Chalten - Fitz Roy

After two days of incomparable winds and questionable road condition, I was finally arriving to El Chaltén and the impressive Fitz Roy. In retrospect, I wish I had spent more time here. This well hidden treasure is a paradise for outdoor fanatics with lots of mountains to climb, stellar hikes to do, not to mention the outstanding scenery!

Fitz Roy

When I look back at my trip toward Chaltén, I realize I might have been a little bit more fortunate, not to have been "unfortunately unlucky", than I had first imagined. A lot of the road was under construction with lengths of dirt roads with ripples, loose gravel, and at times and ocean of fist-sized rocks that made it an ever challenging ride. The news reached my ears just half an hour after the accident, where another motorbiker fortunately only suffered a broken shoulder and was flown away in an helicopter with his comrade.

                                                                                     -

But as I drove nearer to El Chaltèn, the plain extensions of La Patagonia came to a curb where the imposing mountain range of The Andes, with sharp, snow covered peaks decorated the horizon. Even though the wind kept pounding at my bike and myself I felt strangely at ease, marvelling at the bright blue mountains, and the goldenly yellow fields which will forever remind me of Patagonia. 

The last stretch toward El Chaltèn

I decided to do the most important thing, hike to the glaciar lake of Fits Roy. Thus, upon the next day, I took the bike around to where one route starts. The hike was initially very comfortable as it ran through a forest covered area up to the foot of the mountains, where a base camp is available for campers. There I ran into a German couple I had seen previously, and informed me that the challenging part is yet to come.

The first glimpse of Fitz Roy from the trail

...getting closer

It is a challenging ending to reach the glacier lake and the impressive view of the Fitz Roy, but the reward was worth every step of the steep ascent. Fortunately, I arrived just min before clouds glided in and ended the show for yet many tourists making their way up.

Ruta 40

The Argentinian side is completely different from the Chilean mountainous, ... , and ... side. The horizon extends toward the end of what you are able to perceive with your own eyes, and the roads go straight toward it. It is immense!

My friend from Sweden asked me to take a picture of a road that goes straight as far as the eye can see. There was no doubt that this was the picture he referred to. "So putting my bike horizontal against the strong head wind, should give me a good shot." - Great picture!!

Wait... Ohh shit!! 

I know you should not use bad words, but in this case there are really no other words that describe just that feeling of looking through your camera and see... that! :S

End of La Carretera and the beginning of the Argentinian Patagonia

After my visit to Tortel I was almost at the very end of La Carretera Austral (the Chilean road that goes through Patagonia), and forced to backtrack some 100 km to cross the Andes mountain range and continue my journey southward on the Argentinian side. I crossed a little south of Chile Chico, Paso Roballo which left me two days to arrive to El Chaltén, and the world famous Fitz Roy.

In a way, I was happy that I had chosen the less frequently travelled route across the Andes, because I found myself alone in the middle of an amazingly beautiful park. In these moments, you notice a smile form on your face, and you suddenly take a deep breath of absolute contentment, wishing it would never end. Anyways, I was compelled to stop and take some pictures for you all (otherwise you would never believe me). - Enjoy!

There was really no doubt in my mind that I would spend the night anywhere else but in the park, thus I kept my eyes open for a well-sheltered spot along the stream that ran along side the road. Although not optimal, I was left with little choice and the exposed spot proved challenging as anything took flight that were not tied down. Still, I was richly awarded with an out-of-a-story-like surrounding and a thrilling night sky.

Moreover, since it had been some days, my military training set in and I mustered up enough courage to walk down to the icy stream to have a bath! - "One of the most important aspects of being in the wild for a long time, is hygiene". haha, easier said than done, but done it was! And how delicious with a warm cup of coffee as the darkness settled around the valley, just before creeping into a thick, warm sleeping bag.

-

Just as I was getting back up on the road, some park rangers stopped to inform me that you are encouraged to stay on the road. "Of course officer!"

-

I crossed the boarder at one of the lonely outpost in the middle of nowhere. On the Argentinian side, I stumbled upon a tricky situation. A French guy had bought two horses off an Argentinian farmer. The simple mean of travelling by horse seems to be overwhelmingly complicated these days, ...where is the world heading?!! :S

...and back on the Argentinian, vast fields of Patagonia

After I had made some progress toward the famous "Ruta 40" (that goes through all of Argentina, North - South). At one point I stopped to have a closer look at the map, just that as soon as I took it out, the wind caught it in a mere second and away it flew! Lucky enough, at the gas station a while later, I met some Canadians heading north, we cut their map in half, and I got the "southern" part! ;)

I had been very surprised about the impressive winds that had me drive close to a 45 degree angle, in a constant battle to maintain equilibrium and stay in my lane. At the gas station, I consulted the Canadians driving their mini-van about the conditions they had encountered so far. I was concerned as I was told: "at some points we were involuntarily pushed over to the opposite lane". hmm... :S

The next two days were challenging beyond my expectations and any other hardship on my trip so far. I had to be patient and learn how to do things in an entirely new set of circumstances, and how to do them correctly. I must admit that the extreme winds had me concerned that my quest to reach the end of the world would turn out to be a fools errand. But as moods go up and down, challenges come and go, and with a little patience and fortune I persisted and arrived to El Chaltén two days later.

The yellow grass, the clear blue mountains, and the wide open fields will always remind me of the immense Patagonia