Nacional Parque Signage

Pretty much the same world-wide...

Guard station, for checking back-country camping permits

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