Laguna Torres Hike

So on the first beautiful day, we donned our big packs and headed up the trail. The trail in question, Laguna Torres, is the usual series of glacial stair-steps leading to the big ex-glacial clearing/forests. Not wanting to over-do it, we stopped at kilometer 5. The scenery was as advertised, breath-taking, world-class, etc.

Rio Fitz Roy

The trail; the scenery beginning to unfold

First good view of Cerro Solo and its hanging glacier

Fitz Roy begins to peek out; it disappears from view for much
of the rest of this hike

At 3.4k high, not all that high; not climbed until the 50s

Waterfall at the first mirador

Cerro Torres, right, begins to peek out

The trail passes through a variety of gnarly woods

Cerro Solo again

It's Cerro Torre again you can't take your eyes off

Neighbors and glacier; behind is the huge Viedma glacier, more an icefield

 

As we are heading back, clouds roll in

El Chalten Scenes

El Chalten was founded way back in 1985, the gateway to the newly created Parque Nacional los Glaciares. Sort of a West Yellowstone, sort of, only West Yellowstone compares poorly on the restaurant scene. FWIW, Lonely Planet rated El Chalten #2 on its 2014 list of cities you need to know. Anyhow, we will have spent 6 nights in El Chalten, crashing, resting, hiking, repeating. The most striking thing about the place, apart from the occasional spectacular world-class alpine views, is the unceasing gale force wind. Well, it does cease now and then in order to rain.

El Chalten, on a glacial out-wash in the national park

Our nice, relatively new Hosteria El Paraiso; of course,
everything in El Chalten is relatively new, just not so nice

After a long day and a night on the bus

The bidet is pretty standard issue in Argentina

Part of commons area

View from our window; these are side-bar mountains

A helpful model lights up some of the most popular hiking
routes; they all go up

Where we are

What you come here to see, Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre and
neighbors

It rained most of our first two days, providing for a much-
needed break--but then it cleared for two marvelous days;
here is Fitz Roy just coming out

This from main street in town

Local RV

Lots of sculpture for such a young, small town

Entrepreneurial spirit

Ditto; we also saw kids erecting their tents on vacant lots

Someone's end of hike

Well-behaved if feral pooches

Backapackas everywhere (note tents in vacant lot)

Tiny houses very much in fashion

No lack of RVs

Wind-skateboarding

Lots of construction in progress, not all of it progressing all
that quickly

No lack of curiosities

Return Fron Cueva De Las Manos And Night Bus To El Chalten

So the tour ended, and we were back in Perito Moreno at the Hotel Belgrano in time for a light dinner before the night bus to El Chalten arrived. 8PM passed. 9PM passed. No bus. About 10PM, the bartender/waiter/manager told us in very rudimentary Spanglish that the Chalten Travel bus had broken down and that alternative arrangements were being made for us. Somehow, we were relieved. Later, Claudio appeared, drove us to the bus station, and procured tickets for us on the Taqsa/Marga night bus to El Chalten. (Claudio sub-contracts with Chalten Travel; we trust he will be reimbursed). Anyhow, the Taqsa bus was an hour late, took another 45 minutes to load and refuel and...you get the picture. We arrived in El Chalten after noon on January 29th, somewhat fatigued, but relieved to be more or less on schedule. Plus we were both able to sleep a good bit on the wonderfully reclining seats. The bus was filled with a few locals but mostly with young budget travelers. Backapackas. Many Americankis, too. We are deep in Patagonia. Jan 28-29.

A prized photograph and memory; the guanacos frequently try
to jump the fences and sometimes don't make it, impaling
themselves on the stakes; we saw half a dozen of these but at
turbuss speed warp factor 5+, they are difficult to catch (I'll
spare you the close-up); I have a similar photograph of an
impaled antelope/deer in the Davis Mountains, TX, c. 1984,
entitled "Don't fence me in"

An apparent short-cut took us through a side canyon and its
salty dry bed

Claudio occasionally opening and closing gates

Another road shrine

More desert color

Our luggage outside the Hotel Belgrano, hopefully so the bus
driver can't miss us; unfortunately, he never made it

Waiting for the Taqsa bus at the bus station...a depiction of
where the day took us

Next morning, aboard the Taqsa bus, on the long off-pavement
spur to El Chalten

More guanaco

Also no alcohol

They are herd animals: the female herds, with young, led by
one lucky male; the bachelor herds, the unlucky males; I guess
this depends on your perspective...

Next morning: big mountains looming

And the lake and the tongue of giant Viedma Glacier

And wildly striated mountains

Welcome to El Chalten and the Parque Nacional de los Glacieres;
"Capital Nacional del Trekking"