While Stef has been enjoying some nice local day-hikes around El Chalten and sleeping in a warm bed while clean from a hot shower, Kevin has been lugging a heavy pack up and down mountain passes in the wilderness of Los Glaciares National Park.
The guided trek, pronounced "way - mool", leaves from the guide company's office in downtown Chalten and circumnavigates the Huemul Massif near town, traversing two passes, two zip-line river crossings, a glacier walk, and views of the expansive South Patagonian Icefield.
Huemul Massif, there are dozens of impressive sub-peaks as well
Stef was originally going to join Kevin on this Trek, but after much reading, thinking, video watching, discussing, magic 8-ball consulting, and astrology interpretation she decided that it would probably be too scary to fully appreciate. It turned out to be a great call which we'll see later.
Day 1 - 2/6/17
The day started off with Stef and Kevin getting breakfast, packing up, and going their separate ways for a few days. Kevin got to Serac and the crew began divying up the group gear, food, and going through the gear check with the guides to make sure we're all set for the trek. The crew consisted of Joe (an early 40s British Israeli), Josh (a mid 20s New Zealander), and Willie (a late 20s South African) with our two guides Mattius and Fagu.
We set off south towards Huemul and the start of our trek after the gear was packed and we were ready to go. Very flat through town, but started climbing sharply through the Patagonian Steppe just outside town. A pretty great view of the surrounding area emerged as we climbed.
Chalten and the mountains beyond
The mountains to the right of Chalten
Weird rock that looked like a bird landing on it could knock it over
A break was needed and we found some shade to relax in. It quickly became obvious that Joe was not prepared for the strenuousness from the Trek and Kevin took some of his group gear to lighten his load. Josh was also dealing with some pretty nasty blisters that he got the day before while breaking in his new boots and it made walking difficult.
After we continued, we entered a forest which was a welcome change to the exposed grassland we've been more accustomed to in previous hikes here. It got pretty tough, and then got even steeper when Fagu said "they call this part 'Kill Porter'" and took off. Chasing Fagu through the forest ended with a great rest area in an open field when we could now see Viedma lake off to the left.
The forest
Viedma lake in the distance, on our way to Lago Torro
Now we were at the top and started going down towards the lake, Huemul Massif now looming ahead of us offering up the challenge to circumnavigate the peaks and valleys beyond.
Huemul Massif
Dropping into the valley was quite scenic, and we could see the lake and glacier that served as tomorrow's first obstacles just passed the campsites. There were towering mountains all around, and it made for quite an epic entrance into the Circuit. After getting to our campsite, we ate dinner and settled into our tents for the night, content with a good workout for the first day.
Walking down towards Laguna Toro
The Toro Valley, where we camped near Laguna Toro
To the right of the valley, Cerro Solo towered over us
Day 1 Summary Map / Profile
Day 2 - 2/7/17
A bright and early morning hoping for a great sunrise was thwarted by my age old enemy, topography, the devil conspired to put sunrise on the other side of the mountain to render my morning view as wanting. Topography and I would come to blows throughout this story, so it was only the first battle of many to come.
Rise and shine!
We slowly packed up camp, had a leisurely breakfast, and started making our way towards Laguna Toro. Circumnavigating the lake was the first step on our way to the Zipline, which would take us to the Glacier. After climbing some rocks and zig-zagging our way through the base of the canyon, we found the zipline and started pulling out our harnesses. The guides helped us get setup and then one by one we pulled ourselves across the river.
A rainbow greeted us as we made our way around Laguna Toro
Once we climbed some rocks, we found the zipline, is this the best way over the river?
Good thing we have our guides with us
The zipline turned out to be not bad at all. Good thing we didn't just ford the river, otherwise I wouldn't get to carry around this sweet harness and carabiner for 4 days. With everyone on the right side of the river, we put away our harnesses and started the trek to the foot of the glacier.
What we didn't expect is getting to crawl through a slot canyon on the way up, it was a nice change of pace and really set the tone of varied terrain for the whole trip. Tall canyon walls shot up above us as we scrambled up the dry rocky canyon bed. Once we poked our heads out the other side, the foot of the glacier was right in front of us, our next obstacle for the day.
Interesting canyon that we got to climb up on our way to the glacier
Looking back down towards the canyon, which is just around the corner
The foot of the glacier! Melting away.
The height of the glacier certainly poses a problem, but after a quick scramble up the right and a hop across a stream of meltwater we were on the ice! Due to all the rocks, dust, and gravel that is spread all over the base of the glacier we were able to walk across without crampons. The walk on the glacier was only about an hour, but it was one of the highlights of the day. This was certainly a lot easier than walking in the moraine (loose rock that gives like sand) the whole way.
