Fitz Roy and a 30 Hour Bus Ride

El Chalten / Fitz Roy

Arrived in this small Argentian town (likely the same line I will use on almost every posting with a different country name inserted) which has many hiking trails for the Fitz Roy mountain range leaving from several points of town. Did a 3 day backpacking trip around the park and a longer day hike. Incredibly lucky again with deep blue skies.

Hiking (unfortunately you can´t see the beard which is growing in nicely)

Highlights included:



Picking the way along the a river bed and then climbing over bolders for 1/2 a mile to have our own front row seat to a glacier and glacial lake.


Climbing a pass and experiencing the furor of the Patagonian winds as people were dropping to all fours at the summit not to be blown away (lake pictured above, just below pass)



Climbing over 3,000 ft in less than 3 hours, the last hour off the trail and almost straight up, to have a 360 degree view from the peak of a mountain

34 Hour Bus Ride
Patagonia in context - taking a 34 hour, largely dirt road bus trip north and passing though maybe 3 places you can call towns (actually 34 isn´t a fair number as this is the time the bus office claimed, however, with the bus arriving over 2 hours late (we were the origination point) and an unexpected 3 hour bus transfer we still made it in just under 30 hours). An interesting trip though as it had hints of the Kerouacian era route 66, but you can feel the tourist boom to this area coming in the fresh dirt and asphalt currently being laid parellel to the old route.


A common view out the front windshield

Now in a town called El Bolson, and I´m sure you already guessed it but it also has great hiking, but slightly different landscapes. The town is very organic/hippish and has several microbrews I´ll be sampling tonight.