Excellent hiking in El Chalten

Since we did not hike in Torres del Paine, we headed to El Chalten to do some day hikes in the northern section of Los Glaciares National Park. We had three full days of hiking, day 1: 26km (350m ascend), day 2: 25km (750m ascend), day 3: 24km (1000m ascend), with minimal pharmaceuticals, 2 ibuprofen (John) and 5 Band-Aids (me). For me it was a personal record( the hiking, not the Band-Aids).

Each day the hike involved walking to some initial viewpoint, followed by a difficult section that lead uphill to an even more scenic viewpoint. Each day I hesitated going on the last part. With encouragement and help from John, my personal mountain guide, I was able to make it each time. The views were truly incredible.

Another good thing is that all the bodies of water in the El Chalten section of Los Glaciares are potable. I would have been in big trouble if I had to carry all the necessary water. The water is delicious and icy cold. John claims he can barely hold his hand in the water long enough to fill the water bottle in one shot.

Photos from Day 1, the Cerro Torre route.
At Lago Torre with Cerro Torre (topped by a cloud) and Glaciar Grande in the background.


We hiked up to the Maestri Viewpoint for a better look at Glaciar Grande.


Sun-Ling walking up the scree ridge to Maestri Viewopoint.


Photos from Day 2, the Los Tres\Fitz Roy route.
The day started (and ended) with great views of the Rio de las Vueltas.


Lunch break on the banks of Rio Blanco with Mt. Fitz Roy in the background.


Lago de los Tres at the base of Mt. Fitz Roy.


Photos from Day 3, the Lomo del Pliegue Tumbado route.
After 3.5 hours walking with over 2000 ft of ascending we are rewarded with an awesome view of both Cerro Torre (left) and Mt. Fitz Roy (right). But there was another 45 minutes of uphill to go.


John at the top of Lomo de Pliegue Tumbado.


Sun-Ling at the top of Lomo de Pliegue Tumbado with view to Lake Viedma behind.


The descent.

Exuberant Argentinians

We have been doing a lot of walking to miradors in Argentina. Argentinians of all ages and shapes, solo or by groups, cheerfully ply the same trails. In the beginning, we would be coming down from a mirador, John would see someone not so fit and whisper to me, "they'll never make it." One time we even tried to warn this couple trying to mountain-bike up a trail that is really only suited for hiking. They pointed to their rental bikes, "those are very good bikes." After a while we realized that more times than not they do make it in spite of, or because of, their exuberant struggling. Now we cheer them on when we come across them.

Argentinians also seem to head out on trails any time of the day. John and I are used to being the last ones on trails, between my phobia for downhills and our propensity for dawdling. Not here, we would be heading back when throngs of Argentinians are still heading out. John would worry for them that they may have to walk in the dark. Nothing seem to faze them. To them, it is always vale la pena (worth the pain).

Their exuberance is rubbing off on me. I am hiking more, attempting more difficult hikes, and enjoying myself more. In fact, I have been thinking of finally giving backpacking a try after we get home.

A mirador "worth the pain" in Bariloche, Argentina.

Perito Moreno Glacier -- a HIGHLIGHT!

We are back in Argentina in El Calafate to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. During trip research I had identified the Glacier to be of high interest and had been looking forward to it. Expectations were high. Nevertheless, when we reached the park, I was in awe, even after having seen the Pio XI Glacier from the Navimag. Never before I had ever beheld a sight so magnificent.

The Perito Moreno has a pointed front that directly faces a peninsula that has miles of boardwalk that allows one to truly appreciate the glacier. From the top decks, it is very evident the glacier is a frozen river. From the lower decks, one can hear ice cracking and watch icebergs dropping. The glacier does things -- John had promised me. I was not expecting the frequency (every 10-15 minutes) icebergs break off from the glacier and crash into the water. If it were more often, the crackling and booming sounds would be like fireworks.

We had seven hours at the glacier. Much of the time it was very windy. At one point we had to duck into the cafeteria for coffee. Otherwise, I could have just sat there watching the alluring colors and listening to the magical sounds of the glacier all day long. In fact if the weather had been worse, I would have insisted that we return to the park the second day.

