Argentina

El Chalten - Fitz Roy

After the stunning Uyuni Salt Flats it was time for yet another country to discover; Argentina was next on the list. Coming from Bolivia, it was quite a drastic change for us as Argentina presented itself to us as a very European country with warm and welcoming people as its inhabitants. Coming from Salta over Iguazu to Buenos Aires, the bustling capital, we were ready for some serious trekking in the Argentinian Andes. What would be better than heading to El Chalten at the bottom of Mount Fitz Roy?

The sleepy but vastly expanding village El Chalten has a special charm about it. The strong Patagonian wind is part of the picture, just like the "Goretex"-crowd following the trails to and from the famous Fitz Roy mountain. And so were we... a 9-hour-hike to the "Lago de los Tres" was on our schedule today!

After a short bus ride it was time for our hike to start! Through the rough Patagonian flora and the dried out river bed, we slowly but continuously headed up the valley which will eventually bring us to the bottom of Mount Fitz Roy. A usually easy path soon turned in quite a challenging act as the blows of head wind we unbelievably strong and it was not easy to stay on our feet. But we would not be discouraged and therefore headed on, fighting the wind and soon we were close to our first stop – the "Laguna de las Blancas". Knowing the path to the lagoon ahead of us would be difficult and challenging, we luckily found a sheltered place where we could refuel our energy levels in order to be prepared for climbing those huge rocks!

And indeed, climbing was necessary... with no visible path, no indications we were only left with our intuition and ability to find the easiest way up to the lagoon! With the wind getting even stronger, it was not an easy task to accomplish. However, once we climbed the last rock to see the lagoon and its glacier in front of us the hassle was forgotten... until the first gust of wind almost blew us from the rock we rested on! This was definitely no place to have a nap... so off we were, taking the necessary pictures of the impressive view, down through the valley back to the official track leading to the Fitz Roy.

The scenery surrounding us in this Patagonian valley was just marvelous... Weather-beaten trees, high snow-capped Andean mountains and stunning cloud formation were lining our path. And here we were, at the foot of the track leading up to the famous "Laguna de los Tres", a lagoon situated right at the bottom of Fitz Roy. But before being that close to the famous rock formation, we had a steep climb of one hour ahead of us! Slowly but surely, with steady steps, we were getting closer and closer. And then, after climbing the last moraine there he was, majestically reaching up into the sky, Mount Fitz Roy! We were stunned, exhausted and breathless by the sight... With the still snow-covered lagoon lying at the bottom of it, the sight was just amazing – and worth the pain of the last hours!

The wind and the thought of only have come half way till now did not let us stay too long. Soon we were on our way back down, both lost in thought, still thrilled and stunned by the beauty we just encountered.
A last glimpse at the fantastic scene, the clouds pushed and pulled around the peak of Fitz Roy by the strong wind and the slowly setting sun at the back... an image we probably will never forget in our lives!

After an exhausting, but nevertheless fantastic, 9-hour hike we happily arrived back in El Chalten, proud of our accomplishment and still in memories of the mystical mountain... a hike well worth doing!