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Tag Archives: Ruta 40

El Chaltén

23 Saturday Feb 2008

Posted by nubiaNomad in Travel

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Argentina, El Chaltén, Fitz Roy, glaciers, Ruta 40

Spent 2 days in this little village along ruta 40. This dot on the map attracts hoards of hikers and climbers who are enticed by the infamous Fitz Roy (standing at 3441m) and Cerro Torre. The big draw is the nearly vertical, granite appearance of the Fitz Roy that makes it a fairly difficult challenge to summit. Not to mention the unpredictable weather which can make or break your journey.

The village is rapidly developing as the tourism industry grows. Everywhere you look more hostels/hotels are being built. Also construction is underway to pave a main road. Ironically the main road of this little village is built right against the prevailing wind. Talk about poor planning. To think you have a clean canvas and yet there is still room to screw it up. But that just goes to show that really there is no coherent development plans just the notion of get it done as soon as possible.

Sadly I didn´t really have much time here and I wanted to make the most of my stay. on my Second and only full day there I started my hike to Lago Torre to see the glaciers. In total it was an 8 hour endeavour. Fairly exhausting I must say. I started off with very windy conditions. Along the way I met a few people huddled under a ridge trying to wait out the gusts of wind. Sure enough the wind subsided and the sun came out. That gave me encouragement to keep going.

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Although I started the hike alone, I met many people along the trails who were headed to the same destination or to the base camp to get to the Fitz Roy.

Half way through the hike though, the weather changed once again. It began to rain and rain. I contemplated returning but by then I had walked over 4 hours and I was determined to get to the glaciers. It was fairly foggy and the rain just kept on pounding. Finally made it but near the base camp at the higher altitude the rain turned to freezing rain. During this entire process I kept on thinking that the purchase of my wind/rainproof jacket back in Bariloche was the best decision I have made thus far. Thankfully otherwise I would be suffering from a severe cold.

Getting to the glacier despite the weather made my day. Sadly the full view of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy were obstructed by the fog. nonetheless I know I made it. Then started the grueling hike back to El Chaltén. This trip would normally take about 6-7 hours but the slippery trail conditions and the strong winds. I had to wait out these gusts and then continue.

Got back to my hostel and my pants, shoes, socks were completely soaked! and I was freezing cold. Luckily I had time to change and grab something to eat before catching my bus further south to El Calafate.

By this point I had formualated a travel group. We started the trip together back in Bariloche and ended up taking the same buses or staying in the same hostels throughout the way until El Calafate. It was a Welsh couple, a guy from right outside London and 2 Isreali guys. It was nice to have company during the looooong and painful drive down to each city.

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On the road again

23 Saturday Feb 2008

Posted by nubiaNomad in Travel

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Argentina, Ruta 40

The extra days in Bariloche were well worth it. I really enjoyed my time there. Plus the hostel was great. It was by far the best stay I’ve had thus far. Not only was it a great hostel (La Bolsa del Deporte for anyone who is thinking of coming into the area) but the vibe was absolutely amazing. During my entire stay in Bariloche I have never seen the city at night. Mainly because each night after a hike or day trip, I came back to the hostel cooked dinner with friends I made there and chilled out for as long as I could keep my eyes open. It was the first place that I really connected with people there and not have the feeling of passing travelers. My last night there I was persuaded to practically stay up the entire night chatting instead of getting a bit of sleep before my 6am bus down south.

Ruta 40
the trip down south, I took the infamous ruta 40 instead of heading to the Atlantic shore and following the paved roads down south. This is the road the legendary Che Guevara took on his journey. This road extends all the way down southern Argentina. Judging from its current unpaved condition not many changes have been made since Ché himself embarked on his trip. Its fairly desolate with the Andes in the distant view. I am kind of glad I took the journey on it now as plans are on the way to pave it, which will surely change the landscape and the level of traffic through the region.

Perito Moreno
After 10 hours of this back-breaking journey we stopped in this little village for the night. nothing really much to say but for the fact that it was nice to sleep in a bed. The morning after joined in an organized trip to the Cuevas de los Manos (caves of the hands). Caves with prehistoric paintings over.It was really interesting to see. The paintings tell the story of inhabitants of this region and their hunting practices.

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The tour dropped us off along the way further south where I took down to El Chaltén via Ruta 40 once again.

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