Watching the Perito Moreno from the boardwalk.


A large chunk of ice plunges into the water.


The two of us.


The North Face.


An ice cave on The South Face.


Sun-Ling takes in the action.


A few more photos.

National Park Torres del Paine has been checked off

Everyone from the Navimag that was young and/or fit seemed to be going on some multi-day trekking expedition in Torres del Paine National Park. We had to rule it out due to harsh weather conditions, preposterous pricing, and low interest. In fact our interest was so low that we had even considered skipping the Park completely. Nevertheless on our second day in Puerto Natales we found ourselves boarding the bus along with the old and/or decrepit for a one day "Full Tour" of the Park.

The day was mostly cloudy and windy to very, very windy. The bus took us to various view points and a couple of short walks. We saw the granite towers the park was named after, glacier lakes of various colors, waterfalls, wetlands, icebergs, a lone condor (we think), a rhea or two (nandu in Spanish), and several hundred guanacos. We certainly do not regret not trekking and are glad that we have the park checked off.

All shots below are from Torres del Paine.

The two of us in front of a lake of various colors with the Torres (Towers) del Paine (tops in the clouds) in the background.


The two of us by some rapids and the edge of the Cuernos (Horns) del Paine in the background.


A herd of guanacos.


Lakes of various colors.



Waterfall.


Icebergs, beach, and clouds.

Another strike against Chile -- as in our boat struck land!

We took the Navimag ferry Evangelistas south 1000 kilometers from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales. Since this is a working ferry instead of a cruise ship, I had no qualms about riding it. When we went to Norway we rode the coastal ferry Hurtigruten to get around. For symmetry we had to give the Navimag a try. Besides John loves boat rides. I, on the other hand, had low expectations.

The first day weather was perfect; that is, sunny, though we did not leave port until 5pm. The second day it rained more or less the whole day. At night we sailed in the Pacific Ocean over 10 to 15 foot waves which was considered calm. If it were not for the Dramamine pill, sleep would have been hard to come by. The third day weather turned slightly better. Along the way there were snow-capped hills, the occasional dolphins, sea lions, a shipwreck, rainbows, and glaciers. The Pio XI Glacier was quite impressive as it's the largest glacier in South America.

In the middle of the third night around 3am, we were shaken awake by a couple of violent jolts. I drowsily assumed earthquake, proceeded to go back to sleep. John, being the usual alarmist, jumped out his bunk and ordered me to get up and get dressed. I figured that it cannot hurt and decided to humor him. Immediately after that the loudspeaker went off announcing "emergency" and we were order to put on our life jackets and gather at the Pub Deck (the top of the ship). There was hypothermia to consider, we needed to put on or bring all the warm clothes we had. We may never come back to the bunks, we needed to bring our passports, money belts, computer, etc. What if John and I get separated? Good thing I skipped "Titanic" on purpose, so I did not have to cram a playback in my head.

As we were a little slow going, a crew-member was sent to our corner of the ship to hurry us up. By the time we got to the Pub Deck, people were already being sent back to their cabins. The crew had checked out the boat; we were not taking on water and we can still sail. The official word was an investigation was still underway. Through the grapevine we learned that the ship had run into an island. We had to assume that someone fell asleep at the job since the boat is full of instruments: GPS, radar, etc. After some chatting with fellow passengers we went back to our bunks to catch some sleep. The ship now had a vibration it did not have before. It was a restless night.

The next morning we woke up to find dirt and branches in the bow and were informed that we were now sailing at around 8 kmph instead of 16 as only one of the "screws" is operating. In the afternoon a Chilean Navy boat showed up to inspect our boat, ordered a change of course, and escorted us the rest of the way. In the end we spent an additional day and night on the boat. We spent the day working on our will. Well, at least we thought about it. And yet another restless night rooting for our remaining engine to keep chugging. We were very glad to be safely off the boat on the morning of the fifth day.

A beautiful day in Patagonia to start the voyage on the Evangelistas.


View off the stern.


The Pio XI Glacier.


Pio XI.


A rainbow off the stern.


The Evangelistas at the dock at Puerto Natales.


A crew inspects the damage to the ship's bow after its collision with the island.