Scottish Independent Hostels Blog

Fire is the one big hazard for the land all over Patagonia. This tree was burnt down by a trekker throwing away a cigarette butt.

Back home in Scotland, we encourage burial or removal of human waste and often burn toilet paper. In Patagonia it is frowned upon, as it can cause fire. We met quite a few situations where trekkers were dumping their plastic food wrappers in the pit toilets, instead of taking it out. If you pack it in heavy, it is no effort to pack out the lighter empty wrappers. Freedom of access is only reliant on acting responsibly


Argentinian roads are long and very straight, in fact it is completely possible not to turn a corner in hours of travel! The world land speed record could be annihilated on these strips of 'black-top'.

This one is approaching El Chalten, a dusty little town, which is the access to the Fitzroy group. We had travelled from El Calafete. That town is a better place to stock up, but suffers from queues for petrol and sometimes the filling stations even run out. Also the banks often have no cash at the ATM's and even when they do they only allow small amounts to be withdrawn.

El Chalten. A dusty little town which is on the verge of big road and infrastructure improvements at the foot of Fitzroy and Cerro Torre. Plenty of good bouldering and low-level cragging in close proximity.

We stayed at the HI Hostel - Marco Polo Which was okay, but the kitchen was pretty small and did not have enough cooking pots. They also should put up a sign saying the water is not drinkable. They sell expensive bottled water 4 pesos more than the supermarket which is 15 minutes walk away, downtown.





Patagonia, Fitzroy & Cerro Torre, names for climber's dreams and high ambitions. Two peaks steeped in history and surrounded by brilliant trekking trails. We both felt that this area was the equal, if not better than Torres del Paine for trekking routes. More compact and drier than farther south and west, this area still suffers the cruel Patagonian winds that sweep down off of the Helio Sur towards the wide monotonous expanse of the Argentinean Steppe, divested of much of their moisture content by the Andes barrier.


As usual the wonderful canopy of Southern Beechwoods provide shelter from the catastrophic winds.

Decaying forest remnants, victims of wind and fire litter the land.


Wind erosion has caused this beach-like feature, some kilometres from the nearest river or lake.


As with Torres del Paine the better views (in my opinion) are gained from a distance, so we rented a car in El Calafete in order to allow flexibility and a chance to select good vantage points not offered by a rigid coach timetable. This paid immense dividends, as I was able to rise early in ElChalten one morning to catch truly evocative glimpses of the sunrise effect over the whole range.

0400 and the sun is rising towards the Andes.





Sue and I managed a couple of good days in the park, following new trails every day and spending one night at Campamento Poincenot, which is the starting point for the trek towards the Fitzroy viewpoint, only an hour or so uphill from the tent sites. The camping site is well sheltered from the rigours of the gales sweeping down from the granite spires. We heard disturbing stories of climbers having their gear stolen from camps whilst either ferrying loads or away climbing. This area is much more approachable to the climbing camps than Torres del Paine, so a good target for thieves on day/night trips from El Chalten , possibly on horseback! Hiding your kit or stashing it in more inaccessible spots might be the answer. Alternatively, put your final camp in a snow-cave away from prying eyes above the snout of the glacier. Whether this also applies to trekking kit I'm not sure, as trekking camps are usually heavily populated and maybe less prone to opportunist thieves.


All you need to view the spectre of an Andean sunrise on the granite towers is an alarm clock, a car to drive to the viewpoint and 'some' patience. This series of pictures were taken about fifteen minutes drive out of El Chalten between 0400 - 0500.


Later in the day the clouds roll in and wash out the sun.


0500


Afternoon

0400

Trekking beneath the soaring spires of Cerro Torre and the famous 'Ice-Mushrooms' on the summit block.


0430 and Cerro Torre

Good transport to high climbing camps with the local Lama team, rented in El Chalten.