Wind, Camping, and a Perfect Gentleman

Jed and I arrived in El Chalten, trekking capital of the nation, around 5:30pm. We were arriving a day earlier than expected and as such did not have a hostel booked until the following evening. We dropped our things off at the hostel, reorganized bags, and took only what we would need for the next 48 hours. We headed to Patagonia Hikes where we rented sleeping bags, mats, and a tent and then next door for empanadas. After we loaded up on snack food for the hike and our meals for the following day and at around 6:30 finally set off on our hike for the evening. Our plan was to go to Laguna Capri, which the woman at the Patagonia rentals had said would be about 1 1/2 hours away, and from there, if we thought we could make it in daylight, would continue to Poicenot (another 1 1/2 hours) where we would camp for the night. We made our way out of town to the trail entrance in about 20 minutes, started off and were welcomed with a 15 minute, very steep incline right off the bat. When we reached the top, the path became flatter and about 10 minutes later when we reached the sign, realized we had followed signs for Laguna Torre, not Laguna de los Tres, and if we continued on our current path, wouldn´t make it to a campsite before nightfall. So we turned around, back downhill, and headed in the right direction. The winds were crazy, often so strong that it would cause Jed and I to drift off the path. When we finally reached the trailhead of the path we wanted, it was a bit after 7 and the hikers who were reaching the bottom looked at us as if we were insane: not only beginning a hike so late, but in such windy conditions. We just kept trekking.

The hike up to Laguna Capri, all 1 1/2 hours of it, are straight uphill. Jed, being the gentleman he is, took the backpack the entire way, complete with our mats, bags, and the tent, despite our agreement to switch off periodically. We reached Capri at dusk, set up the tent, and headed off to the Laguna for water and a gorgeous nightly sky over Fitzroy. In the morning, we left our gear at the campsite and headed off to Poicenot (a completely flat trail to get there), Piedras Blancas, and El Pilar before returning to the site to pack up our gear and head back down (Jed, once again, carried everything). The 36 hours, despite the rough start, where perfect. It was awesome to hike after so much time spent on buses and an even better feeling to be out in nature, playing Tom Petty in the tent, amidst a stunning landscape, and hearing the winds howl outside as we slept.

Practical Information: To rent equipment from Patagonia Hikes it is 30p for a sleeping bag (which comes with a mat) and 30p for the tent. They charge per night when you return the gear. There is no entrance fee for El Chalten, and you can camp at one of their many sites in the park for free. Check at some hostels before renting your equipment: many have a 15% off coupon for Patagonia Hikes. There are also 2 other places to rent from along the main street, San Martin, but Patagonia Hikes is the first you will run into after getting off the bus.