Fitz Roy

Getting used to being dry again

After an excellent run with the weather, we finally got our share of rain and wind at Fitz Roy.

Arriving in El Chalten about 10 pm we awoke the next morning to the first fine day the town had seen in a week. Oblivious to this we headed off to the foot of Fitz Roy in sun shine and were soon tramping in shorts and tee shirts. The torre is a massive granite tower that, while too steep for the snow to settle on it, is surrounded by glaciers and is more impressive than the Torres del Paine towers. An early evening climb up the slope at the base of the tower and we were able to watch climbers on the glacier, while the azure blue terminal lake sparkled in the sun.

After a huge dinner we settled down in our tents in the now very familiar beech forest. During the night the rain came in and Mary was forced to abandon her bivy bag and squeeze into one of the tents. During the morning a brief gap in the rain provided an opportunity to eat and pack before a 3 hour walk to the next camp site, by a moraine lake at the base of Solo. Here the glaciers tumble down to about 700m, but we only got glimpses through the rain and clouds of their source. The camp was full of increasingly frustrated climbers waiting for a break in the weather that never came. Instead the rain got heavier.

The next morning we packed up in the rain and headed back for El Chalten. As we moved away from the mountains the weather seemed to improve and we got fresh glimpses of Solo. The rain soon returned and we checked into a hostel for our first reading day in 5 weeks of travel. We found time to cook our own dinner, comprising large quantities of prime steak and red wine.

It is raining again today and the surrounding foothills are dusted in snow. There is talk of horse riding or ATV hire, but I suspect this will become our first true rest day. There are signs that shopping instincts are emerging and there are mutterings from the ladies (no longer girls as we are out of the bush) about manicures.

Tomorrow we start our journey home with a bus ride to El Calafate and plane to Ushuaia.

Posted by Ross

Torres del Paine - Sun, Snow, Rain and great views

After the yachting and Antarctica it seemed that little would be able to match the experience, but after a slightly flat start we have had equal challenge and excitement in Torres del Paine culminating for for Mary and I with a run around most of the circuit over 2 days.

A last minute change of plan at the park entrance and we began that evening with a 3.5 hour trek up to Campo Torres at the base of the Towers that give the park its name. A cold wind and occasional rain showers had some dressing warmly at the start, but layers quickly came off as we climbed over 600m to the camp. Arriving at the camp, which was set on a moderate slope amongst the beach trees, it could have been almost anywhere in the New Zealand bush, except that there must have been over 60 tents and one toilet. A very efficient tent setup and dinner preparation had us in bed by about 11 pm. Then it was up at 4:15 for the scramble up the moraine to the viewing spot under the towers (torres) in time to see them at sunrise. The tips of the towers were touching the clouds while strong winds brought snow flurries and the early red light teased us by playing on the nearby smaller peaks but never quite on the torres. It was a spectacular place, but the light for the great photo never happened. After an hour or so of waiting and cooling we descended back to the camp for a power nap and breakfast before beginning a 7 hour tramp around to Los Cuernos.

We had intended to make it to Campamento Italiano, but heavy packs had us all deciding that Cuernos (pronounced quearnos) was the place to stop. It was Joy´s turn to have the team virus and she had a particularly torid time of the day. The Cuernos or horns are shear peaks of pink granite topped with dark jagged rocks and are almost more spectacular than the famous torres. The camp and associated refugio are sandwiched between the cuernos and a turquoise glacial lake. It was a wonderful setting and once we had pitched the tents in a small area of forest to get out of the gale and purchase a bottle of red wine (for only the price of a small mortgage) we could relax and enjoy it.

Two hours steady trekking the next day saw us at Campamento Italiano where we pitched the tents before heading up the Rio Frances. This proved an unexpected delight as the mountains gradually enfolded us and hanging glaciers periodically shed some of their hanging bits in thunderous roars. The walk ended in a fantastic circ of granite faces. Sheltered from the almost incessant gales and with clear skies, it was a magic place.

There was relatively little to recommend the Italian camp, the toilets were closed (despite about 40 tents being pitched overnight) and the Conaf officials had deserted their posts, so we had our packs shouldered by 7:45. Showers turned to heavy rain as we walked through scrub like beech to Hotel Paine Grande at the head of lago Pehoe (pronounced pay-o-a). It was New Years day and the hotel was running a little late after a big night, which meant we were in time to order breakfast (never mind the big feed at Italiano, that was 3 hours earlier).

