16 November - El Chaltén, Argentina
Another early morning, another early breakfast. Kau Kaleshen, our hostel, is definitely the most boring breakfast so far. Cornflakes. I had to use two sugar sachets on top in order to get my morning sugar fix. We were picked up by our shared shuttle at 7.30am to make our journey three hours north to El Chaltén, home of the famous Fitz Roy mountain range. The bus was comfortable enough to snooze a little, but the famous peaks came into view from a hundred miles away and from then it was impossible to tear your eyes away. Nestled in the shadows of the towering mountains is the town, built thirty years ago especially to be the gateway to hiking in the area. Poor wifi, limited ability to pay by credit card and basic accommodation is made up for by the most beautiful scenery I think I have ever seen. By the time we arrived, settled in and made our way to the Walk Patagonia agency that Sally had hooked us up with, it was 1.30pm. We were greeted by an enthusiastic Zoe who said that, if we were up for it, we should leave immediately to do a hike. The peaks of the mountains hadn't been seen for weeks because of poor weather, they were out in full glory that afternoon and you just don't know when or whether they will be seen again... We were sold! We had been expecting to go for a 1-2hr walk so we had layers and rain gear with us already. The hike that Zoe recommended was much longer: 14 miles round trip out to the Lake Tombado mirador with an estimated time to complete of 6-7hrs. Eek! We therefore stocked up on some hot empanadas and extra water from the bakery and made a start. The hike was entirely uphill; firstly through beautiful woodland and then out onto the exposed hill, walking against the icy wind coming off the snow-capped mountains beyond. The last climb was brutal, we counted at least five false summits, struggled to make out the trail markers in the rough, ankle-breaking terrain and felt like we would never reach the mirador. But my good Lord, what a reward at the end. Panoramic views of the entire mountain range and into the valleys that we would be hiking through over the coming days. And entirely to ourselves, amazing. After some hilarity with some self-timed photos, we headed back down into the town. The whole round trip trek took us five hours, so we were pleased with our pace and the fact that we were therefore back down in good time for dinner. We headed to La Cervezeria, a tiny restaurant that brews its own beer that came highly recommended by Zoe (and the internet). It was full by the time we arrived but with tenacity and smiles, we managed to get a seat at the bar and then be moved to a table. We devoured some amazing soup, fresh pasta and their home-brewed Pilsner (Olli did, anyway) and headed back to our accommodation very pleased with ourselves and our day!
