Where We Be
Fitz Roy Range -- El Chalten, Argentina
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The Fitz Roy Range as seen from Mirador Fitz Roy, just an hour's hike from the trailhead
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Wow wow wow! Mount Fitz Roy towers skyward
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An ominous sign after the first hour -- a discarded boot (did the guy hop home?)
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The town of El Chalten (pop. 600) was slapped
together in 1985 to stake Argentina's claim to this
part of the Andes and beat out Chile. It still has a
hurry-up, last-minute feel to it. Most streets are
unpaved (and unsigned) and every third building
is under construction, but this only adds to its
frontier charm. El Chalten serves as the gateway
to the jaw-dropping Fitz Roy Range, the trekking
and mountain climbing capital of Argentina.
We seem to have used up our allotment of good
weather before we got here -- we had lots of wind
and rain in El Chalten, but that didn't stop us from
getting out into the mountains. The highlight was
a 16-mile trek to Laguna de los Tres, one of the
premier hikes in the area. After an hour of hiking,
we came to our first unobstructed view of the Fitz
Roy Massif. Wow wow wow! We lucked out and
saw it under mostly clear skies. The incredible
peaks and spires were dusted with snow. It's no
wonder Patagonia, Inc. uses this range as its logo.
After a hard slog, we reached the lake itself, only
to be greeted by the full force of the infamous
Patagonian winds. It felt like a giant's hand was
trying to push us back off the mountain. Snow and
sand pelted us in the face. All right, already! We
descended in a virtual snowstorm.
Braided river valley near the start of the hike
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Delighted to have an actual view of the mountains on a mostly cloudy day
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Yep, this is the trail -- a muddy mess in places, and we were wearing sneakers
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So far, so good -- but where to from here?
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Pretty view looking down the valley as we climbed the final steep section to Laguna de los Tres
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We m-m-m-made it! At the high point of the hike, with the lake just below.
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Patagonia lived up to its reputation -- these were some of the strongest winds we've ever experienced
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Robin gets pelted by sleet and sand (see the streak marks in the photo?)
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Laguna de los Tres -- minus the towering mountains behind it
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We hunkered down, waiting for the weather to clear, but it only got worse
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Desolate view near the summit of the hike
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We made our way back down the mountain in a snow squall
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The water was crystal clear and safe to drink
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Safely down and back to more autumnal weather
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Back in our room at Nothofagus B&B in El Chalten
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Relaxing at a pub after the hike
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View of El Chalten from a nearby hillside
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This is Argentina's youngest town -- slapped together in 1985 and still very much a work in progress
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Signs of construction are everywhere -- come back in ten years and El Chalten will probably look completely different
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The town might be ramshackle, but Nothofagus B&B was clean and sturdy
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Robin at the top of Condor Point, a short hike from town
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We'll leave you with this final view of the magnificent Fitz Roy range
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Scenery along the way to another lookout point at Mirador Torre
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