El Calafate and El Chalten

Right.Where was I?Oh, yeah.I left off at our departure from BA.Well, basically what happened was this; we had booked a flight from BA to El Calafate down in Argentinian Patagonia weeks before we left for South America.We´d heard flights fill up quick and we had already decided to fly down as the only real alternative was, you guessed it, by bus.Now, as comfortable as these long distance coaches can be, we really weren´t keen on a 42hr bus journey.I mean 42 hours!Man, we´re getting bedsores from the seats at this stage!Anyway, nite before we leave we book a taxi to the airport.Smart move you may think.It was.Only we booked it to the wrong airport.You see, there are 2 airports in BA, the one that deals mainly in domestic flights, and the one that deals mainly in international flights.Stupid us, we assumed our flight, being a domestic, left from Jorge Newbury, whereas we found out, after we´d arrived, that it was actually leaving from Ezeiza International!Anyway, suffice to say with that with a 50 (US)dollar fare in it, our driver tore through the morning rush hour and got us there in half the time.We made it.Barely.Never been so happy to board a flight.Even Janelle with her fear of flying had a smile on her face.Didn´t last the lenght of the flight tho...
And so, 3 hours later we find ourselves approaching Calafate airport, a hokey one runway outfit stationed about 15mins outside the town itself.The view from the plane was one of a vast, unbroken stoney grey landscape, the Patagonian steppe.Though not in of itself ugly, just... empty.And cold.We stepped off the plane shivering, peering out at our desolate surroundings taking it all in.I loved it immediately.Patagonia.The almost mythical land thats inspired travellers, trekkers, climbers and an outdoor clothing company.First impressions were good.
Calafate is a prime stop on the gringo trail for those with a love of wild remote landscapes aching to try some serious hiking, trekking or just plain soaking up the views.And does it have some views!Perched on the edge of Lago Argentino, the turquoise coloured lake that boasts the lower end of the Andes as its backdrop, the town itself consists of an almost random scattering of buildings and streets, mainly unpaved.Indeed, the main road into town seemed to be the old runway from an earlier airport!It seems half the hotels,hostels and restaurants are still under construction, while the other half are recently finished or awaiting improvements.Indeed, the whole town has the air of being unfinished, looking from afar more of a remote settelement than a well planned tourist stop.Its only when you get to the well paved main street that you see all the flashy stores, every second one selling outdoor clothing and equipment or souvenir t shirts and hats.It strikes you then what it is reminiscient of; a ski resort town.And yet somehow it manages to combine these two seemingly opposing characteristics into a town that remains charmiing in its one way.
Anyway, we were here for one thing.Well, mainly one thing; The Perito Moreno Glacier.Located in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, about and hour and a half away from Calafate, this 60m high monster is the main reason to be here.It´s deep blue hue and jagged peaks are astounding, as is the fact that its one of the few glaciars in the world that is not retreating.5kms wide and 30 kms long, this enormous river of ice is known to advance up to 2 metres per day, making for some amazing scenes whenever huge chunks of ice shear off its face and cascade down into the icy lake that surrounds it.Seeing as its generally considered low season in South America, we almost had it to ourselves.A series of catwalks and paths let you get up close and personal and we paid an extra few pesos for a boat trip up to its face, there to fully appreciate its sheer size.Just being near it was an existential experience, as was patiently waiting for a huge splash as a chunk of ice calved from its face (it never did happen).
So, that was the glaciar.The park also contains a variety of wildlife indiginous to the area, but we never saw more than a few condors circling overhead.And maybe a Patagonian hare somewhere.We spent a quiet afternoon in our hostel and decided almost on the spur of the moment to visit El Chalten, a village 4 hours north of Calafate.Reached by the semi paved highway that is Ruta 40, Chalten is a small (pop. 500) village set in a beautiful river valley that is home to the stunning snowcapped Fitzroy range.We´d heard the place closes down in the low season but were assured this wasn´t so.Just that very little is open.But the hiking there was supposed to be amazing.So we packed our bags and hopped on the coach.
Chalten makes Calafate look like Buenos Aires.It is small, unpaved, dusty, remote and totally underdeveloped.And it is absolutely charming.Like a farming outpost in some Swiss valley, it nestles between two towering walls of rock next to a river of ice pure water.Green fields and the nearby mountains complete the scene.But it is remote; no ATM, no general store, no hospital...Hell, I wasn´t even sure if there was a doctor in the village.But stunning.Worth the bouncy bus ride here alone.
We quickly dumped our bags in the only hostel open this time of year (dorm rooms only) and set about lunch.Which was hard t find.But after checking a few likely looking places, only to be met with blank stares, we were finally directed to a nearby cafe (everything here is nearby).We feasted on pollo milanesa, which is chicken breast in breadcrumbs, served as a sandwich.And what a sandwich!One would have been enough for both of us, and we were starving!So we packed the leftovers for our hike and set off.
