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| 2013-11-23 click date for more photo's |
22/11/2013 and
23/11/2013 El Chalten
We are so glad
we detoured to El Chalten. It is a really nice place to hang out. The
town itself is nothing much to write home about but when you see the
setting it is quite something. From almost anywhere in the town you
see the silhouettes of Fitzroy and Cerro de Torre usually with their
peaks covered in cloud so all the more special when you catch them
'naked'. There is a mix of really expensive hotels and restaurants
which cater for the many tourists but also budget hostals (£5.- pp
including access to kitchen etc) because the town attracts many
hikers and mountaineers(without money but with a lot of passion) The
walking here is superb, with excellent tracks and of course even
better views. We have come across many dead trees whilst travelling
in Patagonia which troubled us somewhat but after talking to people
here, we realise that it is quite normal. The roots of the most
common tree species here is very sensitive and if the temperature is
wrong whole forests will die. This has always been the way but
because the wood doesn't decompose as it would in Europe, the dead
wood stays around forever.
We went to do
a trek on theViedma glacier today and were truly impressed. We were
very lucky because we ended up as a group of six with two guides who
were passionate climbers and very knowledgeable. Walking on the
glacier with crampons and under the glacier in a kind of cave was
amazing. This particular glacier is receding rapidly. Partly because
of less snow fall in the high mountains and partly because of
increased melting.(global warming??? We felt compelled to take
hundreds of pictures but of course none of them really capture it.
You have to see it for yourself.
Tomorrow we
will be back on the bikes again which is just as well really as
although our legs are cycle fit they're still complaining after all
the hiking.
Badman ice climber!!!!
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