Mary and I were itching to ditch the heavy packs and make a light-weight run around the rest of the Torres circuit, but this required getting accommodation at a refugio on the way, a task that was difficult as everything appeared to be booked out. At the last moment we heard there was a cancellation at Refugio Dickson and there would be space there. The only challenges were that it was officially 16 hours walking to get there, the forecast was for snow and gale winds and the hotel manager said it was ´not possible´. Just the incentive we needed.

Ditching most of our gear into storage and set off with light packs just before midday. The first goal was Refugio Grey and we ran most of the way there in well under half the recommended time. Great views of Glacier Grey and ice bergs in the lake, but little time for photos. The rain got very heavy from here and despite good gear we were soon soaked. ´Track Closed - falling rocks and possible landslides´ said the sign just past Campamento los Guardes. Deciding it was probably just a risk mitigation sign we ignored it. Two minutes later was an impressive landslide down a steep gully that terminated on the glacier. Two large steel ladders needed to be climbed to get out of the gully. This was cold on the hands - but preferable to the old log ladders beside them. More gullys, ladders and views of the giant glacier stretching away into the rain continued. It was dark, forbodding country alternating between mature beech forest and large areas of denuded rock where avalanches had swept the area clear.

The Guardo intercepted us at Camparment Passo. It was not possible to go on, as there were high winds and snow on the pass. It was also steep slippery and exposed. After a short discussion in the warmth of his cabin he agreed to let us continue, but took our details. A rare few minutes of relatively flat travel and then the track vered sharply up. A brief break in the rain and we were able to take our coats off in the vague hope that we might dry out a bit. Two hundred metres higher it started spitting again so after a brief discussion and hug we put on another dry layer and headed on. By Tararua standards it wasn´t that steep, but it was greasy and we appreciated the odd handrail of rope or sapling.

As we emerged from the bush about 300 metres from the top the rain turned to light snow. Fortunately the wind was almost behind us and there were spindly florescent snow poles to follow, but we took the precaution of firing up the GPS for a possible back track (it was useless for direct navigation being almost a km out with the map). The snow was falling very thickly by John Garner Pass, hiding the trail. For a while we were forced to leap-frog each other from snow pole to snow pole, but conditions soon improved and we were soon romping down the scree slopes with confidence.

Another hour or so in deep mud amongst the mountain beech roots and we reached Campamento Perros (Dogs camp). The camp is run as a fully serviced operation with a common room tent complete with wood stove made from a 40 gallon drum. We ordered coffee con leeche
and warmed up briefly before heading out in the rain for the final, gentle leg through the bush to Refugio Dickson where we arrive about 10 pm (an hour before dark). To late for dinner we ate another groups left over pasta, just pleased to have been able to get bunks and hire sleeping bags.

The next day was a gentle saunter back to where we had started our trek at Alberque Los Torres in about 6 hours. A great couple of days, wonder if we could do the whole circuit in 24 hours. Might require a return trip.

Frances, Jane and Joy had their own adventures which they will post separately.

Posted by Ross

Now we are home.

We are back in the land of green grass and darkness at night.

 

Steve, Peggy and I made it back pretty much on time.  This was despite the usual ineptitude of Aerolineas Argentinas.

 

Anyway, we filled in about 8 hours at the airport by having a decent steak chips and beer dinner (yum) then stomped about the duty free areas after passing through the usuall shambles at passport control.

 

Later, we were subjected to more dubious security checks when our friends at  Aerolineas Argentinas insisted on a pretty random and cursory search of all passengers as they boarded.  Result?  A one hour delay, but I still got on with a bottle of alcohol based hand santitiser, toothpaste and all the trimmings without an actual search, after I told them that I had no matches.  Meanwhile, other passengers were having bottles of water taken off them… talk about token security.

 

So, what did we come back with?

 

A flaky nose tip from the cold;

 

Flaky cheeks and freckles (this is Peggy by the way);

 

A Father Christmas beard for me;

 

Knowledge that it isn’t the stove at 45 degrees, its me;

 

After a lifetime of being unable to sleep during daylight hours, you can sleep anytime over a 24 hour period when not on watch;

 

You can operate reasonably well on 4 hours sleep;

 

Sea sickness passes and you do get sea legs;

 

How to hand pump a toilet;

 

That there is no such thing as a rope on a yacht.

 

Written by Chris