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Patagonia Chile and Argentina, WW
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| no partners | | Wanted to let the HIKEAZ community know about my hiking trip to Patagonia from Jan 24 - Feb 6. This was the first international hiking trip I've done, and was organized and led by a well established company, Mountain Travel Sobek. The trip was called "Hiker's Patagonia" and started in Punta Arenas, Chile and ended in El Calafate, Argentina. The trip visited three distinct geographic areas - Torres del Paine National Park, the Perito Merino Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park, and the Fitz Roy Massif, also in Los Glaciares National Park around the town of El Chalten, Argentina. In all there were about 8 days of hiking totaling just under 80 miles.
I took my Oregon 450 and gathered basic info about the hikes made during the trip
Hiking Summary - Hikers Patagonia, Mountain Travel Sobek
Jan 24 - Feb 5, 2016
Hike Name, Date, Miles Kilom, AEG Feet, AEG Meters
Lago Sarmiento 25/1/16 1.1 1.8 196.0 59.7
Mirador Los Torres 26/1/16 11.6 18.7 3866.0 1178.4
Refugio Los Cuernos 27/1/16 7.3 11.7 1376.0 419.4
Ref Los Cuernos to Ref Paine Grande 28/1/16 15.4 24.8 3537.0 1078.1
Ref Paine Grande to Lago Grey 29/1/16 7.4 11.9 1639.0 499.6
Entrada Parques Mirador El Chalten 1/2/16 1.0 1.6 408.0 124.4
Los Huemelos to Lago Diablo 2/2/16 9.1 14.6 1814.0 552.9
El Pilar Lago Los Tres El Chalten 3/2/16 13.1 21.1 3332.0 1015.6
Laguna Torre 3/3/16 12.0 19.3 1818.0 554.1
The hikes were not particularly hard, and the longest hike was 15.4 miles. The group was often divided to give hikers different mileage options. I elected to do the longer hikes, so the other group may have done 70 miles or so. None of the hikes are at altitude, and the most difficult hiking was crossing or climbing/descending moraine fields with large boulders. My kids called the trip "glamping" (glamorous camping) and all nights were spent under a roof with sheets and blankets, and the food and accommodations were good to great. The trails were busy, and in some places you realized this was the peak of the tourist season in one of the uniquely spectacular places on earth. The new flora and fauna were amazing. My first introduction to guanacos, small llamas that roam wild. There were rheas, which are relatives of the ostrich. Other birds included vulture type birds like the Andean condors and caracaras. The mountains were partially wooded by southern beech trees that almost looked like bonsai trees with perfectly horizontal canopies.
Each of the three areas has its own unique features, and they area each quite different. I particularly liked Torres del Paine.
The entire area is a mecca for climbers, and all of our guides were climbers and knew each of the peaks, many of the famous routes, and the history of first ascents. It was fascinating to listen to them talk. It is particularly awe inspiring to think of the climbers who first conquered Paine Grande, or the stark granite walls of Cerro Fitzroy and Cerro Torres. The latter is absolutely gorgeous. It was helpful to read about the area before the trip. One book I particularly liked was Gregory Crouch's "Enduring Patagonia" and the description of various summits made in the area by Crouch on various teams. Also Bruce Chitin's "In Patagonia" is a classic. My thanks to Mike Wolters for loaning me the books.
I will include a few photographs but the reason for my posting is to encourage anyone with the resources, time and interest to investigate a hiking/trekking adventure in Patagonia. It was spectacular!!! |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
) Had a wonderful time, but re-learned once again that the best training for hiking --- is hiking! Legs were a little tired 
Had a nice dinner at the El Tovar dining room, and got up early Friday morning to take some sunrise pictures of the Grand Canyon, particularly of "The Battleship" which is such a prominent feature from the South Rim. Left by 8am to meet our wives in Sedona. Can't wait for my next trip to GC!!!
The only other thing of note was that Roy left his Garmin on the roof of the car when we left the parking lot. Luckily, we encountered MountainRat coming down the trail on our way up, and he secured Roy's Garmin 
