So we have spent a good portion of the last three weeks in the woods and have some catching up to do as far as the blog goes....Unfortunately we can´t seem to upload the pictures right now so you can read and then view the pics separately if you are so inspired for a visual. Use the link on the right.
After parting ways with Bart and Eliana, we geared up for our first trek (hike) into Nahuel Huapi National Park (the oldest in Argentina) outside of Bariloche, Argentina. We began our trek at Villa Catedral and hiked along the ridgetop looking over Catedral on one side and on the other a breathtaking valley with views of Cerro Tronador (the highest peak in the park) grumbling in the background. We had a moment admiring this bad bad looking peak. North Carolina Outward Bound instructor friends had been hiking Tronador a few weeks before we were there and I have to say as she loomed in the distance with her own set of dark clouds circling....that mountain looked like it would chew up and spit out anyone who tried to climb it. It was scary looking. A lot of time nature gets trampled by us humans, but sometimes nature demands respect. I mean demands it. This is something I have been thinking about more and more as the global environment lashes out with hurricanes and floods and earthquakes more and more frequently these days. Also as I spend time in the more extreme environments of the southern hemisphere, I am learning to listen. So anyways, I listened and respected Tronador from a far and had no desire to get closer than I was.
Instead, Gig and I hiked for a couple hours on the top and then the side of the very rocky ridge before dipping down into a valley- out of the wind but still nothing but rocks- where we spent the night at Refugio Frey. Among the other people staying with us were many rock climbers who looked so happy to be alive. There was still snow there and a few brave souls rode plastic bags down the very steep hill. Most of them were able to jump bag before crashing into the boulders at the bottom of the hill, but there were also some gnarly spills.
The next day, when my knee pain wasn´t feeling better, we opted for a day below the tree line instead of another rock scrambling day. We hiked down and spent the next few days exploring Nahuel Huapi while base-camped near Lago Gutierrez. We met a great couple from Germany who were cycling around the world with their 70 lb. half husky half Lab pup! They were lovely and also have a blog (with English options) if you are interested. It´s www.dogonwheels.de.tl
Being below the tree line in the park felt so much more like home to us and we are big fans of the Lakes District both in Chile and Argentina. After a good meal (Argentinan beef and wine) back in Bariloche, we took a leg-numbing 26 hour bus ride south landing in El Calafate for our next trekking trip. That story will wait because tonight we board a four day ferry headed north through the archipelago of southern Chile. How amazing is this life?!?!
1 comment:
26hr bus rides! i remember those. they can become so claustrophobic. at times, when all sitting positions have a long time ago already been exhausted, one wants to just halt the bus and get out, doesn't matter where, just off the bus. that's when it dawns on you why staying in one area is a grand 'ol thing. you rationalize it by saying, 'i want to live deeper, not just skim the surface', but what you're really saying is, 'i'll do anything not to get on another bus!'. ..here's to wearing out your treads! -n
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