Lago Torres and El Chalten
October 31, 2007
Today we did a day trek of about 9 - 10 miles round trip, on one of the most famous and iconical of Patagonian hikes. As we left town, the winds were whipping at 40-ish mph (on Gregg's estimate), making movement a bit clumsy. As we ascended up in the hills, the wind subsided. The temperature was crisp and perfect, with us both wearing 2 to three layers.
The path took us uphill in the beginning, although it felt very moderate, as the pitches were never steep for very long, and they were separated by enough flatter terrain that we didn't really need any breaks. After the first mile, the views were striking - Mountains Fitz Roy and Torres were both in view for much of the hike. It was really energizing to see the symbol that, for so long has defined Patagonia for me (and indeed it is also the logo for the Patagonia clothing company).
It is unfortunate, but it is very difficult for me to get excited while traveling anymore, because while I certainly haven't 'seen it all' I have seen enough of a sampling to no longer feel like I am looking at things with my eyes wide open, like you do the first time you see something. But today, especially when we reached the terminus of our hike, I felt quite energized by the scenery. I was fairly eager to photograph the whole way out, and it was exciting to feel that way again. However - I thought I had forgotten my Circular Polarizer (After the hike I of course found it in my bag) So as excited as I was to photograph, I didn't implement the proper methods to take images that reflected the beauty we were seeing. That was frustrating.
When we reached the end of our hike, the wind was whipping, quite possibly the strongest I have ever seen it. It was very hard to walk, as we were headed into it. It was even harder to hear each other. Even though the wind was strong, it was still warm, and no sand was blowing in our eyes. Lago Torres (Lake Torres) - which was the end of the hike, was among the most serene (as serene as 50 mph wind can be)..places I have been. Glaciel lakes have the most beautiful teal color - enhanced by the blue glacial chunks that had calved off and were now afloat in it. Between the bluest of skies, ice chunks, glacial pieces and famed spires above - I couldn't really imagine anything that could improve upon the view (except maybe puppies, penguins and a few less clouds - not to mention having the proper photographic equipment). Gregg and I both separately came to the conclusion that we felt like we were in Antarctica.
We arrived back ready to sit down, hungry and perhaps a bit tired. It wasn't necessarily a terribly hard hike but I was definitely ready for it to be done when we arrived back.
Tomorrow, we will assess the weather and then set off on a two, possibly three day trek in the same general area. We expect any mix of cold, sun, rain, wind - as the town generally expects any combination of them in any given day.
This may well have been the best hike I have even taken in my life - definitely one of the best destinations to any hike I have yet taken.
Today we did a day trek of about 9 - 10 miles round trip, on one of the most famous and iconical of Patagonian hikes. As we left town, the winds were whipping at 40-ish mph (on Gregg's estimate), making movement a bit clumsy. As we ascended up in the hills, the wind subsided. The temperature was crisp and perfect, with us both wearing 2 to three layers.
The path took us uphill in the beginning, although it felt very moderate, as the pitches were never steep for very long, and they were separated by enough flatter terrain that we didn't really need any breaks. After the first mile, the views were striking - Mountains Fitz Roy and Torres were both in view for much of the hike. It was really energizing to see the symbol that, for so long has defined Patagonia for me (and indeed it is also the logo for the Patagonia clothing company).
It is unfortunate, but it is very difficult for me to get excited while traveling anymore, because while I certainly haven't 'seen it all' I have seen enough of a sampling to no longer feel like I am looking at things with my eyes wide open, like you do the first time you see something. But today, especially when we reached the terminus of our hike, I felt quite energized by the scenery. I was fairly eager to photograph the whole way out, and it was exciting to feel that way again. However - I thought I had forgotten my Circular Polarizer (After the hike I of course found it in my bag) So as excited as I was to photograph, I didn't implement the proper methods to take images that reflected the beauty we were seeing. That was frustrating.
When we reached the end of our hike, the wind was whipping, quite possibly the strongest I have ever seen it. It was very hard to walk, as we were headed into it. It was even harder to hear each other. Even though the wind was strong, it was still warm, and no sand was blowing in our eyes. Lago Torres (Lake Torres) - which was the end of the hike, was among the most serene (as serene as 50 mph wind can be)..places I have been. Glaciel lakes have the most beautiful teal color - enhanced by the blue glacial chunks that had calved off and were now afloat in it. Between the bluest of skies, ice chunks, glacial pieces and famed spires above - I couldn't really imagine anything that could improve upon the view (except maybe puppies, penguins and a few less clouds - not to mention having the proper photographic equipment). Gregg and I both separately came to the conclusion that we felt like we were in Antarctica.
We arrived back ready to sit down, hungry and perhaps a bit tired. It wasn't necessarily a terribly hard hike but I was definitely ready for it to be done when we arrived back.
Tomorrow, we will assess the weather and then set off on a two, possibly three day trek in the same general area. We expect any mix of cold, sun, rain, wind - as the town generally expects any combination of them in any given day.
This may well have been the best hike I have even taken in my life - definitely one of the best destinations to any hike I have yet taken.
posted by Samantha Farbman at 9:55 AM
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