It began with a simple question, would you want to go backpacking in Patagonia with us?
My answer was just as simple, “Oh, hell yeah!”
Those simple words started the planning back in January of 2015 that placed me on the cusp of stepping into a journey of exploration and traveling that continues to this day.
The planning
Two and half weeks in Patagonia, now what to do? Patagonia had been on my radar primarily because of one photo which I had stumbled upon several years prior. That photo was of a dual sport motorcycle on a gravel road in front of the majestic peaks of Torres del Paine in Chile. That image is still imprinted into my brain to this day and helped fuel the passion for taking this crazy trip. I wasn’t a climber or mountaineer yet so I didn’t even understand the significance of the region to the culture of climbing.
All I knew of Patagonia beyond that photo was it was a land of amazing beauty, crazy weather, and at the southern end of South America. Researching and trip planning are some of my favorite things to do and I dug in with excitement. Our group of three collaborated extensively and in the end we settled on about a week in Argentina and about a week in Chile. This post will focus on the Argentinian portion and a later post will focus on Torres del Paine in Chile.
It was a multi-part flight with a layover in New York, Buenos Aires, and a final landing into Calafate. The approach and landing into Calafate brought home the realness of this exciting journey and new place. There is something to be said about the length and anticipation of the travels that help me transition into the space where I can appreciate it more. Whatever it was, the sights of this amazing landscape still are etched into my brain. After landing we hopped on a bus to travel to El Chaltén the small town at the base of Fitz Roy. Many iconic shots of Fitz Roy are from this road where you can capture the sense of openness in the land and then the jagged and jutting spires that rise from ground. The mountain cluster was originally known as Chaltén by the indigenous Tehuelche (Aonikenk) word meaning “smoking mountain” from the banner clouds that appear to rise from the summits. After arriving in Chaltén we met up with the last member of our group, walked through town, and simply walked into the paradise of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares.
The hike in from Chaltén after flying for 18+ hours was a little tiring but being in a new place and knowing what was just around the corner kept me going. Once I turned and crested the ridge and finally saw the mountains up close, well words can’t describe the emotions and hopefully my images here speak to their grandeur. To have the ability be in such a place I am eternally grateful. The next several hours were spent trying to appreciate the beauty of Patagonia and to be honest trying frantically to figure out how to capture it in photos. To this day I laugh at half of the photos I captured from this trip but also smile thinking about my younger self freaking out at the beauty around me. In the end I was able to capture the following image which I can still say is my favorite photo I have ever taken.
The sunset that followed also happens to be the most memorable and beautiful sunset of my life as well that continued to leave me speechless. That evening the clouds roared over my head and turned from cotton candy pink to pure fire in front of my eyes and camera. Here are a few of the photos and the time-lapse I captured on my cell phone that I crookedly setup on the ground.
Our plan for the next day was to shoot sunrise at Laguna de los Tres which sits just below the base of Fitz Roy. This meant a very early alarm clock and a grueling hike in the dark up 1300ft vertical feet to the lake. I was not mentally or physically prepared for this hike and I was pretty exhausted by the time we made it. Sadly that morning Fitz Roy stayed mostly covered in clouds and we never experienced the brilliant light and colors that we had the night before but Patagonian weather is known to be fickle. Being this much closer to Fitz though just continued to impress upon me the magnitude of this beautiful peak. I explored the area around the lake, marveled at some of the rock shelters built by climbers, and scrambled around trying to find places to shoot photos.
Soon our time near Fitz Roy was coming to end and we headed down the trail that connects over the Laguna Torre which provides a view of Cerro Torre. This trail was just a magical experience, leaving the scenic open views of Fitz Roy you plunge into a forested section of windy trail that enchanted in its sublime textures and patterns. Several open areas allowed for glimpses of the surrounding mountains and then Cerro Torre jutting into the sky. We arrived at the De Agostini campground shortly after and headed to Laguna Torre to prepare for our next Patagonian sunset.
From the end of Laguna Torre there is an amazing view of chunks of glacier floating in the lake and Cerro Torre off in the distance. Just like with Fitz Roy the clouds stayed wreathed around the mountain preventing us from capturing it in it’s fully glory. One of the amazing things about Cerro Torre is the ice rime mushroom that builds up on the top of the mountain. This is from the constant blasting of moisture laden winds from the Pacific Ocean that freeze when hitting the granite spire. In some cases, to reach the summit climbers have to climb through vertical tunnels in the rime and then have to dig through the snow to reach the top.
The next day we headed back towards Chaltén constantly looking back at the beauty of Cerro Torre and wondering when I would be back….I still have not returned but can’t wait till the day that I get to see those mountains again. Sadly the time seemed the fly by and soon we were back at the Chaltèn bus stop waiting for our ride back to Calafate. Though I was so sad to leave this enchanting place I knew the next stage of the journey was going to be just as beautiful.
My time in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares remains etched in my mind to this day. It was my first international backpacking trip and I still remember the anxiety of packing for this trip. What was just as powerful was the feeling of independence as well knowing that everything I needed was in my single backpack and looking forward to the adventure. I can’t wait to return someday to this amazing place.
As always if you loved any of these photos and would like to see them in higher detail or even purchase, check out my gallery for these photos and others from my trips.
Further Readings