We didn´t have time to go too far seeing as it was already lunchtime and some of the recommended hikes are up to 7 hours long, so we decided on a 5 hour hike to a nearby glaciar ( I know - another one), Glaciar Grande.It was semi cloudy day, but the sun was strong when it was out.But is was also cold.Once we left the relative shelter of the village the wind picked up and we could see how the fierce Patagonian winds got their reputation.We hiked on, passing nobody for the first hour, up hills and down valleys.Through gnarled forests that wouldn´t been out of place in Mordor and by streams cold enough to deliver hypothermia.The water is pure enough to drink so we did just that, filling our canteens once emptied.We crested a large hill that looked down another river valley and got our first glimpse of our destination - a faraway glaciar, and at its foot, a glacial lake.It was semi cloudy day, but the sun was strong when it was out.But is was also cold.Once we left the relative shelter of the village the wind picked up and we could see how the fierce Patagonian winds got their reputation.We hiked on, passing nobody for the first hour, up hills and down valleys.Through gnarled forests that wouldn´t been out of place in Mordor and by streams cold enough to deliver hypothermia.The water is pure enough to drink so we did just that, filling our canteens once emptied.We crested a large hill that looked down another river valley and got our first glimpse of our destination - a faraway glaciar, and at its foot, a glacial lake, Lago Torre.It took another 90 mins to get there.We scrambled up the crumbling rocks and stone that made up its terminal moraine and were hit with some serious winds that prevented us from hanging around too long.After Perito Moreno though, this one wasn´t too impressive.But the lake at its base was almost completely frozen and when I climbed down to take some shots I could hear the ice sheets crushing and melting against each other.Very cool.We stayed less than 5 mins and headed back to the warmth and comfort of our hostel.Absolutely exhausted we ate and slept soundly.
The next day though, was a winner.Up early and reasonably rested, the sky was cloudless and blue.Perfect hiking weather.We´d chosen the main hike for our second day - another 5 hours (that turned out to be 6) along the base of the main mountain range and within sight of the two biggest and visually most impressive peaks; Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitzroy.We got a taxi to the start point ( a round trip of the hike would´ve taken 10 hours) and stopped along the way to take shots of some of the most amazing scenery I´ve seen, ever.The peaks covered in snow against the bluest azure sky seemed to loom out at you, seemed unreal somehow.And we hadn´t even started yet!Anywhere else in the world and this trail would´ve been packed with walkers, but here we were at 10 in the morning with nobody else around.Amazing!
The hike started off easy enough, then started to climb up the side of a forested valley, with a river far below and the ever present peaks in the background.The same gnarled trees sheltered us from the UV rays of the sun.We hadn´t hiked for more than an hour when we reached the first lookout point of Fitzroy.Seen from afar, the 3441m spire resembles a shark´s jagged, triangular tooth rising out of the gumline that is the Fitzroy Range.Flanked by Poicenot on its right, the mountain peak is immediately distinctive and always awe inspiring.We hiked on to the next lookout, about a half hour away.This one had a head-on view, so we could easily make out the entire edifice aswell as the glaciar underneath and the glaciar lake underneath that.With the sun out in force and the sky stil without a cloud it made for a postcard qulaity photo.
Seeing as we were basically doing the trail backwards we had seen the main sights first but there was still so much more.As we moved along the valley at the base of the range we got ever different viewing angles of the peaks and soon enough Cerro Torre (3128m) came into range.Though initially less impressive than Fitzroy, Torre is still an awesome sight and its sheer face makes it a serious task for climbers willing to test their mettle.Indeed, the whole range has some of Patagonia´s toughest climbing.
We trekked on through an ever changing landscape, though always with those mountains behind us.More rivers, lakes and stone, all under the blue sky.The weather never failed us once and at times it seemed like too good to be true.Anyway, most of those pics are up on my Facebok site for your viewing pleasure.I strongly recommend you take the time.
We left for Calafate late that evening, but still managed to capture the mountains as the sky turned pink over them.We passed by wild Patagonian horses, roaming the steppe in loose herds, emaciated but free.We even passed by flamingoes.And we stopped for cafe at a midway estancia, or outpost.These really are outposts for the gauchos that live out here.This one, La Leona, had been a hiding spot in 1905 for none other than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ( and his wife Ethel Place ), after they had robbed the Bank of London and Tarapaca in Rio Gallegos.They apparently spent a month here, and were only recognised by the owner afterwards when he was shown their mugshots by the local Policia.So they claim anyway.
We spent the next day or so taking it easy, met with some friends of Janelle´s and eventually booked tickets to Peurto Madryn, a port town on the east coast of Argentina that was 22 hours away by bus.But I´ll write about that later I guess.