Friday 30 November 2007

El Chalten - Fitzroy Massif

We had wondered about heading back to Buenos Aires after seeing the Perito Moreno Glacier, perhaps for a bit of beach action, but after a short chat with the airline we realised that there was no way we could change our flights. We didn`t fancy a 33 hour bus ride either, so we decided to head off to El Chalten to see the Fitzroy Massif. After 4 hours on the bus ( about half off road ), we arrived in Hades. Driving wind and rain did not bode well for a trip to the shops, never mind a 2 day hike in the mountains.....

What a difference a night can make ! The sun was shining, the sky was blue and as we headed up into the mountains from the hostal the wind started to drop too. I ended up hiking up the mountain in shorts and boots for most of the day resulting in some nice rucksac strap lines on my back, though the rest of the squad seemed keen to retain their waterproofs, fleeces and long trousers. I think there`s something wrong with them. The views were spectacular. The photos on the left show the Glacier Grande and the Cerro Torre mountains.

The next day we headed up again to get a better view of the Fitzroy Massif. Again we were blessed with good weather and the views were again awesome. Patagonia really has the mountain scenery thing sussed out. The photo on the right is of the Fitzroy. Pretty isn`t it ?


As we suspected before we left, all this activity has had a strange effect on our physiology. We now have nice toned legs from the hiking, but large guts from all the food and beer we`ve been stuffing our faces with. Would you like some profile photos to admire ?


As I write this, we`re back down in Calafate. Tomorrow we all fly back to Buenos Aires. Dog and Becky will stay there studying Spanish with a Granny for 2 or 3 weeks and will then fly back to California for Xmas. Athena and I hop across to Santiago for a couple of days and then head out into the Pacific to Rapa Nui ( Easter Island ). Its supposed to be the most isolated piece of land in the world, so we`re hoping the plane is well maintained....

Here´s a couple of vids of the mountains.