As we took flight, Ushuaia bid us farewell with its silvery peaks glistening in the late afternoon sun.
The airport experience had been confounding. Multiple flights taking off from the same gate at the same time, announcements in rapid-fire Spanish flying past our ears making no sense at all, and people forming random queues everywhere. It took us a bit to figure things out and get on the right flight. Off to El Calafate now - our mini-detour from Torres del Paine.
We were completely unprepared for the sight that greeted us during touch down. The snowy peaks had been replaced by an unreal turquiose lake blooming like an oasis in the midst of barren steppes.
A shuttle bus drove us to our much recommended hostel located on the fringes of a village-like town dotted with shabby homes and street dogs spilling out of everywhere. Because the hostel was fully booked that night, Nagesh had opted for a dorm accomodation. Not our first preference but it was way cheaper and high time we had our true backpacker experience. Not really though! That thought disappeared as soon as we set eyes on the crammed room, furmished with three bunk beds for six with common shared bathrooms outside. To add to the excitement, a rastafarian looking guy turned out to be one of our room mates.
Ten minutes later we were checked into the most expensive private room the hostel had to offer. So much for our ten minute dorm adventure. We signed up that very evening for a super-trekking adventure to the northern part of The Glacier National Park in El Chalten.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Cerro Martial - Our First Glacial Encounter
It´s not easy to learn two new languages at the same time. Chances are that you´ll get the vocabulary all mixed up. Explains why Nagesh instinctively replies with a ¨haan¨ instead of ¨si´´. Neither is it easy to type these stories using the hispanic keyboards. You have no clue how hard it is to type the @ sign :-)
The rains returned triumphantly at night after that glorious day. We heard it crashing on our roof all night while the winds threatened to take the house down. We awoke to a stormy morning, reluctant to get out of bed and fearing the turbulent waters for our penguin excursion. Sure enough the trip was cancelled when we got to the port. If only they had called us at home.
The only silver lining was the phenomenal transformation of the landscape. The storm had dressed up the mountain tops in silvery garb. We got our money back and made a beeline for the quilts.
Research suggested an alternate trip to a nearby glacier located on Cerro Martial. The book (footprint) didn´t say a whole lot about it but we were determined not to waste the day. A short bus ride up serpentine slopes brought us to the entrance. A chairlift would carry us further up from this point. This was proving to be way more exciting than the book had led us to believe.
High above the ground, feet dangling, hands freezing, noses starting to match Rudolf´s, it was a scene straight out of Where Eagles Dare. The glacier was looming far in the distance, a river was flowing in the forests far below, and we were whooping in suspended animation.
Two frozen bodies jumped off the chairlift, ready for the 90 minute hike up to the glacier. This was our very first encounter with the elements. The light rain was turning to powdery snow at that elevation. The winds had kicked up to a brutal force. We now know what it means to say it ¨blew our socks off.¨ The REI wind-resistant, gore-tex, 300 count jackets and tough shoes seemed very meaningful at this stage.
The hike steadily increased in difficulty as we started ascending the slopes. The weather was turning hostile by the second. We had to literally sit out butts down to prevent ourselves from getting blown off the slopes. The snow was coming down hard and the wind was thrashing it against our faces. We could barely keep our eyes open, visiblity being poor as it was.
The number of people heading up dropped drastically. Those coming down had given up somewhere along the way. We kept forging up the steep and slippery slopes - one step at a time. After crossing a huge hump, we met returning hikers who had been advised not to hike any further. Frozen and dripping wet, we knew it was time to turn around.
A couple of hours later we were enjoying chocolate calientes (hot chocolates) at our favorite cafe in Ushuaia. The temperature board on the square outside recorded 1 ºC. But we were basking in the warm excitement of our first glacial encounter.
The rains returned triumphantly at night after that glorious day. We heard it crashing on our roof all night while the winds threatened to take the house down. We awoke to a stormy morning, reluctant to get out of bed and fearing the turbulent waters for our penguin excursion. Sure enough the trip was cancelled when we got to the port. If only they had called us at home.
The only silver lining was the phenomenal transformation of the landscape. The storm had dressed up the mountain tops in silvery garb. We got our money back and made a beeline for the quilts.
Research suggested an alternate trip to a nearby glacier located on Cerro Martial. The book (footprint) didn´t say a whole lot about it but we were determined not to waste the day. A short bus ride up serpentine slopes brought us to the entrance. A chairlift would carry us further up from this point. This was proving to be way more exciting than the book had led us to believe.
High above the ground, feet dangling, hands freezing, noses starting to match Rudolf´s, it was a scene straight out of Where Eagles Dare. The glacier was looming far in the distance, a river was flowing in the forests far below, and we were whooping in suspended animation.
Two frozen bodies jumped off the chairlift, ready for the 90 minute hike up to the glacier. This was our very first encounter with the elements. The light rain was turning to powdery snow at that elevation. The winds had kicked up to a brutal force. We now know what it means to say it ¨blew our socks off.¨ The REI wind-resistant, gore-tex, 300 count jackets and tough shoes seemed very meaningful at this stage.
The hike steadily increased in difficulty as we started ascending the slopes. The weather was turning hostile by the second. We had to literally sit out butts down to prevent ourselves from getting blown off the slopes. The snow was coming down hard and the wind was thrashing it against our faces. We could barely keep our eyes open, visiblity being poor as it was.
The number of people heading up dropped drastically. Those coming down had given up somewhere along the way. We kept forging up the steep and slippery slopes - one step at a time. After crossing a huge hump, we met returning hikers who had been advised not to hike any further. Frozen and dripping wet, we knew it was time to turn around.
A couple of hours later we were enjoying chocolate calientes (hot chocolates) at our favorite cafe in Ushuaia. The temperature board on the square outside recorded 1 ºC. But we were basking in the warm excitement of our first glacial encounter.
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