El Chaltén Day 2

Today we hiked Sendero Torre. This hike has a few different viewpoints and started from the middle of town which meant we didn't have to pay the extortionate $45,000 peso fee.

We left the campsite and walked through town. This was a pretty flat walk until the very end where we had a small steep hill to get to the start of the trail. We began the trail walking through a forest. The path was nice and flat with dirt and some random stones and roots. There was about 300m from the lowest point to the highest point on this first 4km section to Mirador Torre.

Once at the mirador, we took some pictures. Cerro Solo was clearly visible, but unfortunately not many of the other mountains were, including Cerro Torre. It almost looked like a valley of clouds with the very top of the mountain peaks popping through the clouds. Allan and I had a peanut butter and banana wrap. I then stayed at the mirador hoping the clouds would clear, and Allan continued along the trail to the lagoon closer to the peak.

After waiting a while, and the clouds still lingering, I decided to head back down. It was a nice walk back down over the rocks and through the forest. Not many people were around, and most were on their way up, so it was pretty peaceful. I did slip and fall once, but luckily it wasn't a bad fall.

Back at the car I did some trip admin and read a bit until Allan got back from his 20km+ walk. He said he didn't get a clear view of Cero Torre either, but did have some nice views of the lagoon and glacier nearby.

He took some time to chill out and then we went back into town for some dinner. We chose the same place as last night, decent food and portions and already knew the price. It saved us a lot of hassle and time. After dinner we walked back to the car and took some time to prep breakfast for the morning and get some clothes out and ready to save time. Tomorrow is an early start for the Laguna de Los Tres hike to get in before the park rangers man the entrance and charge $45 per person, and to get a good start because it's a very long hike.Read more