Hurricane Force Winds

February 15, friday

The glacier in the distance. The little red boat hold about 100 people. 

We could see a spit of land reaching into the river with lots of people walking along it from our room.  Turns out it’s a gravel bar that we walked to a view point where we could see more of Glacier Gray 10 miles distant. Along the way we picked up a few bits of iceberg chunks.

We had a wonderful parilla (BBQ) lunch at a campground with a nice view of the mountain.  The winds are still blowing hard! About an hour after lunch and in the direction of Las Torres Hotel, we stopped to view Salto Grande. Salto mean ‘jump’ and is more of a cascade between lakes than a waterfall. It connects Nordenskjold Lake and Pehoe Lake. As we walked up the hill to the viewing platform we were warned that it was very windy, hold your hat and glasses. The winds had to have been blowing 60-80 mph!  We had to hold onto the platform railing to keep from being blown over! In fact as two ladies were walking back to the bus a gust picked them up and knocked then down!  Skinned elbows and some bruising was their only injury but bigger men had to help them back!  It was crazy!

Wind gusts estimated to be as high as 80 mph. 

We did not take the next hike but we stopped often to take pictures.  Las Torres Hotel is the same place we stayed 5 years ago.  In fact, as we drove from the waterfall we passed the cafe where we spent 5 hours waiting for a van to pick us up and we had no idea there was a waterfall nearby.

We are all worried about tomorrow’s hike in these high winds.  It is very warm today (68) which may be contributing to the windy conditions. Fingers crossed that it dies down.

Another Hiking Day

February 14, Thursday

Happy Valentines Day!

Pam & our leader Karen. 

We hiked out of Estancia Lazo and Turu will pick us up at the end of the trail. We hiked into the wind almost the whole way.  It was a relatively easy hike with stops to play in the tall, tall grass and eat lunch in a forest protected from the wind. We’re always on the lookout for a puma (it’s very elusive).

Towards the end of the trail we climbed a short hill for a view of the valley, lakes and rivers that surround the Massive. The wind at the top was fierce!  It was hard to take pictures because the wind shook the phones and cameras.  Then the hike down to the parking lot was very steep and slippery as it was a shale moraine. But we made it!  

It was a short drive to Hotel Lago Gray where each room has a view of the Gray River and Glacier.

Estancia Lazo

February 13, Wednesday

It was a 5 hour drive from El Calafate to the Chile border where we picked up our Chilean guide, Carlos. Then on to our hotel for the evening.  Estancia Lazo is a working ranch that also is run like a bed and breakfast during the summer.

We traveled along Sarmiento Lake which is the largest lake in Chile Patagonia.  It has no outlet for its waters, causing it to have a very high pH , in other words it is very alkaline.  The calcium carbonate has formed into massive rock formations revealed as water levels go up and down. 

Every time we exit the bus we are experiencing very high winds at about 35-40 mph.  But the views of the Torres Paine Massive are amazing. Carlos pointed out the three towers which don’t look like towers from here but he assures us they are tower-like from other directions.

Perito Moreno Glacier

February 12

We had a long drive into El Calafate - two hours on a gravel road then another hour and a half into town.  A quick potty break and another 90 minute drive to a massive glacier called the Perito Moreno.  It is 20 miles long,  5 miles wide and 650 feet deep at its front edge with 200 feet above the lake’s waterline.  We were standing 1/2 mile away from its front and could see part of the back edge near a mountain that was 10 miles away, then it turned left and continues on for another 10 miles.

This glacier is neither growing nor shrinking, it’s staying the same from year to year even though it moves 6 feet every day.  It’s static because it gets 30 feet of snow each winter which is what compresses the glacier into ice and pushes it forward.  We witnessed several episodes of calving in the 2 hours we were watching it.

The “small” boat in the far back holds about a hundred people. 

We are spending one night in El Calafate before heading to Chile.

Laguna Azure

February 11, Monday

“The hills are alive…” That was the song that came to mind as we crested the first of two steep grades onto a level valley. 

Today’s hike took us up about 2,300 feet over 7 km (4.5mi) but the last mile was 1,000 feet of vertical elevation.  There was an option to ride a  horse most of the way to the Laguna Azur so 5 folks chose the ride although Mike’s horse was a bit ornery and he ended up walking all the way.

Laguna Azul was formed and filled  by a glacier.  The water broke through at some point to create a beautiful waterfall which we found to be a beautiful backdrop for photos of the group. The Laguna itself was very pretty and we had hopes of seeing an avalanche during our lunch break on this warm day but no luck.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather these past two days!

Hosteria Helsingfors

February 10

In front of El Pilar before leaving. 

After driving for four hours with two of those hours on gravel we arrived at Hosteria Helsingfors and what a beautiful place and they gave us the most welcoming greeting!

Finally a clear view of Mount Fitz Roy. 

