Los Glaciares Patagonia

           

First, I need to apologise for my blog set up. It’s extremely difficult to write this on my phone with barely any WiFi. I am lucky. The others couldn’t connect. 

I left Buenos Aires for El Calafate on the 5th  it takes 3.5 hours by plane to this southern part of Argentina known as Patagonia. The first thing you notice is the drop in temperature and the howling wind. The wind sounds and feels like a typhoon! I can’t imagine the Italian immigrants who made their way to Argentina and settled in Buenos Aires ever contemplating moving to the harsh environment that is characteristic of Patagonia. Not surprisingly, it’s the more hardy Finns and Welsh who moved here.

El Calafate is a small town full of pizza/pasta restaurants, ice bars (?!), banks, hotels and trekking gear shops  It’s the gateway to the Los Glaciares, the Argentinian National Park, and the Perito Moreno Glacier.

We took a two hour bus ride to the start of our trek in the park.

The moment you step out of the bus, you feel like you are going to get blown away.! The wind is even stronger in the park. It’s constant, at 60 km an hour, making conversation difficult unless you are facing the person and battery life shortens considerably (it’s the wind chill). Wearing multiple layers is a must. All you need is a wing suit to take off!!

Walking into the wind adds a new dimension to your hiking  efforts. My hat, even with the tie, just immediately turned inside out, so I had to change to a wool beanie underneath a tight Japanese cap. You need to find a way, to protect against the sun that is strong from the depleted ozone layer (the sheep even suffer blindness and cancer)

We were lucky. Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Torre were visible from a distance.  We were walking to Lake Viedma to our hotel called Helsingfors. It is unbelievably remote and was  set up by a Fin who made his way here. We hiked through the grasslands encountering flamingos, horses, and sheep. There are also condors and pumas in the area. 

Our guide was Milton Jones (not a relative) descended from the Welsh who made it their home in the early 1900s.