Trekking in Patagonia
After spending a month in busy, humid and crowded Buenos Aires, arriving in the deserted El Calafate, an Argentinean town in the middle of nowhere with lots of cool, clean fresh air, felt so right.
El Calafate is the main gateway into Patagonia and Glaciers National Park with its famous Perito Moreno Glacier. The only word that came into my mind when I first saw this impressive glacier was: WOW.
The word stayed with me for a very long time and echoed stronger within when we started our trek on the glacier. The bluest glacial ice I’ve ever seen, with cliffs rising straight out of the water everywhere you looked. Walking on the ice with its huge cracks and beautiful soft colours was nothing but amazing.
Patagonia Chile
My greatest South American adventure took place in Torres Del Paine national park on the Chilean side of Patagonia. We crossed the border from Argentina to the sleepy town of Puerto Natales, one of the southernmost cities in the world, passing snow capped mountains on the way, and amazing views of wild nature.
The night before our planned trek we had a fierce storm come through. It was freezing cold with strong winds and heavy rain, but we were determined to stick to our plan and start trekking the next day.
I still had fresh memories of getting caught unprepared in heavy snow while trekking in New Zealand a few years ago, so I decided not to rely on lady luck and hired the best (but heavy) snow gear available.
My backpack was super heavy and within the first climb, with strong frontal winds driving into me, I knew I had set myself a real challenge. I felt quite heavy, however after each and every step we took, both my Spanish companion and I grew stronger. With so much nature around, my heart was light and my mind completely at rest, making the physical challenge enjoyable and fun.
Somewhere in the middle of the trek we decided to leave our heavy bags unguarded and climb to one of the peaks. We actually decided to run it so for a few hours we ran up the mountain free of cares and worries. The view was spectacular all the way up with powerful waterfalls and huge green trees.
Just before we reached the peak we stopped for a rest near one of the rivers. It was starting to get dark so my friend hurried me up so we could get to the peak together. To my surprise, the only words that came from my mouth were: “You go”. I knew a shift was going on in me. I was the guy who never left a summit unconquered but this time I just felt free and peaceful and so incredibly happy that it didn’t matter anymore.
The rest of the trek was everything I had hoped for and more, with different landscapes and diverse flora.
Into the wild
After the great experience of Torres Del Paine I decided to head north and go on another independent trek in Patagonia.
Mount Fitzroy is a mountain trek with a visually dramatic peak that starts in the small town of El Chalten (meaning “smoking mountain” for being surrounded by smoke-like clouds)
On the first night I met a young Israeli guy who invited me to trek with him the next day. He turned to be one of the most inspiring travellers I’ve ever met, having travelled in isolated areas around the globe since he was 17.
We decided to go off trek and climb along one of the many rivers in the area, getting deep into the wild where no other travellers could be found. My new travelling companion took off his shoes and jumped from rock to rock totally immersing himself with nature. He lengthily explained how shoes separate us from the earth not allowing us to connect with the ground. My new friend was truly a special guy and the trip quickly became special as well!
Lake District region
After so much trekking I allowed my legs to rest in the beautiful Lake District region and continued to explore Argentina in ways other than intense hiking.
Live your (biggest) dreams!
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