Chapter Four: El Chalten

I feel extremely fortunate to have traveled to El Chalten this past weekend.  Give this town another five years and it will be booming. I spent some time with a guide from Lewiston, MT (crazy!) who was in El Chalten for the third time, attempting to climb Fitz Roy.  He was telling me that nine years ago, there were hardly any places to stay and two years ago there was only one place that offered WiFi--now the main street is bustling with hip hostels, vegetarian restaurants, breweries, and beautifully crafted artisan shops. Though there are only 600 true locals living in this town year round, a whopping 1,800 fill the town in the summer. Sooner, rather than later, this place is going to be overrun with vacation homes.

Not only am I glad that I was able to see the town as a young fledgeling, but also the glaciers.  Who knows what will be left in another ten years?  I have never been so close to a glacier so massive. There is no way to put in perspective how incredibly HUGE these chunks of ice were.

Cerro Torre was the first stop on my trip.  With three peaks shooting up into the sky, this mountain is a work of art.  It looks as if someone delicately painted each ridge.  With lines so vertical, it is hard to believe that these massive pieces of rock are exploding out of the ground. Lago Torre is the lake located at the base of the mountain.  With the water coming directly from the glacier, then feeding the flow of the river--it was remarkable to see the works of Mother Nature in one quick glance.

As I said earlier, I officially declared teal the color of Patagonia.  Without fail, a different version of teal leaked its way into El Chalten.  The color of the glacial water was one I have never seen before.  So blue it was almost green. Translucent, but opaque. The lure to venture into the icy cold water was strong. I wanted so badly to be immersed into natures purest of compounds, however I was only able to make it to my toes.

The second day led me to the unbelievable Fitz Roy.  A mountain well known among the climbing population.  As we ascended our way up the trail, climbers were scattered about.  Each practicing on their own separate route, but moving together in one fluid motion. As we walked along the pathway, sweat dripping off our foreheads, we were greeted.  I heard over fifteen versions of the word "hello."  Besides the incredible views, my favorite part about the trek was the one word exchanges I had with people from all over the world.  The word hello was not soley a greeting, but a motivation.  There was so much meaning behind the word "Hi"--Keep going! You got it! It's amazing up there!  We all shared one common goal, and the nod of the head, or the quick smile that flashed across the many faces I passed proved that we were all conquering the same task--to see Fitz Roy.