My dad has always wanted to visit the Argentinian side of Patagonia, and finally we accomplished that goal in El Chaltén and El Calafate. These two mountain towns are 180 km apart, but you have to fly to Calafate, then drive or take a bus north to Chaltén. This is a tiny little mountain town known for it's location next to Cerro Fitz Roy, a massive mountain with towering rock formations. There are no other towns or civilization past Chaltén, only hiking trails and camping, so all of the natural water sources in the area are potable. All of the streams and lakes are made from uncontaminated glacier melt, allowing you to drink the water straight from the source. We found our hotel in Chaltén, a small town of maybe a couple hundred people, and where there are no elevators in the whole town. I'm lugging around a giant heavy suitcase with all my stuff from the past five months, so people probably think I'm the bratty teenager who overpacked for Patagonia, where the rest of the tourists are all just trekking with one backpack. I'm just glad I didn't initially pack more. Study abroad really makes you realize that rewearing clothes, fanny packs, and wearing your jacket around your waist is really the most convenient way to travel. There were lots of people camping in town, because you can trek straight from town for their two most popular hikes: Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.
When we arrived to El Chaltén in the evening, it was pouring rain, and none of the surrounding mountains could be seen, so instead we just enjoyed a hot meal of lamb lasagna, with pisco sours and vino caliente for dessert while watching the rain. The restaurant and town were very homey and comfortable, and we were fortunate to receive bright and sunny weather the next day for our trek to Mount Fitz Roy. We started at 8:30 am from the town, and hiked 8 hours and 16 miles to come to probably the most breathtaking view I've ever seen.
The first hour of the hike was straight up hill to the first viewpoint of the mountain. Lots of people turn around there because you think you've seen it all. But if you keep going on the trail, it gets flatter and easier, and winds through the valley and past a couple lagunas, across the Rio Blanco, and past a couple camp spots. The last hour of the hike is literally straight up hill, even more than that first hour, and the trail is made of big stone steps, but the steam runs through the trail at parts, making the stones wet and slippery, a treacherous task when already tired from the past ten kilometers. At the very top of this ridge, you find yourself at the base of Fitz Roy, which you could only previously see from behind the ridge, so it's a completely new perspective. There is a hidden lake you never would've known about, which is sparkling turquoise, and the towers of the mountain look even more massive, and the glaciers more blue. We couldn't help but sit and stare for about an hour. We drank the ice cold glacier water from the lake. I thought it was some of the most refreshing water I've ever had. The steep part on the way down takes as long as the way up because you have to be so careful on the wet stones. It actually hurt my legs quite a bit putting so much pressure in my knees, but the view was worth every minute of pain and soreness I've been experiencing the past couple days. We kept looking back on the way down, trying to get one last view. The lighting on the mountain kept changing throughout the 8 hours we were hiking, along with the clouds, so every view point was different.
The next day we weren't as lucky with weather, or the status of our sore legs, and our hike to Cerro Torre got cut short. The clouds were not allowing a clear view of the Cerro. In fact, I didn't see it at all, because we found out, based on the map on the trail, that the mountain we thought was Cerro Torre was actually Cerro Solo (which was petty impressive itself), but Cerro Torre was completely covered in clouds. The rain came too, so we left for El Calafate earlier that afternoon to explore this mountain town, which is much bigger and more touristy. My mom and I convinced my dad to give us some time for gift shopping, so we looked at all the artisanal markets. I'm so glad I bought a lot of gifts on my spring break trip up north, because the things I bought in Salta and Jujoy are triple the price in Patagonia. This is because Jujoy is one of the poorest provinces.
The Perito Moreno Glacier is 80 km out of Calafate, and unfortunately, we didn't get to do any full day excursions (like ice trekking on the glacier) because our flight to Buenos Aires was mid afternoon, but we still went to the national park bright and early (right when it opened) and glacier watched for 4 hours. This is one of few glaciers in Patagonia where the ice comes so close to land that people can access it by land rather than by boat. The ice comes within a couple hundred feet of the shore of the lake, so the national park has built balconies and walk ways all along the coast so people can see the glacier from really close. The paths are actually very intricate, with an elevator for handicapped, and the paths bring you pretty low down on the coast. They have areas with wind shields and benches too. The entire area was so cold from the wind.
It's hard to tell just how massive the glacier is when you are watching it from the balconies, but it is actually 180 feet tall and 5 km across at the widest part, and it goes back 14 km into the mountains. We were some of the first people in the park today, when the balconies were empty. All morning long we watched pieces breaking off of the glacier and falling into the lake. It's spectacular to see the glacier calving because the pieces look small from a distance, but are actually the size of a house. We thought the first calving we saw was amazing, but then we kept seeing even bigger pieces break off. The ice makes creaking and cracking sounds right before it breaks, so we'd turn around at every sound, trying not to miss a good one. The ice falls so slowly too, it's hard to miss, but we went to the bathroom right when we felt the biggest rumble, and missed a huge chunk of ice fall to the water. We could see the build up in the water of that chunk afterwords and couldn't believe we missed it. It's crazy how much the shape of the glacier changes throughout the day. But then, at the very end of our stay, right as we turn around to leave, we heard the biggest crack, and an entire sheet from top to bottom of the glacier broke off, all 180 feet, making the biggest waves in the lake. We were so lucky to see that. We ended the day well, and headed to the airport to fly to Buenos Aires.
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