49d 16m 51.9s S, 72d 59m 02.8sW (WP031)

The photo above shows the viewpoint of Lagos Los Tres, within sight of the magnificent Fitz Roy. One I won’t forget. Three glacier lakes with their milky sheen completed the scene as Robert & I enjoyed a stunning view as the clouds parted and the sun poked its head out.

Our 15 mile hike this day (Feb 10), of modest ascent (we’d climb from 900 feet to 3900 feet), started off in rainy, cold weather. It was a jewel in surprise as it kept many of the hikers back and we found ourselves alone with the Magellanic Woodpeckers and the mountains, both which teased us with their beauty.

El Chalten is a funny town, relatively new, being the result of land-claims in the mid 1980s by the Argentines from the Chileans. It was certainly a town in great flux with loads of building going on. Although not really teeming with tourists, the only industry in town is geared for the walker, the ice climber, the trekker, etc. with rental gear shops, guides, and package tours, along with the needed restaurants and hotels.

We took in some local Argentine foods on our trip to the backcountry — Patagonian lamb and locro. The former is slow roasted in a spit all day and a common site in southern Argentine barbecue (asado) places. The latter was harder to come by, being a mountain stew of maize and anything you can think of that comes from a cow. It was a welcome treat after our second 15 mile hike (Feb 11) up to Laguna Torre to perhaps get a view of Cerro Torre, which alas, stayed behind clouds all day.

Sunday Feb 12th brought us a slow day as we waited for the evening bus back to El Calafate. We took into some local hikes with panoramic views of the Cerro Torre & Fitz Roy ranges and enjoyed watching the Andean Condor glide among the cliff edges.