El Chalten

Hi everyone!

I know this is crazy to have two blog posts in a week, but we found ourselves with some wifi and wanted to share with you some of the best scenery we have ever seen! We have been in El Chalten for 5 days now and have experienced why this small town is a hiking and climbing mecca.

On our first day arriving in El Chalten we took the half day to work in a coffee shop and plan our excursions for the next couple of days. The day was also very cloudy and rainy so we couldn’t see any of the famous peaks. At the café, we overhead people talking about the rainy weather and complaining that every day the peaks have been covered with clouds. We were dismayed at this because all of the hikes we wanted to do involved viewpoints of Fitz Roy and the other surrounding peaks. I took a look at the forecast for the next week to see if we could get lucky and maybe have a one clear day. To my amazement, the follow two days looked perfect! They were both clear and warm, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. We knew we had to take advantage of our luck and hike the following two days. We spent the rest of the day planning and preparing. We decided on a one-night backpacking trip that would allow us to see all the major sights in the park. The trip would start with a 10 km hike to the most famous viewpoint of Lago del los Tres and a view of Fitz Roy, the most famous mountain in Argentina. From there we would hike to a glacial viewpoint before camping. The next day we would traverse to the other side of the park to see Lago del Torre before heading back down. We knew it would be a long trip for 2 days, 30 miles total, but we wanted to make use of our two nice days before the rain came back.

The following day we started out at a decent time in the morning and made our way to the campsite. Our campsite was located at the intersection of the trail to Lago de los Tres and to the glacial viewpoint. We figured we could set up our camp and leave our big bags instead of lugging them up the steep ascent to Lago de los Tres. The hike started off well! We were feeling good and the clear day was finally showing the amazing scenery. We were surrounded by green hills and mountains and could see snowcapped mountains in the distant. The after about 2 km we were at the first viewpoint of the hike. This viewpoint looked out onto a beautiful river valley. We stopped here for a quick couple of pictures before continuing on. Not long after the viewpoint, we saw a large group of people gathered near a fallen tree taking pictures. We figured it must be some sort of animal and it was. Everyone was taking pictures of the native giant woodpecker. While we are not avid birders, this was still a pretty cool sight! They really were large woodpeckers with all black bodies and bright red heads. They reminded us of the cartoon woodpeckers!

From the sighting of the woodpeckers, the trail became steeper and we could tell we were heading higher into the mountains. Rounding a curve, we gained our first glance of Fitz Roy in the distance and it was spectacular. The granite tower rose above the landscape so majestically. It was also framed by other heavily snow-covered peaks which shown brightly against the clear blue sky. For the rest of the hike, we were blessed with ever-increasing views of Fitz Roy as a marched toward its beauty.

As we arrived at Poincenot campground, we were again reminded just how popular and touristy this hike is. The small campground was covered in about 40-50 tents. It was hard to tell where one tent ended, and another began. The tents turned the small clearing into a sea of vibrantly reflective colors. The patchwork of colors was labeled with name brands. Patches of yellow were labeled North Face, while other areas of greens, reds, oranges and blue read Marmot, MSR, Coleman, Doite and REI. Being informed of this visual onslaught by our Swiss friends, we were told to push through the miniature multicolored mountains to a much less busy area just down the hill. Sure enough, we found a smaller section of the camp with much more secluded areas to pitch our tent. We found a nice flat spot where we could add our orange, Marmot-branded patch to the growing rainbow quilt.

With our camp set up and a small bag packed with our lunch supplies we continued the last 2 km climb to Lago de los Tres. These last 2 km were a struggle! We knew they would be steep but climbing 1200 feet of elevation in about 1.5 km was tough. All the while we were struggling up the mountain, everyone descending kept telling us, “Its worth it! Keep going! The view is one of the best in the world!” With this motivation, there was nothing stopping us. One step at a time, we arrived at the top and immediately were in awe. Lago de los Tres was a beautiful blue hue only made possible by the pure white glacier on its far bank. Deep snow and ice fields continued up the mountain side where Fitz Roy loomed above everything. For being such a sheer peak, Fitz Roy had a sort of calming characteristic to it. The colors of the rock were almost soothing and inviting. The whole scene had a very soft feel to it. I don’t think this sentiment is shared by the climbers who spent hours summiting Fitz Roy. To them, Fitz Roy must look a monster that can kill in an instant. But for us hikers, the view was relaxing.

We walked the last couple of meters to water’s edge where relaxed in the sun and ate our lunch. After lunch, we just laid down and took in the beauty of where we were. This was dangerous though because after working hard, eating a nice lunch and laying in the sun, we both drift to sleep for a short nap. We woke up about 20 minutes later feeling very refreshed and revigorated. Taking some last pictures, we packed up and headed back down the mountain to our camp.

The hike to the glacial viewpoint was an easy end to our day. A branching path from our campsite lead 2 km to the viewpoint, but unlike the 2 km to Lago de Los Tres, these 2 km were flat and made for a nice walk. The viewpoint was very pretty but paled in comparison to the view of Fitz Roy. We slept very soundly that night in our little tent. We went to bed early since we knew the next day was going to be very long.

The next morning, we woke up at 7, quickly ate a small breakfast and broke camp. The first 8 km of the second day were an easy stroll along two lakes. This section was the traverse across the park. We soon intersected the main train and turned onto the trail for Lago del Torre. This is the second most popular trail in the area and therefore we were once again greeted by large groups of tourists from around the world. After the intersection, we only hiked another 3 km to the lake. Thankfully, the elevation gain was very manageable for this lake. Similar to Lago de Los Tres, Lago del Torre is a glacial lake with beautiful mountains in the background. Instead of Fitz Roy in the background, this lake had one large tower protruding from the mountain range. We were once again so fortunate to have a clear day for this hike since we were able to see the top of the tower. Just as at the previous lake, we had a small lunch and relaxed at the lake for about 40 min. This time, we had a longer hike down, so we left earlier in the afternoon.

The hike back down to El Chalten was a beautiful 11 km hike through forests, along rivers and over Patagonian steppe. We thoroughly enjoyed the hike but at the end, our feet and bodies were sore and tired. We had hiked the full 30 miles in two days and were very proud of ourselves. Back at our camper, we unpacked and quickly ate a dinner of leftovers before falling asleep for a good night’s rest.

We are now working for a couple of days in El Chalten before heading back into Chile to Parque Nacional Patagonia for more hiking! As always, we hope everyone is doing well! We are thinking of you all and miss you!

Nikki and Colter