Hiking Among Ice and Rock Spires in Los Glaciers National Park, Argentina

Patagonia, El Calafate, El Chalten, Cerro Torre, Mt. Fitzroy, Perito Moreno Glacier

This is part 1 of a 4 part series on our experiences in hiking and trekking in various areas of Patagonia, Argentina. For a look at the other parts of the series, please use the term “Patagonia” when using the search function.

At first there was a loud boom, then a sharp sound like a rifle shot. We glanced in the direction of the noise and saw a block of ice, about the size of a fifteen-story building, calve off from the glacier's face and crash down into the lake below. A tidal wave had formed moving slowly, but ominously, away from the glacier when it eventually found its way to the nearby eroded shoreline, crashing and slashing at the rocks and crags. Looking back, what was once an immense white wall was now a deep turquoise blue, the color of the now exposed centuries old ice that was, until moments ago, hidden from view.

Perito Moreno glacier, outside of El Calafate in Argentina's Patagonia region, is one of a few in the world that isn't receding. We approached its face while motoring on a passenger boat in Lago Argentinas then later while walking along various cliff-side catwalks for a higher angle view of this monstrous glacier.  More tremendously sized ice blocks continued to calve off of the glacier while we stood there, amazed and humbled by this beautiful and incredible force of nature.

A short 2-1/2 minute video of the calving glacier is at the following link:

Later while on a bus towards Los Glaciers National Park, I dozed off for a while only to awake in time to be hit hard by the visual impact of the Andes Mountains. Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitzroy filled the sky with their impressive spires and rock faces. We were at the outskirts of El Chalten, our base for the next four days.

Until recently, the village was a remote outpost. Tourism and a certain level of modernity has begun to catch up to it in recent years. It has the makings of one of those trendy mountain towns seen throughout the western U.S.  For now, though, it is trying to hang on to its frontier feel with its unpaved streets, half-finished buildings, roaming packs of dogs, and a strong and dusty wind.

What was to be an "off" day on our first day in town was instead a 12 mile hike with stunning visual pleasures. When the park ranger and hotel desk clerk told us today was one of the rare and superb weather days where the granite rock spires were not enshrouded in clouds, we changed plans from lingering and exploring the town to instead hitting the trail.

Many fellow hikers had the same idea and filled the trail. Like us, they too wanted to take advantage of the views. Young people moved swiftly up the trail, passing us with ease as we lumbered along. I called out to one as they passed saying how I wish we were young and able to scamper along the trail like they were doing. They looked over their shoulder back at us and said they hope they can still be hiking like we are when they get old.  Ouch.

We climbed up the head wall that held back the lake. As we arrived at the top, the impact of the views before us took our breath away. In the foreground was Lago Torres parts of which were filled with floating chunks of ice that had separated from the mammoth glacier that came down from the heights to the water's edge at the far end. The spires of Cerro Torres shot upwards from the snow and ice, their gray granite sparkling and vivid in the sun. Hanging glaciers on other peaks and cirques framed the view.

For a day that had been planned with little to do, it turned out as one with a visual feast for the eyes.

The following morning started gray and somewhat dreary. Our day's destination was Tumbado Mirador, a less popular and hence less travelled trail that started south of town. We couldn't figure why is was less popular for it has much of the same terrain and spectacular views as do many of the other area trails.

In a forested area, we met Andrea, a 27-year-old accountant from Buenos Aires, who was hiking alone. She sat with us as we were eating our lunch. While she was rummaging through her lunch sack, I asked if her parents worry about her being out alone like this. She said she travels by herself all of the time and was not going to let a potentially remote problem deter her from her desire to travel. She did mention though that her parents require her to phone or text at least once a day to let them know that all is well.  Perhaps it was because she was lonely or perhaps she wanted to practice her English, but she would walk with us the rest of the afternoon all of the way up to the Mirador.

The forest gave way to high alpine tundra, no trees or vegetation of any type. While we were experiencing a relatively calm day today with clearing skies, most days, we were told, are met with gusty winds, strong enough to prevent any type of vegetation from taking hold.

The expansive, moonscape-like settings were impressive. Uninterrupted views were had for 360 degrees. On our approach to the rise, the range of mountains and glaciers that were Cerro Torres and Cerro Fitzroy presented themselves in great grandeur despite be partially hidden by fast moving clouds. Nestled amongst them was Lago Torres, the lake we were next to yesterday and now far, far away, shimmering in the sun.

We met Louise, a 60-something lady from France who, like many other women, was hiking solo. We discovered that she is of Spanish and Polish descent and that her father was from the same part of southeastern Poland that my maternal grandparents were from. We agreed we might even be related in some distant sort of way. She presently lives in the Haute Provence region of France, an area where we will someday trek and hike. She gave us her email address and asked that we contact her for ideas and suggestions for when we visit in the future.

Crystal clear skies and low winds were on order for our next day. The long, tough, and arduous climb to Laguna de Los Tres at the base of Mt. Fitzroy took 5-1/2 hours for the 7.75 mike distance. The last 3/4 of mile climbed 1300 feet to the edge of the lake perched high above the valley, but right next to Mt. Fitzroy and its glacier tongues.

Fitzroy stood tall and bold, towering over all of us and its surroundings like a mammoth sentinel, keeping watch over all who had come to visit. While other nearby peaks were shrouded in snow, it remained free and clear owning to its extreme vertical faces. The turquoise blue lake below had its milky hue due to the suspended particles of grain and sand sent down to it by the many surrounding glaciers.

The descent was as hard as the climb. The steepness of the trail was hard on the knees and toes due to the constant jamming and jarring as we stepped down from one rock to another. The hard sun was starting to burn our skin. Its intensity was magnified due to the ozone-depleted atmosphere of this far edge of the southern hemisphere.

The look in the eyes of others that we passed as they struggled and labored in their own ascent told me a lot. It was if they said " hey if he (meaning me) could successfully climb this route, then certainly I can! "

After all of the effort we put into the 7.75 mile climb up to the lake, we were now exhausted on our equally long return. It's the type of hiking that is hard not only physically, but mentally as well for you have to concentrate on how and where to place each foot as you descend to make sure you don't slip and hurt yourself.

All along the route down, the trickle of water emanating from the glaciers continued to build into streams and then rivers with rushing rapids. Near the end of our day's walk, the water leaped over the cliff's edge in a cascading waterfall before settling into the main river that formed the larger valley of the region.

Relief from some of our exertions came when we finally reached the flats of that valley floor and its forests. The need for mental strength lessened significantly. All we had to do now was continue to be physically tough, place one foot in front of the other, and put the miles behind us.

A video of our hikes in Los Glaciers is at the following link: