There are three well-known hikes in El Chalten. The most famous is the Laguna de los Tres which is also the longest at 14+ miles and the most challenging. The second most popular is the Laguna Torre and lastly the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado which is 12 miles but it is only a partially marked trail due to it’s rocky surrounding. For not having existed a mere 30 years ago, the little village of El Chalten has a well-established reputation as the trekking capital of Argentina, with numerous trails accessible right from the center of town.
It was a fairly nice day and we opted to do the Laguna Torre hike as our “break-in” hike. We started the uphill climb which has a 250 meter vertical. We both hate anybody passing us while hiking on the trail and were quite euphoric when we began to pass everyone in sight. There were no “major” climbs along the way with the exception of the two-hour round trip extension hike once we reached the lake. The hike took us through a beautiful beach forest along the Fitz Roy River. The scenic glacial river is an interesting green-gray color. It is potable and delicious!
The most treacherous part of the hike were the major tree roots and loose rocks. We hiked for around 2.5 hours until we reached the Laguna Torre, a glacial lake in front of Cerro Torre, a jagged mountain peak. Still feeling jubilant that we shaved off 30 minutes from the designated hiking time to this point, we opted to continue for another hour. We hiked on a very challenging, narrow, very rocky ridge along the lake in order to get closer to the glacier. We were warned by the forest ranger at the beginning of this trek that we should not attempt this part of the climb if it is windy. In Patagonia, high winds are the norm and can be very dangerous. It is not uncommon to have four seasons in one day! Fortunately, today was very calm and we eagerly continued this extension of the main Laguna Torre trek. At this point, we were feeling a little weary; as, an older German couple sped right by us. How could they? Are we that out of shape? We finally arrived high above the striking, thunderous glacier and time for a lunch break. The view from this point was well-worth the dangerous slog.
The scenery at Glacier National Park is spectacular with blue lakes, rushing streams and towering pinnacles all of which constantly change in varying light. Just like in Torre del Pines, we saw little wild life on this trek-not even a single bird! After a 20-minute lunch, we started the 3 hour trek down the mountain. Needless to say, our legs felt like rubber. Our egos were shattered, as we let a number of young folk pass us on the trail! That evening, we had a superb meal at a charming restaurant in town. It was an amazing day in paradise.