The hotel is tucked into a large grove of 100 year old Chinese Cypress trees that totally block the wind that blows almost constantly from the glacier lake.  Waiting for us was a lunch of gastronomic enjoyment! A half lamb was slowly roasting near an open fire where it had been since 9 am. On a log table was a huge platter of meats, cheese, olives and nuts. Then they brought over provolone cheese melted in iron skillets and covered with olive oil, herbs and tomatoes served on fresh baked bread. As we stood around enjoying the sun and the fabulous views they served us Malbec wine and empanadas fresh out of the pan. Lunch was eaten at the picnic table and included the lamb (delicious!) salads, roared potatoes and vegetables.  What a spread!!

And then our leader Karen said we could go for a “short” hike of 4 miles or do as John did and take a nap then take advantage of the Internet that we’ve been without the past 5 days.

I did the hike along the lake out to a windy point with a view of the lake, mountains and part of a glacier.  Wind was about 34mph. I have determined that Karen’s definition of a level hike means that there is little elevation change but there will be several 200-300 foot hills to climb.

Laguna Torre

February 9, Saturday

It rained and was very windy all night and early this morning so we dressed for a rainy hike with rain pants, raincoat and dreading the day.  What we got was very little rain sometimes mixed with a tiny bit of snow, no wind and a great day for a 11-12 mile hike.

Our destination was the base camp and lake beneath Cerro Torres, a difficult but popular mountain to see and to climb. There was a 1,000 foot of elevation change so it was not a very difficult hike.  We walked above the picturesque Cascadia Margarita river gorge before getting our first look at Cerro Torre valley.  Unfortunately the mountain was obscured by clouds as were the mountain ranges on either side of it. Nonetheless it was a beautiful site.  Our pictures and my descriptions cannot begin to describe the majestic, awe inspiring views we experienced.

When we reached Laguna a Torre we had lunch before walking along the river created by the Laguna and then headed back to the bus.  It was 18 km or 11 miles but my Fitbit showed 30,000 steps and 13 miles.  We must be getting stronger as we weren’t near as tired or sore at the end of the day.

Loma del Pliegue Tombado

February 8, Friday

Our hike today started out in El Chaten and took us up about 2000 feet with hopes of getting a good view of the Cerro Torre, the glacier and Laguna Torre. But boy was it windy!  We had some good views of the tops of Fitz Roy and Poincenot as we walked up and before the clouds and rain moved it.  What’s good here is that rain gets blown around and evaporated by high winds so that it doesn’t get you drenched, just damp.

Our hopes were dashed when we reached the top of the hill as it was extremely windy and the clouds had totally covered the Cerro Torre and the lake below it.  So instead our local guide, Cici, gave us some history of all the men who tried to climb Cerro Torre.  She’s a very good story teller but I didn’t have my note pad so I don’t have any details just that Cerro Torre wasn’t topped until 2002.

We had a pretty quick walk down, clocking 9 miles total, so we stopped in town for a short visit.  Most of the group found breweries while a few of us shopped but the shopping was limited since it was during siesta time. 

A good day for bonding and beer!

Hiking towards Fitz Roy

Feb 7

Today we did the longest and hardest hike of the whole tour - 12 miles (my Fitbit said 14 miles!) We walked along the river for 5 miles then hiked up a moraine so that we had a fabulous view of  Cerro (Mount) Fitz Roy with part of its glacier, Piedras Blancas (stones of white) showing beneath its peak and the glacier lake below that. 

The hike up the moraine was over one mile and as far as we were concerned very brutal! But…the views along the way were beautiful, and our lunch spot at the top of the moraine was a great view of the mountains even though Fitz Roy was covered in clouds. The peak next to Fitz Roy is named Poincenot, after a French climber.

 The glacier is the same one we saw on the way up but from a different point of view.  Mount Fitz Roy is not the tallest in this range but it is technically the most difficult to climb making it attractive to climbers. The lake below the peak is called Laguna de los Tres or Three Lakes.

Parque National Los Glaciares

February 6

Wow!  What a day!

 We flew from Ushuaia to El Calafate ( prounced “Cal-a-fa-Taylor”) on Wednesday and then rode in a van to El Chaten ( prounced “Cha-tan”) and about 10 minutes more to our hotel El Pilar where our group are the only guests.  Along the way we spotted numerous guanacos, a species of alpaca. We also stopped at a wayside inn where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid also spent some time. The route took us around two very large glacial lakes, Lago Viedma and Lago Argentine.

El Pilar  is a lovely boutique hotel with wood burning fire places and pot bellied stoves and is powered by hydroelectric power from the nearby glacier river.  Our drinking water also comes from the glacial river.

Harborton Ranch and Gable Island

February 5, Tuesday

The bus took us all the way through town and over to the west side of Ushuaia to Harborton Ranch which was owned by the missionary Thomas Bridges beginning in 1876.  The government gave him the land if he would become an Argentine citizen and if he would never sell the land.  He agreed. For many years they tried raising horses, cows and sheep but the markets would not sustain them and the weather would decimate the herds every winter.  So he gave up ranching and turned the ranch into a tourist destination.  Today his great grandchildren live on and run the ranch.

