I find myself thinking a bit in Spanish as I write this. Being absolutely immersed for more than two weeks has brought back much of my prior understanding. How fun! I should do a better job of keeping it when I’m back in LA.
In any case, November 24 was the first big hike of the trip. The weather each day was fantastic, which is apparently unheard of. Typically, Patagonian weather changes every 15 minutes from rain to wind to sun to snow. Laguna de los Tres is probably the most iconic hike of el Chalten. For reference, the mountain most now call Fitz Roy originally bore the name el Chalten by the local people (pre-Darwin/Fitzroy arrived). For reference, Fitzroy was the captain of the Beagle, upon which Charles Darwin sailed to the Galapagos and through the straights of Magellan (near here).
The Laguna de los Tres was impressive. It ended up being a 16.5 mile hike with 3513 feet of elevation. The last kilometer has a gain of about 1000 meters. So, as one rises a kilometer, one goes up almost the same. That’s an incredible 45 degree average grade. It was basically scrambling up a long, extended moraine, which has fallen below Fitz Roy. When one reaches the top, there is a lake (frozen in my pics) retained by the moraine. I hiked just a bit more to the left to get some pictures of another lake (not frozen). I also enjoyed the two influencers who hung out, complete with wardrobe changes, for about an hour while we were having lunch at the top. It was intense, but a really wonderful hike. Some pics!
On the way down, we stopped at Laguna Capri. It was horribly freezing!
