The wind battered our hotel throughout the entire night. Because this made quite a bit of noise, it tended to keep waking us up. The wind forecasts had suggested that it may calm down, but this never seemed to become reality. Despite this, and mostly because we probably won’t be back, we decided to move forward with our most ambitious hike ever — the Sendero al Fitz Roy, a 20km circuit on sometimes difficult terrain, stream crossings, and areas open to the rather intense wind.
We parked our car at the trailhead at 850am and wouldn’t return for almost another eight hours. This trail was no joke. The first few kilometers ascend, but the trail was well maintained. It then shallowed out for a while and our only real obstacle was other people. We were going at a much faster pace than just about everyone, but we were slowed down by hiking groups. As we were feeling pretty confident coming into the last few kilometers having conquered most of the trail in a matter of hours, things began to slow to a crawl.
What began as a fairly tame incline morphed into a single-file boulder scrambling extravaganza. At one point we saw a man collapse and need medical attention. It was not an easy to reach spot to get any help. After more than an hour of boulder hopping, and getting pelted by occasional hail, we finally reached the vista of Fitz Roy at Lago de los Tres. We were rewarded for our accomplishment with a steady blast of wind that sometimes physically knocked us over onto the rocks.
We didn’t know until later that you are supposed to see Fitz Roy for the entire last half of the hike to the viewpoint, but clouds and mist had shrouded that view almost until we reached the top. Our timing couldn’t have been better. In fact, we had eaten up about thirty minutes by getting lost during a poorly marked section of trail and would have been welcomed to the top by clouds had we actually known where we were going.
The formations around Fitz Roy looked foreboding and jagged, but also quite beautiful from the lake. Nicole, who apparently hadn’t gotten enough steps in for the day suggested we walk down to the lake’s edge. Wanting to get rid of people from my shot, I was more than happy to tag along. The wind was physically pushing us over. And in that regard, this was actually worse than Iceland. While Iceland knocked us about and was miserable, this wind was so strong it actually moved us around against our will. On the way back down while crossing numerous streams, I was pushed by the wind off of multiple primitive wooden bridges into the water. And I wasn’t the only one.
We spent a fair amount of time up top trying to take pictures, but it was a challenge. My fingers had gone completely numb. Overall I hadn’t been cold for the entire hike, but the wind was so intense at the end that I wouldn’t regain feeling in my fingers for almost two hours. We then began the journey back to the car. After taking more than an hour to get down just the first kilometer, conditions widened and improved for us to start moving with pace. But now we also realized that the sky had cleared enough to see the mountains from the trail below, so we stopped for a few photo ops.
While long and grueling, at least this trail offered up scenery along the way unlike some others that are long hikes with little payoff until the end. Perhaps what was most remarkable were the number of people attempting the trail. Given the weather and sheer distance and effort involved, you would think that would deter people, but I suppose it’s like doing a marathon. It gives a great feeling of accomplishment along with sore muscles, dry lips, numb fingers, and a line of snot about 8 inches long hanging lazily from your nostril.
We saw this crested caracara in the second half of our return. It framed itself nicely in any event. This hike had it all. I was sweating. I was freezing. We completed the 20km and a little extra thanks to getting lost for a spell. We sat down in our rental car with a great sense of relief, but also a fair amount of pain and fatigue. We had brought four water bottles on the hike and consumed them all. I think some people enjoy a nice lunch at the top, but ours would have blown away. On the plus side, there are evidently a lot of horse flies and other bugs in this area, but the wind certainly kept them at bay today.
After the hike, we went hog at Patagonicus Restaurant, a place that specializes in pizza. We tried to replace via carbs all the nutrients we lost today during the hike. We also split a liter of Andes Negra cerveza, a dark ale that seemed appropriate on this blustery day. We then found our way back to the hotel and our new valley-view room where we cashed in our welcome drink as our bodies deteriorated.
Tomorrow we check out of El Chaltén, but will remain in Patagonia as we head closer to El Calafate for both a glacier and to put ourselves within striking distance of the airport should we need to depart early. For the first time in a while, we have nothing to get up for in the morning which is greatly appreciated. Hopefully the wind cooperates with our efforts to find sleep. Our bodies are ready to do their part and collapse.
passports & pepto bismol 