El Chalten

There is nothing like the feeling of getting back from a long backpacking trip and taking a hot shower, ordering some hot food from a restaurant and getting a good nights sleep in the comfort of a warm bed. Only when I take myself away from the daily routine do I really appreciate the little things in life. I find myself lying on my bed in the hostel perfectly content with watching a couple movies back to back.

            Day two of the backpack trip a blister on my left heel developed, which only got worse as I hiked more and more in wet shoes and socks. My feet are thankful for some R&R, so we spent a couple days in Puerto Natalise catching up on some rest and our newfound appreciation for hostel life.

            Back on a bus towards El Chalten in Argentina, home of Fitzroy, another amazing mountain range in Patagonia. Our bus pulls up to the small town of El Chalten as the sun sets, silhouetting the mountain range. We head to the local brewery for a delicious feast of vegetable soup and salad and their local beer . . . it’s good to be alive.

            The next day is rumored to be crystal clear and so we reluctantly set our alarm clocks for 5am, hoping to rise and get some photos of the sunrise on Fitzroy. It felt like I just closed my eyes and the sound of the alarming is chirping. I jump down from my bed on the top bunk and silently get dressed.

The blister on my left heel is still aggravating me, so Paul gets impatient and walks ahead of me. I sleepwalk down the road, and before I know it, I am climbing up a pretty steep trail. I can see the top of Fitzroy as I make my way up the mountain trail, it is gorgeously lit up by the morning sun with orange and pink colors. I pick up my pace not wanting to have wasted getting up early for nothing. The trail seems to go on forever, but I spot a hidden trail that goes straight up the mountain, I chance it hoping that I get a good view of Fitzroy. The trail comes and goes beneath the furs and undergrowth of the forest floor, but eventually I am rewarded for my efforts. I am awestruck by my view of Fitzroy. I take some pictures and then watch the mountain transform as the sun makes its way higher and higher into the sky.

I walk back satisfied with my early rise from bed. I have a classic Argentinean breakfast of white bread with butter and dulce de leche and coffee. Paul and I spend the rest of the day exploring the very small town of El Chalten. For lunch I score a great lamb stew, followed by a short day-hike to a lookout point of the mountain range that surrounds El Chalten.

My blister makes walking a pain, so I spend the rest of my time in El Chalten stretching, writing, sorting music, reading and trying to prepare myself mentally for our next bus ride to Bariloche, which is 30 hours.