Today we were of to El Chaten via another 5 hour bus journey. We were one of
the first on the bus so we nabbed front
row seats. This was superb because as we approached El Chaten the views of
Fitzroy and the other peaks such as Cerro Torre were superb. We also had the
delight of watching a chap who had got on the bus come down and draw
caricatures of both the bus driver and the co driver. Although all was said in
Spanish they seemed to be having a ball and the resulting drawings were nice
and offensive. They then all sat around sharing Matte the tea which tastes like
wet tobacco that we had tried in Argentina.
As we got closer to El Chaten it really began to heat up. Trev and I quickly
unzipped our zipoffs, much to the shock and then amusement of the driver. On
arriving at the town the bus took us all to the tourist info place where we had
a chat on the National Park from a guide, fortunately in English. He told us
that we were very lucky with the weather and advised us to do the 6 hour hike
to see Cerro Torre that afternoon because if the weather changed that was the
first peak we would lose visibility of.
After the chat and a quick loo stop we headed off and were dropped outside a
Hostel called Rancho Grande. Since we had nothing booked and it looked nice
Trev headed in to book while I got our baggage. We were in luck, plenty of
rooms. We pottered in to find bunk beds and a fellow travellers gear in there.
Still we didnīt hang about, donned lighter t-shirts and a vest top for me.
Packed our lunch in our day sacks and headed off about 2pm. If the walk was as
long as it said it would mean we would see sunset at the Mirador, lookout
point, on our way back.
The first part of the climb was relatively steep and the heat was making us
hot. We stopped aftfer a while under a tree for our lunch and a breather from
the sun. Trev decided to take his T-Shirt off and hike without it on, to try to
stop it smelling so much. All was going well until he was caught oiling himself
up with suntan cream by a young girl who looked startled by the sight ! Given
that she then continued to walk with us, she canīt have been that shocked.
Saying that though she didnīt chat much so perhaps the sight shocked her into
silence !
We got to the Mirador to see a superb view of both Fitzroy and Cerro Torre. We
stopped there for shade and a quick drink and piccies before heading off to
find the real thing. It was a lovely walk through woodland and then beside a
fast flowing river. The scenery was fab and a nice breeze developed as well
which helped with the heat. The walk was worth it though as we came over a hump
to a sundrenched Cerro Torre peak which was clear. We sat by the lagoon lapping
up the scenery and marvelling at how hot it was but yet the ice, only a few
metres away in the lake was not melting.
We strolled around the lake shore and watched as clouds came over making the
peak very mysterious. It was fantastic. When hunger pangs began we started the
walk back and made the Mirador with a while to wait for sunset. Cookies at the
ready to stave off anger, we sat there and waited. It was a lovely sight and
well worth it. Since our hostel was very close to the start of the trails we
were back down in time to cook ourselves a tasty meal of cornbeef and tomato
sauce with pasta. It reminded us of Uni days, still it was very welcome after
our hike and long bus journey earlier in the day.
During our time in Torres we had heard that seeing Fitzroy as the sun comes up
is really worth it. So we set our alarms for 6am and headed off to bed early,
armed with torches for the following morning.
We had a good old natter with the English chap in our room and then met an
Australian girl, Kim, who had only just arrived. She was a good giggle and
told us how she had had to go to the hospital the day before to have a jab to
stop her throwing up as she had been sick for 24 hours after eating some meat.
With that thought we turned in for the night !
The following morning the dawn raid occurred again. It was nice to be underway
early again by torchlight. It was really warm though to begin with T-Shirts and
trousers. We came round the corner of a rock and could see Fitzroy albeit a bit
obscured. We looked back at the breaking dawn and decided to make a push for
the Mirador rather than stay there where the views werenīt so great. The wind
by now was getting up and without the sun it was very chilly. Decked out like
it was winter we sat at the Mirador and watched the sunrise. It was well worth
it as the sun turned the rock a bright yellow colour.
We headed down from the Mirador to continue our walk to get warm and find a
place for brekkie. Refuelled we headed off on the rest of the 4 hour outward
walk. We had been told the last hour was very steep and they werenīt wrong.
Still the sun hadnīt reached that part when we ascended which was a real
relief, it was tough going without the heat. We reached the top though and once
again it was truly worth the effort. We were there when the sun came up over
the ridge by the lake and it was beautiful, made the lake seem much bluer. We
sat and had lunch there, even if it was a tad early. We wandered around the
lakeshore to see where the waterfall from the lake went. While we were there we
saw two Condors flying around the rock - wicked !
Before we set off on the return trip we changed back into shorts and T-Shirts
mode as once again it was hot hot hot. The view of Fitzroy remained clear all
day so we were very lucky. On the way down I was desperate for the loo and not
the number you can have behind a tree. We passed through a campsite which had a
latrine. I ventured near it, opened the door to a ghastly stench which flipped
my stomach over, then came the swarm of flies. I donīt think I have ever
changed my mind so quickly about going to the loo. It seemed to have shot back
in. So on we marched. I can tell you the relief
when we got to the hostel was rather grand ! I thought of you Sal during this
moment in time, I think I get more like you in this respect as our travels goes
by :o)
The walk back though was great and given our early start meant that we had time
to crash in the afternoon as well as give our boots a good clean before heading
out for dinner. The thought of cooking again was too much.
We slept well again and were up early for our bus back to El Calafate from where
we were due to catch a flight to Bariloche, in the lake district area of
Argentina. We had time in El Calafate for some lunch and then headed out to the
airport for the flight, hoping to have afternoon tea on the plane.