Looking back from the glacier
Climbing away!
Interesting ice features
Enjoying the hell out of the good weather
Looking up towards the more pristine portions of the glacier
On the other side of the glacier it was time to get back to reality and climb some rocks. Once in the boulder field it was quickly explained to us that we were entering a rockfall area and to not linger for the next few hundred meters, at which point we could relax again. We climbed switchbacks in the moraine for a few minutes and then came to a place to relax for a nice break while admiring the work we've already put in for the day so far.
View from lunch of the height we've already got over the glacier
After our break it was down to business, a long unrelenting climb to Paso de Viento. What started as switchbacks turned into a long straight balcony trail with a steep climb that was at least kind enough to provide some stunning views of the opposite mountains and glaciers the whole way. Joe was having trouble keeping up, so we split up into two groups (each with a guide) and kept in touch over radio the rest of the day.
Higher over the same glacier
New glacier to enjoy
Valley Toro stretched out behind us
When we crested the ridge and were at the pass, it was much quieter. A series of tarns dotted the landscape and other trekkers were scattered around enjoying the views. On the other side of the pass we stopped for lunch and soaked in the panorama of the Viedma glacier and the South Patagonian Icefield before us. It was at this point we were very much reminded that the Viento of Paso de Viento means wind, and lots of it.
The top of the pass
The tarn we ate lunch at, to enjoy the icefield
The icefield itself
The descent from the pass was interesting to say the least, shirking the trail for what was surely a better way down, the guide lead us to the left along the ridge where no such boot-path or trail existed. After some walking along the ridge where clearly we shouldn't be walking, he takes a hard turn to the right and just starts jogging down the scree. I've jogged down scree before, it's kind of like skiing and can be quite fun when you know the ground will give as you're sinking your heels with each step. This was not like that though, as mixed into the scree were larger rocks and hard ground. Josh and Willie fell a few times, I managed to stay upright but it was not an easy jog like our guide made it seem.
On our way down from the pass
Once we got down, it was back to actual trail as we continued to radio check-in with Fagu and Joe who were far behind us. The trail followed a nice set of streams and ponds between two ridges of moraine and we could see the final lagoon where our campsite was in the distance.
Towards the refuge for the night
Interesting tarn along the trail
Camp for the night!
Joe had the other half of my tent, so I waited in the refuge and drank some tea for about 30-40 minutes until they showed up. Once they did it was quick work to get the tent in place. I then took some time exploring the rocks around camp to see what sunset / sunrise views may exist, but discovered that over each layer of moraine was just more and more rocks, we couldn't see the icefield! (foiled again by topography) I did manage to find one outcropping that gave a good view of Viedma glacier though, so it wasn't a total loss.
Moraine all around the camp, just layers of rocks
Viedma glacier view from the top of the moraine near camp
A very varied and successful day with some great views now comes to a close, we had some great pasta and salami with cheese for dinner with some chocolates for dessert and closed up for the night. Another pass awaited us the next day, with a promised "uncomfortable" steep descent, one of the things that made Stef hesitate to join the trip. We'll see how it goes!
Day 2 Summary Map / Profile (ignore the weird spike)
Day 3 - 2/8/17
The morning started off rather strangely, I awoke to found that Joe was not in the tent with me, which I at first attributed to just using the restroom or something. Overhearing and speaking with the guides later it became a bit more clear what had happened. Joe had gotten up almost an hour before everyone else, gotten "ready" and started standing silently outside the guide's tent. He had his empty backpack on, his bootlaces were untied, and his jacket was flapping open. He stood like this, motionless outside the guide's tent for over 30 minutes in the wind and cold thinking it was time to go. Keep in mind we hadn't had breakfast or packed up anything at this point.
The guide asked Joe to get back in the tent to warm up until breakfast, at which point I started talking to him, saying he was confused would be putting it lightly. He was freezing, not quite hypothermic but close, shivering strongly even while inside his sleeping bag and with all his layers on, asking me strange questions repeatedly as if he didn't remember asking them, forgetting things like what clothing he had on and who people were. It was quite frightening as I wasn't sure how to handle it. Even at breakfast he was quiet and a bit in shock, clearly this trip had been a little more than he was ready for.
Breakfast was good as always, we made Joe drink lots of hot drink to warm up, but he refused to eat much food. Only after we packed up and started walking did he seem to start to feel better, and acted normally again. I took his half of the tent in my pack as well to help lighten his load a bit, which seemed to help as well. We were all relieved once he started acting more normally.
The hike itself started along the moraine, climbing from where our lagoon camp was. Views across Viedma glacier started to open up and it was a very lucky day with the weather. The first half of the day was very easy going, just up and down through grassy fields and near lakes and streams.
The one part in the morning that Stef wouldn't have liked, a bit steep.
Most of the morning was like this, pretty level trail with great views to our right
Clouds starting to recede, showing the mountains beyond the ice
Pretty snow capped mountains in the distance
Beautiful grassy canyons to hike through
Much more open than I was expecting for this part of the trip
We stopped for a break next to a stream with a great view of one of Huemul's sub-peaks. Eating some food was nice, and with everyone caught up and resting we were able to see that Joe was back to his old self, we were staying closer together in case the guide's needed any help but still had sort of a fast and slow group. After the break we crossed a wide meadow with an impressive view of the back of Huemul, and then the climb started.
Stream where we had a nice break
Open views of snow covered peaks in the icefield
The scale of Huemul Massif is ridiculous, peaks over 2,000m above you and it's not even the true summit
The climb on paper was nothing to be too concerned about, it looked like a few hundred feet of climb without much in our way. I'm not sure what black magic the topographic map was using to shroud the climb to Paso Huemul, but it was probably akin to what bound the rings to Sauron in LOTR. What didn't look like a climb on paper was a very steep balcony trail with some sketchy ledges that would have made Stef seriously uncomfortable, needless to say I was having a great time. Eventually we came to an area large enough for us to take a break and regroup before the final push to the pass, we saw several condors and a pretty spectacular view of the icefield from there.
From this point onward it was more balcony and several sketchy spots until the base of the pass, where the trail turned straight up, ignoring all conventions around switchbacks. The wind was pretty insane, but it was at our backs, which actually made climbing a bit easier. At the top I waited for the others and soaked in the incredible views.
The icefield and Viedma glacier in full glory
Had to get proof
Viedma lake on the other side of Paso Huemul
Once regrouped, we started our way down the backside of the pass to enjoy a nice place for some lunch. Eating out of the wind was certainly enjoyable, much more so than the steep knee-grinding, slippery descent that followed. Each step was through thick brush, on downward sloping rock, and completely covered in loose dust / small gravel that made you feel like traction was a myth that you'll never know again. Then you got to the rope part, which was actually more enjoyable since you felt like something was preventing the innumerable slips that I somehow managed to avoid.
The view of the lagoon we'd be camping near
The slopes and rope part were interesting
Finally lost some of the steepness of the trail
Interesting plants
The rocky shore
Viedma glacier ending in the lake
Day 3 Summary Map / Profile
Day 4 - 2/9/17
The morning started off well with a hot breakfast and continued good weather (we never had a drop of rain!) and I climbed up the ridge near our camp to get a few pictures of the mountains and glacier opposite our camp across the lagoon.
Predawn across the lagoon
Just after sunrise
The hike was mellow at first, staying close to the lakeshore and crossing streams and enjoying the grassy steppe outside the mountains. We caught continued views of the ridiculous cliff we somehow hiked down the day before.
The steppe
Yesterday's descent
Looking back across the shore to the mountains
After much undulating up and down the many ridges of the steppe we finally got to the high point and enjoyed a long break where we finished the rest of our snacks (we all ate the rest of our lunch food the day before and so we were anxious to get lunch back in town). The view from the outcroppings near here were amazing and gave us a totally new type of terrain to enjoy.
A long descent followed, but this one was a lovely gradual and easy descent compared to yesterday's monstrosity. We started to see some animals, well traces of them anyway. A giant condor feather graced the trail, which gave us some perspective on how big these birds really are. Later we found a cow skull on one of the trail markers which was interesting.
Cow skull!
So Condors are big I guess...
The trail surprisingly became quite steep and balcony which Stef wouldn't have liked, but it didn't last too long. One last break and then we were at the bottom ready to hit the last Zipline. The weather started to deteriorate, but it never rained, the weather gods were certainly kind to us the past few days. After the Zipline we packed our bags one last time and made the final 30 minute homestretch walk to the harbor where the guides had a bus and cold beer waiting for us!
The Huemul Circuit has been one of the best treks of recent memory, with some incredibly diverse (and sometimes challenging) terrain and one of the only places you can easily view the Southern Patagonian Icefield. I will probably be back some day to do another guided trek with this outfit as I had a great time. El Chalten is a very special place that earned it's reputation as a backpacker's paradise ten-fold.
Day 4 Summary Map / Profile
Final Stats - 39.6 miles, 9,646ft of climbing, 16:01:19 moving time
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