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.

Northern Patagonia - Bariloche and Paso de las Nubes

After an exceptional introduction to Argentina with Carlos, we flew back to Buenos Aires in order to take a 23-hour bus ride south to Bariloche, one of the largest cities in Patagonia.  On the journey, the country gradually began to resemble that of the American Midwest--completely flat with huge swaths of monoculture.  As night fell, we found ourselves in the middle of an intense lightning storm--below are a few images captured via Mark's GoPro.

We arrived--exhausted--in Bariloche and settled into the closest thing to a routine that we will have on this trip.  Mark and I each moved in with different host families and began filling our days with Spanish lessons and volunteering at a community center with local kids (read: we build sculptures with them and then they destroy us in "football").  

Bariloche is like the Switzerland of Argentina.

Here a crowd gathers to watch a clown show in the central square

Mark's house has a view of the stunning Lake Nahuel Huapi.

With a free weekend to spare and only "egg yokes" in the forecast, we decided to head deep into the Parque Nacional Naheul Huapi and backpack the Paso de las Nubes, or Pass of the Clouds.

We threw on our packs...

...found a hidden waterfall

...often felt all alone in the mountains

...nearly stepped on a wild caterpillar

...and saw one cloud the whole day, despite what the name of the hike promised.

The top of the pass looked down all the way to a deep blue lagoon...

...which actually did become cloudy the next morning

...but cleared up in time for Mark to see his first glacier!

So far so good, Bariloche!

Salinas Grandes

One of the places we visited in the North was a place called Salinas Grandes, which translates to Big Salt Flats. There were so many amazing photos that we decided it deserved its own post.

The drive from Purmamanca to Las Salinas Grandes was long and winding full of beautiful vistas of canyons and valleys.

4170 meters is roughly 13,000 feet! Las Salinas are very high up!

A recent rainfall provided a unique perspective.

Reppin that Camp Pendy Gear!

Visitors can enjoy a nice meal on some picnic tables made of salt.

Carlos told us that the popular thing to do at Las Salinas Grandes is to take jumping photos. Ray opted to show off his handstand abilities.

There were several trenches throughout the flats where salt had been collected.

Different reactions to getting their picture taken.

Even though there were other tourists there, one could walk 25 meters and feel very isolated.

At times, it seemed like we were at the edge of the world.

The reflections were awesome. Two sets of clouds. Two sets of Mountains. Two sets of Ray.

 Many more photos to come!