May 11
Cerro Fitzroy, Santa Cruz, 2001.
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Cerro Fitzroy, Santa Cruz, 2001.
Cerro Fitzroy, Parque Nacional de los Glaciares, Santa Cruz, Argentina, 2001.
Cerro Fitzroy
Trail progression on the Sendero Fitzroy (with the first picture taken last, since it was pitch black when I passed on my way up.)
Do you ever do something and think, "I'm so glad my Mum can't see me right now"?
My friends and I jokingly refer to the need to turn the "Mom-Cam" off in these situations. Most often, this occurs at music festivals and nightclubs, anywhere the option to make bad choices is enhanced by the presence of alcohol.
Or in my case, when you're about to set off on a trail you've never hiked before, in the dark, alone.
But this story has a happy ending! And a happy beginning, for that matter.
The Cerro Fitzroy trail is a 20-KM round trip, advertised as taking nearly 10 hours to complete. Figuring it was better to hike a little ways in the dark at the beginning of the day (rather than at the end, when my legs would likely be crapping out), I popped on my headlamp, layered up my fleeces, and hoped to God no one would be posting my frozen body back to my mother.
I've never hiked in the dark before. It's kind of thrilling. My light cast diamonds off the frost on the grass and tree branches. The only sound was my breathing, and the snick of nylon as I hauled myself up the first 3-K, racing against the rising sun. My objective was the Fitzroy Viewpoint; I wanted to catch the first rays of daylight breaking against those massive peaks.
Let me tell you, no cup of coffee has ever woken me up so effectively as this sunrise did. The peaks turn pink, then orange, then glow golden as the light hits them full on.
The next 6 kilometres went by like a dream. The trail weaves through some truly unique landscape, pounded over the centuries by the elements. I crossed a vast field dotted with alpine lakes, wove through an eerie forrest of lengas trees, hopped a sandy riverbank, and ended up at the foot of the final ascent to Laguna de los Tres.
There are signs posted warning trekkers of the difficulty of the last leg - it's suggested only "fit" people attempt the 1 kilometre climb up the exposed face of the mountain, and only in ideal conditions. Since it was an almost windless day, with no rain in the last week, I figured there was no time like the present.
I'll spare you the miserable details of the climb (it's fucking steep), because all is forgotten once you haul your weary bones over the last ridge and are staring Fitzroy full in the face. I had a surreal moment where I realized I was standing directly in front of the image that has been my desktop screensaver for the last three years.
This is why I came to Argentina. Sure, there are other reasons, but none so motivating as the opportunity to see these mountains for real. On my way down the hill I ran in to the on-duty park ranger, and we shared our mutual delight for the scenery in which we found ourselves. He was born and raised in Buenos Aires, and moved to Chalten four years ago.
"I think I might prefer this place to the city," I said with a grin.
"Yes," he answered, staring at the peaks above us.
"Mucho mejor."
I'm not exactly sure when I first heard of Patagonia. Probably upon a visit to MEC, where I marvelled that anyone could charge $200 for a pullover. Like the (overpriced) outerwear, I always sort of assumed the eponymous region was out of my league, for serious hikers only.
Turns out, I'm a serious hiker.
In fact, the mountains I'm hiking right now make up the range featured in the Patagonia-brand logo; Cerro Fitzroy and the surrounding peaks flank the little town of El Chalten, a so-called Mecca for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Located in the Los Glaciares National Park, the town was originally founded to secure the disputed border between Argentina and Chile.
Having spent a few days here, I can understand why the Argentines are so keen to hold on to it.
You can't swing a cat (or a camera) around here without running in to some absolutely breathtaking scenery. I started out with a hike to Laguna Torre, an 18-km round-trip trek that took me to the foot of Cerro Torre, and the glacier that feeds the aforementioned lake.
The trails in this park are fantastic; well-maintained, easy to follow, and honestly quite easy to hike. It's a character flaw of mine that I never think I'm ready for anything, but even stopping to take pictures every five minutes, I managed to complete the trip in under the advertised 6 hours. Just call me 'Longstrider'.
And the light. I won't attempt to explain why the sun sitting low in the sky creates such an impressive natural filter - I'll let my photos do the talking.
Tomorrow, I hit the Cerro Fitzroy trail, which will take me to the base of the Patagonia mountain. If I make it to Laguna de los Tres, I’ve decided I’ll splurge on a shirt from the company store - so everyone knows how serious I am.
(More photos to be posted separately, since Tumblr is being a real dick right now.)
EL CHALTEN & FITZROY RANGE
EL CHALTEN & FITZROY RANGE
A three hour bus ride from El Calafate and we had arrived in El Chalten, a quiet little town surrounded by the stunning FitzRoy Range, the northern sector of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. El Chalten is a frontier town, only founded as the result of a land grab between Argentina and Chile but now a base for the many hikers and climbers that come to explore the region. We walked the small grid…
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O Cerro Fitzroy é uma montanha localizada na fronteira entre a Argentina e o Chile. O seu nome é uma homenagem a Robert FitzRoy, capitão do HMS Beagle, navio que levou Charles Darwin em sua viagem ao redor do mundo.
Cerro Fitzroy - Argentina/Chile