View from our tent
Thursday, January 22, 2010
After a leisurely breakfast and completing a few tasks that required Internet access we set out for our trek and ran into some problems. We are not the type to complain (too much) but we were beginning to wonder if weren’t met to go hiking.
Problem One: Taxi Drivers Strike!
This might not seem like a problem but not knowing about it created some obstacles. We walked to the bus stop described by a staff member at the hostel to catch the bus to Villa Catedral and the trailhead. The street looked a bit odd since the there was no traffic (this was the main road through Bariloche) and the road was full of taxis. Someone approached us and said the bus stop was closed. It was then that we began to consider there was a strike going on. (We later learned that a taxi driver had been stabbed in the morning by a thief in his cab and the taxi drivers were protesting the violent act.) We walked a few more blocks thinking we could catch the bus before it turned to avoid the taxi blockade. It was approaching noon (the bus was to come a little after 11:30am) and this particular bus line only ran every 1.5 hours. We were concerned because the bus ride took 45 minutes and we needed at least 4 hours of daylight to make it to camp, so at the latest we needed to be on the 4pm bus.
Problem Two: Some Bus Drivers Strike in Support of Taxi Drivers!
I convinced Marc to go to the bus station since we knew the Villa Catedral bus stopped there. We arrived with just enough time to check in with the bus counter and get to the bus stop for the 1pm bus. Somehow we missed the 1pm bus. Or did we? There was a father and son waiting for the same bus and they didn’t see it either. Hmm. We convinced ourselves that it was our fault, that we turned away, weren’t paying attention, etc. But then the 2:30pm bus didn’t come. At this point we were a bit anxious as time was running out (even given the long Patagonian summer days) and we would have to make alternative plans at some point. Around 2:45pm I convinced Marc to ask the counter agent again while I waited outside for the bus. The agent was clueless and Marc said it took a few phone calls and instant messages to figure out that some bus workers were also on strike to protest the stabbing. She said the bus was running now and would be there shortly. We couldn’t take that chance so we went over to the taxi stand where several opportunistic private taxi drivers were available. For US$20 we made it to Villa Cathedral and the start of our trek. If only…
Problem Three: One of the zippers on Marc’s backpack breaks
During this bus debacle Marc was getting something out of his 70L pack when he managed to rip the heavy-duty side zipper. Fortunately it is not the zipper to the main compartment so it is just an inconvenience. Once in Buenos Aires he can look into getting it fixed.
Setting our problems aside we headed out on a beautiful 3.5 hour hike to our first campsite at Refugio Frey. We found a beautiful spot looking out onto the cirque of mountains surrounding lake – an “REI catalog view” as we like to call these sites. I think it was one of the two prettiest views we have ever had camping (the other being in Torres del Paine National Park). Due to our late arrival we quickly setup the tent and made dinner.
Friday, January 23, 2010
Problem Four: Marc melts his pack towel
The following morning we ran into a bit of a problem with the Whisperlite stove. We were unable to prime it. Our friendly neighbor from Seattle explained we needed to unclog the fuel nozzle using the shaker pin, something Marc might have remembered if he had brought the stove manual. After successfully starting the stove the pot handles quickly overheated. When Marc tried to pick up the pot the heat melted a hole in his synthetic pack towel. When we buy a decent backpacking pot back home we’ll be sure to get one with an insulated handle or a pair of pot grippers.
It wasn’t 11am that we started hiking.. a bit late! At the beginning of the hike we ended up losing the trail around the lake but quickly found our way back after repeatedly stumbling through the brush. From the lake we climbed to another smaller lake , across a snowfield, and then up a steep, rocky incline to the pass. At the end of the pass we were rewarded with an expansive of the valley below.
For some reason the trail builders in Argentina have a thing against switchbacks. This isn’t too much of a problem going up but creates a dangerous situation going down. For most of the descent I was crouched down, practically sliding on scree, and worried that I would cause a rockslide. Early on we both lost the trail markings but could see the convergence where the trail picked up at the bottom and just aimed for that, keeping distance between the two of us to avoid any loose falling rock..
Problem Five: Marc slices his hand open, or so we thought
The trail continued for another 1.5 hours before reaching our second pass of the day. It only took 30 minutes to reach the top
Cut on Marc's hand
but getting over the pass was a bit tricky. The trail itself was covered by snow and we determined it was too steep for us to walk through the snow. There was another route hugging the steep rock adjacent to the snowy section. Marc went first but after a moment I heard him yell and slip from his position. He is now swearing and I am trying to figure out what on earth happened when he says there is blood on his pants. Great. At first I thought it was his knee and I was wondering how we were going to get out of this situation since I was clinging to a different rock in an attempt not to slide down the mountain. After what seemed like ten minutes but in reality was no more then thirty seconds Marc determined that he had sliced the palm of his hand on a rock outcropping and climbed over the section where he had previously slipped. At least he can walk, I thought. When we first examined his hand we were both convinced he would need stitches but once we cleaned it up with our handy first aid kit the cut looked like it was only a little deeper than a scratch. Again it took ages to slide down the other side of the pass but we eventually made it to Refugio San Martin (also called Refugio Jakob).
Saturday, January 24, 2010
Problem Six: BA’s watch band breaks
At some point the next morning I realized that my watch band was broken. This is not the end of the world but I was annoyed. I can no longer look obsessively at the time. It’s also useful to keep track of the time when attempting to catch a bus or plane, which tend to leave punctually (usually).
Problem Seven: We are lost
On the third day it took about four hours to reach the trail terminus which was in a different location then we started. To return to Bariloche there were three options: (1) wait on route 79 for bus #11 which only runs five times per day (and we didn’t have the bus schedule); (2) walk 1.5-2 hours to Colonia Suiza and catch the same #11 bus; or, (3) walk toward the road where we could catch the bus #20 that runs every twenty minutes. We opted for option #3 but quickly became concerned about our decision. The trek’s description stated that from the trailhead/farm it would take 30 – 45 minutes to reach the route 79 but after ten minutes of walking we were at route 79, or at least what we thought was route 79. Three hours later after wandering hopelessly on unmarked gravel roads and speaking to various unhelpful Argentine tourists we reached the road to Villa Catedral (the town where the trek started) – not what we were aiming for but at least we knew what road we were on. The bus to Villa Catedral runs every 1.5 hours and we were pleasantly surprised when we saw the bus pass by on its way to Villa Catedral. We waited 30 minutes for the bus to make it to the villa and turn around. Unfortunately the driver would not stop for us so we resumed walking toward the main road. Eventually we made it to a bus stop and back into town with just enough time to take a shower and catch our 6:30pm bus to San Martin.
Despite all of our complications Nahuel Huapi National Park was a beautiful area and we can definitely understand why the hike is so popular.
