The Patagonia

Hello Again!

After two weeks in Chile and Argentina, I have no words to truly describe our experience. This may sound cheesy, but really the only thing that comes to mind is “perfect.” My mom and I hiked over 100km (roughly 60 something miles) in total these past two weeks, over various terrain in varying difficulties. Despite huffing and puffing, we made it to the end of every trail, where rewarding views of untouched beauty were waiting for us. The sky opened for miles to reveal the expansive wilderness that is the Patagonia. I was breathless, and not just because I hiked up a mountain. There were four main parts to our trip: Torres Del Paine National Park (in Chile), El Calafate and El Chalten (both in Argentina), and the travel days in between.

The flight to Buenos Aires (BA) was easy.  The 10 hours went by fast as we slept, ate, and watched movies. Before we knew it, we had arrived (and thankfully so did our bags). A guy from our travel agency took us to the hotel. After a long flight like that, we both longed to stretch our legs in this unfamiliar territory. We walked all day… partially because we wanted to, and partially because we got a little turned around.

Mental Note:

               1)       Wear sunscreen… ouch

               2)       Write down the address of the hotel… because I am pretty good with directions, and
                      even we got turned around in the big city!

We saw a lot of BA that day, with great food, exciting people, and warm weather. We went to bed early because we had more days of travel ahead. The next two weeks were filled with AMAZING memories.  It was quite a bit chillier, and a lot winder, in the Patagonia. Even in the summer, I was wearing a down jacket and a wind breaker almost every day. It also never gets dark in the Patagonia. There are only about 5 hours in between Dawn and Dusk, which meant that at 11:00, when mom and I were ready for bed, the sun was out. It is quite an interesting feeling. But, sun out or not, we always welcomed sleep.

Torres Del Paine

Our first stop was Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. We stayed at the Ecocamp, which (as its name would suggest) is devoted to being environmentally friendly. However, camping is extremely misleading. It was what my friends call “glamping” or glamorous camping. We had delicious gourmet-type meals every night, our domes were suite domes, so they had their own bathrooms with solar heated showers and a stove to keep us warm at night (which mom and I were very grateful for).

When you enter the Patagonia, you are told that the weather is completely unpredictable, and they were right. The guides say they believe 50% of what the forecast says, which is quite frankly optimistic. Lucky for us, we only had one day of hiking in the frigid rain. The rest of the days were spent under the welcome sun! Sometimes, it got so warm we ended up in T-shirts!

Beautiful Weather on our 22km hike

Our first hike was 22km (almost 14 miles). It was to the base of the towers (which is where the national park received its name). We were warned that it was a fairly challenging hike, but nothing that we wouldn't be able to handle. Plus, we came all the way to Torres Del Paine, so we HAD to see the “Torres.”

Fun Fact: To guides in the Patagonia, a “Medium” hike is actually quite challenging. Also “Flat” in the Patagonia is not Kansas flat…. It’s like the rolling hills of eastern Tennessee flat.

The map demonstrated some of the difficult terrain

The hike was definitely difficult, but in the end, it was beautiful. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the terrain and the history and folklore of the area, which made it all the more interesting. I think the story that was most interesting is the legend of the Calafate berry. 

(Go to http://www.calafate.com/en/en-cal-history.html to read the full legend)

The moral of the story is that those who eat the Calafate Berry will always come back to the place where they ate it.

The Calafate Bush

The fruits had just begun to ripen when we arrived. You had to hunt for berries that were ripe enough to eat, but I found a few, and very much enjoyed them.

Overall, I would say that this portion of the trip was my favorite. Unfortunately, before I knew it, it was time for mom and me to begin our next adventure at El Chalten. As all good things do, our time at Ecocamp had come to an end. It was hard to say goodbye, but I knew I would be back again. Maybe not at the Ecocamp, but it will not be the last time I see Torres Del Paine, I was sure of that.

I ate the Calafate berry after all. This is one legend I really do hope comes true.

El Chalten

El Chalten is a small town, less than thirty years old, although you wouldn't know it. The harsh winters seem to have aged the town into something almost vintage. It was filled with day-hikers, backpackers, and climbers. Everyone seemed to have a backpack filled with the day’s provisions. Despite the wind, everyone seemed to be smiling, which was very welcoming.

As always, we woke up hours after the sun, and it was only 7:00! We went to the Laguna de los Tres, which was a very strenuous hike. So much so, that at the beginning of the hike to the top, there is a warning sign. The sign didn't lie, but we made it to the top and were welcomed by a fresh layer of now that had covered the peak of the mountain the night before. The snow was even better because we were so warm from the hike.

The Warning Sign

Top of Laguna de los Tres

During our stay we also visited the Laguna Torre, which is a lake on the other side of Fitz Roy (part of the mountain range we climbed the day before). It was a much easier 18 km hike. The terrain varied from hills and forests, to flat and rocky, and at the end, we saw a glacier at the other end of a lake. We ate lunch and enjoyed the warm sun as we took refuge from the wind behind some rocks.

Overall, I would say that El Chalten was definitely a success.

El Calafate

El Calafate was another brand new experience. Mom and I stayed at El Galpon Del Glacier, which is a sheep ranch about ten minutes outside the city. It was also only 50km from Torres Del Paine in Chile, and the sky was so clear, that we could see it from our window!

The evening we arrived at El Galpon, we already had a mini excursion on the property. At one time, the ranch was home to thousands of sheep. Now there are only about 500, but they still maintain their way of life, sheep herding, sheering, and eating. The excursion started off with some history of the ranch, which is situated on the Argentinian lake. Basically, Argentina gave the land to anyone who was willing to farm it, as long as they flew an Argentinian flag (boarder wars with Chile were very prevalent).

After the history lesson, we watched them bring in the sheep. Then we watched one of the staff sheer the sheep. I never realized how much wool one sheep grows in a season! Sheep are extremely docile, and you can basically do anything with them.

Fun Fact: If you cover their eyes, sheep won’t move. In the winter, the ranch hands have to shave the sheep around the face, because if the wool grows over their eyes, the sheep will stand still, stop eating, and basically starve themselves.

Our final excursion was a minitrek to the Perito Moreno Glacier. We had seen a few glaciers over the past two weeks, but we had not been able to walk on them! Here, we were given special shoes, crampons, and were able to spend an hour and a half on a guided trek up and down parts of the glacier. It was a beautiful day too, and warm, so the glacier was melting fairly fast on the top. This created a vast array of blues within the ice.

Me on the Perito Moreno Glacier

After the trek, mom and I headed back to El Galpon and went horseback riding through the property. I could not tell you the last time I went horseback riding, and even after just an hour and a half I had a few saddle sores.

Over all, El Galpon was a really cool experience, I really enjoyed it.

Back to Buenos Aires and off to Montevideo

On the plane, we met a man who lived a fascinating life. He had done many amazing things, and was actually quite famous within his area of expertise, which was climbing. During our conversation, I asked him what his favorite place in the world was. He said that of the 160 countries he has been to, this (The Patagonia) was the one place he loved above all else. At first, I wasn’t sure I believed him. I mean, 160 countries is A LOT of countries. However, after experiencing the raw, natural beauty that is the Patagonia, I can see what he means. Of my “meager” 17 countries, I have to agree. It will always have a place in my heart. 

Unfortunately, this part of my adventures has come to an end. I finally made it to Montevideo, and I could not have picked a better way to begin my seven month stay in South America. The Patagonia is without a doubt the most incredible thing I have seen.