After five days in Torres del Paine, we headed back into Argentina to the small town of El Chalten, gateway to the areas of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy. Though there is some camping both in town and in the mountains, most of the most famous sites can be visited by day hikes from town. Since we would have had to rent gear, we opted for a hostel in El Chalten and day hikes.
The first day in El Chalten the weather was pretty miserable, even by Patagonia standards. Clouds covered the area and heavy rain and winds made hiking unappealing to say the least. We had a few days, so we opted to try to wait it out. The following day the weather was slightly better, but we decided to bite the bullet and hike up to Lago Los Tres at the base of Fitz Roy. The hiking weather wasn't bad. It was cool and only occasionally was there light rain. But, unfortunately, the clouds obscured much of the famous sights. Still, it was a nice hike.
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On day three, we woke to find beautiful, clear blue skies. Our plan was to head up to Cerro Torre. We made the hike to the mirador relatively quickly and with the sun still low in the sky, the views were incredible and it was impossible not to take amazing pictures. This meant, though, that the mirador was crowded with people. We quickly set off with a new plan in mind. We would head towards Lago Torre at the base of the tower and then head north on a three-hour trail to the area around Fitz Roy, since we hadn't seen much of it the day before.
We made good time to the split in the trail, but there was no telling how long the clouds would hold off and we had three hours of hiking ahead of us. After Torres del Paine, the Salkantay trek, Nevado Chachani and lots of other smaller hikes, we were feeling in pretty good shape. So, with only daypacks, we decided we would do a little trail running. We made the three-hour distance in a little under an hour and it was actually quite fun running on the less popular and empty trail.
As a result, we made it to the valley to enjoy the clear blue skies and spectacular views of Fitz Roy. It was well worth it! We snapped way too many pictures, but it was hard not to when the weather and light is so perfect. It was a great way to conclude the Patagonia part of our trip.
All in all, Patagonia's infamous weather cooperated much better than we could have ever hoped. The worst weather was in the Valle de Frances in Torres del Paine and still we were able to see the valley, if not under ideal conditions. Patagonia is an amazing place and we're a bit sad to leave. We've had three weeks in the region and could have spent three months. We can't wait to go back!
Awesome you guys!! We have some similar pics from Montana when we hiked to glacier lake :)
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