We got off the bus and into a boat which took us to Gable Island, a part of the ranch in the middle of Beagle Channel. Our 4 mile hike took us along the shore and then across the middle of the island and back down to the shore where a lunch of baked trout with potatoes was waiting or us.  The island is part forest, part open land, has a few lakes or lagoons and small streams.  We learned about some of the vegetation, and about some of the mammals like the beavers who were brought here from Canada, birds like the Magellanic woodpecker and other small creatures.

After lunch we rode the boat to another island that is occupied by two different species of penguins - the Gentoo like we saw in Antarctica and the Magellanic penguin that is found in only four other locations in the world. They spend their summers here and their winters in the Atlantic north up towards Brazil.  We had one great surprise!  A King Penguin was hanging out with the Gentoos.  He probably got lost or was swept in by some storm.  It’s doubtful he will return next season although they have had King penguins in previous years.

It’s a bit windy here. 

Hiking Along the Beagle Channel

February 4, Monday

After a morning flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia we left the airport and head directly to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park for a 6 mile hike along the shores of the Beagle Channel and through lovely beech tree forests.  They are experiencing unusually warm (translate ‘hot!’) weather so we were glad to be in shorts and t-shirts.  

Along the way Karen pointed out Cara Cara birds, flightless steamer ducks, and we tasted these mushrooms that grow on trees causing them to grow the wood around the mushroom creating huge knots on the trees. The views across the channel to the Andes Mountains in Chile were lovely.

We are staying at Los Yamahas Hotel which is on the far eastern side of the town and right on the channel.  Because of the heat wave there were people all along the shorelines, in the rivers and streams, enjoying the day.  I wonder if any of the stores in town were able to stay open with so many swimming and sun bathing.

Beginning the Next Adventure

February 3, Sunday

We took the high speed ferry across River Plate (actually its an estuary but everyone calls it a river) from Montevideo to Buenos Aires where we met up with our Wilderness Travel hiking group.

While the hikers were getting a tour of the city, we did our own tour of the residential neighborhood near the hotel.  There were tree lined, cobble stoned streets, old homes, large parks with active flea markets and we wandered  through a huge building with antique and flea market booths being serenaded by a country western band.

This evening was an orientation meeting before a dinner at a nearby restaurant.  We met Tom & Sally from CA, Steve & Angie from MN, Seth and Ann from MO, Mike from IN, John from Boston & his friend Martha from NC, Juda & Makayla from CA, Jeff & Roseanne from OR and of course our leader Karen from Buenos Aires.

Theatre Solis

Today we walked the city from Ciudad Vieja (the Historic District where our hotel is located to Centro where most of the shopping streets are located.

Our one stop of the day was at the Teatre Solis, Opera House, where we had a private tour since we were the only English speakers in the crowd. All the guides were art students and our young lady did an excellent job with her English.  Throughout the tour two actors gave us something to laugh about, sang and engaged us all in a cute performance. Of course they solicited audience participants & I was the first chosen. 

The building was started by two business men who thought the city needed some culture and a place where high society could be seen.  They started building in 1842 but after 2 years construction was halted due to a civil war.  Nine years later they started work again and completed the main building in 1856 and the two wings in 1869.  The interior has undergone major work through the years.  

There are two auditoriums.  The largest and most ornate will hold 800 - 1200 people, has 5 tiers of seating, a 2 ton chandelier (the largest of three in the building) and elaborate decorations.  The stage is 7 stories tall to accommodate the back drops.  The second auditorium is very modern with moveable seating for more intimate settings.

In 1998 the building was sold to the city and became a public building.  To encourage more people to enjoy the music, theatre and other arts ticket prices are less than going to a movie theatre.

After walking another 2-3 miles to find the arts district we gave up and turned around as there was nothing artistic happening.  On the way back we stopped for lunch at a local bar and were served the biggest chicken fried steak you have ever seen!  

Back at the port area we stopped at the Carnival Museum.  Uruguay celebrates Carnival 40 plus days before Lent with parades, theatre, drums, music and parody all done in elaborate costumes. We may try to see a performance tonight even though we won’t understand a single word being spoken.

17,000 steps on the Fitbit and we’re not done yet!

Riding the Rambla

Fri Feb 1

Montevideo has a 26 km long seaside paved walk called The Rambla that runs almost the entire length of the city from the ports on the west end to the beaches on the far east side of town.

We rented bikes and headed out to enjoy the ride.  I thought it was going to be a cloudy day but it turned bright, sunny and hot!  We had to buy sunscreen as we were getting red.  We stopped several time to view the ocean, see a lighthouse and looked at the Holocaust  Monument before we got so hot that we had to turn around.  We had a nice lunch at a restaurant near the yacht club then it was a slog to get back.  One sign said the temperature was 89 degrees!

Cold showers and naps were called for before heading out for the evening. We had a fabulous dinner of a lamb shank cooked in black beer served on a bed of potatoes along with a bottle of Uruguayan wine. We shared a single portion as they serve such large meals here.