from the most famous view spots.  But what the trails lacked in solitude, they made up for in stunning views.

Mount Fitz Roy - Patagonia´s worst kept secret

Glacier Piedras Blancas

Great shot Mark!  

One of the defining photos of our trip--Mark and I deep in the mountains at Lago de Los 3

I found another red-head in the woods!

Mark naps by Lago Capri...

...As I take in the views across the lake

It did turn overcast one day...

...So we took a quiet hike to a restaurant in the middle of the woods

Which wins the award for one of the coziest secret nooks I've ever been to!

We lucked out on the final night and I was able to take unobstructed night sky photos

And we marveled at the different moods of Fitz Roy

Like how it became painted red at sunrise

And stayed capped by clouds most of the time

And as we hiked triumphantly out of the woods, we couldn´t resist the allure of a waffle shop.  Fitz Roy has treated us well!  Many thanks for the love and support from friends and family.

Saying Goodbye to Bariloche, Cueva de Los Manos, and Route 40

When we first arrived in Bariloche, we didn't know how long we'd stay. We had a week of spanish lessons scheduled and had three mornings set aside for volunteering, but no set plans on when we'd head down south.

About a week into our stay, our staff contact at PETISOS, the organization we were volunteering for, asked us if we were able to help out on a field trip to the movies. This request, along with the long list of things we still wanted to do and see in the Lakes District, helped us to decide to stay a little longer.

We can't post photos of the kids for legal reasons, but we can show you some cards that the kids made for us! Also, we are currently featured on their website (Warning: the English translation is not really coherent).

 

The Llao Llao Luxury Resort is arguably Argentina's most famous hotel.

Located only a 30 min hike from Hotel Llao Llao is this stunning view from atop Cerro Llao Llao. We relaxed for some time there!

Another great view, this time from Cerro Campanario. A short 20 minute hike provided a 360 view of the whole Bariloche area.

My host family and me. There was always homemade bread being made!

After almost two full weeks in Bariloche, we jumped on a bus and headed down south on historic "Ruta 40." One of the stops on our way to El Chalten was the Cueva de las Manos. This UNESCO World Heritage site is located in the gorge of the Rio Pinturas. It's in the middle of nowhere, so there were not a ton of people there, despite it's historical and cultural significance.

The wind in the valley was VERY strong.

We were lucky to have great weather.

Some of the artwork has been carbon dated to about 7300 BC.

A six fingered hand is an outlier among the hundreds of paintings.

Several waves of peoples occupied the caves. Here you can see paintings of guanacos, a relative of the llama.

After the Cueva de las Manos, we jumped back on the bus and headed down south towards our next destination, El Chalten.

The bus ride was quite long and the scenery was pretty much the same until we got to El Chalten. The Steppe, however, was really something else. Besides the occasional wildlife, lake or mountain range in the distance, I had never seen so much nothingness! The vastness was impressive.

Grazing guanacos

Sheep! Patagonia is known for it's tasty lamb.

Ray snapped a pic of a choique from the bus.

Guanacos fled from our buses!

 

A lot of Rt. 40 is not paved, even though there have been plans to do so since 2009. It was definitely a bumpy ride at times.

Lakes and distant mountains were a rare sight on the bus ride. Most of the time vast emptiness was the norm.

Finally, after two full days of traveling, we looked out the bus window and saw the iconic Cerro Fitz Roy.  We had finally arrived in El Chalten!

Cerro Fitz Roy (right) and the other Andean peaks looked majestic on the last leg of the journey.