What´s the Spanish word for steep?
We just returned from a 4-day, 3-night backpacking trip in the mountains near El Bolson. It had been awhile since I´d done a serious hike - longer since I did it with any weight on my back - and I´m still feeling in my legs. Sam and Lebn are too though, so I don´t feel like too much of a wuss.
The trail started simply enough, following a river along a valley, crossing it on a rickety, old bridge. But, after we got to the other side and had some lunch, things took a dramatic turn. Apparently the concept of the switchback has not yet reached the trailblazers in this area of Argentina. There were some spots along the way that felt more like rock climbing than hiking. All in all, it was about 6 hours until we reached our destination and a breathtaking view of a funnel-shaped snow field, on the side of a mountain pointing down toward the green, marshy meadow where we took our lunch and a well-deserved rest.
We set up camp at a refugio just a few meters further down the trail. They have bunks available, if you just want to hike up with a sleeping bag, as well as some hot food and homemade beer, all just outside our budget. We set up our tents and cooked the food we brought. It was a cold night, due largely to the wind coming from the direction of the small glacier just on the other side of the peak.
The next morning we set off for our next destination, the valley next door. Somehow, some members of our party got the impression that this was to be an easier, more level excursion, and for about 200 meters or so, it was. Then we went straight up one side of the mountain, and straight down the other side. I´m not sure which side was harder, but the scenic vistas and instances where my life flashed before my eyes were far greater on the descent. The end of the trek was the best though. We finally made it down to the next river and followed it - scrambling over some rocks and needing a ladder in one place - to a small, extremely high bridge, that spanned a narrow canyon carved out by the river. I hope to have pictures up of all of this soon.
We finally arrived at the next refugio, and I can´t be certain that my brain was still functioning properly at this point, but I´ve never seen a more beautiful place. The green meadow of a lush valley. A sturdy wooden farm house, smoke coming from the chimney. Lush garden. Cows, horse, pigs and kittens. There was complimentary mate or tea when we walked through the door and any time we wanted for the next two days.We decided to stay there for two nights, we liked it so much, using it as base camp the next day.
We hiked out on day four and while it had a lot of incline, it was nothing like our first two. We all jumped off of a small cliff into the icy river on the way and sunned ourselves on some rocks before high-tailing it to catch our bus back into town. When we got back to Ruben´s we dropped our gear and treated ourselves to a steak dinner. Well, I had steak.
The trail started simply enough, following a river along a valley, crossing it on a rickety, old bridge. But, after we got to the other side and had some lunch, things took a dramatic turn. Apparently the concept of the switchback has not yet reached the trailblazers in this area of Argentina. There were some spots along the way that felt more like rock climbing than hiking. All in all, it was about 6 hours until we reached our destination and a breathtaking view of a funnel-shaped snow field, on the side of a mountain pointing down toward the green, marshy meadow where we took our lunch and a well-deserved rest.
We set up camp at a refugio just a few meters further down the trail. They have bunks available, if you just want to hike up with a sleeping bag, as well as some hot food and homemade beer, all just outside our budget. We set up our tents and cooked the food we brought. It was a cold night, due largely to the wind coming from the direction of the small glacier just on the other side of the peak.
The next morning we set off for our next destination, the valley next door. Somehow, some members of our party got the impression that this was to be an easier, more level excursion, and for about 200 meters or so, it was. Then we went straight up one side of the mountain, and straight down the other side. I´m not sure which side was harder, but the scenic vistas and instances where my life flashed before my eyes were far greater on the descent. The end of the trek was the best though. We finally made it down to the next river and followed it - scrambling over some rocks and needing a ladder in one place - to a small, extremely high bridge, that spanned a narrow canyon carved out by the river. I hope to have pictures up of all of this soon.
We finally arrived at the next refugio, and I can´t be certain that my brain was still functioning properly at this point, but I´ve never seen a more beautiful place. The green meadow of a lush valley. A sturdy wooden farm house, smoke coming from the chimney. Lush garden. Cows, horse, pigs and kittens. There was complimentary mate or tea when we walked through the door and any time we wanted for the next two days.We decided to stay there for two nights, we liked it so much, using it as base camp the next day.
We hiked out on day four and while it had a lot of incline, it was nothing like our first two. We all jumped off of a small cliff into the icy river on the way and sunned ourselves on some rocks before high-tailing it to catch our bus back into town. When we got back to Ruben´s we dropped our gear and treated ourselves to a steak dinner. Well, I had steak.
posted by Zackataca at 6:59 PM
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