I Had a Moment Of Clarity

After climbing straight up the mountainside by myself in the dark for at least an hour and sat at the Fitz Roy Peak lookout watching the magnificent sunrise, I felt at peace. For a moment all of my doubts and worries about choosing this different life path blew away in the cold, gusting wind. Happiness and faith filled its place. I suddenly felt confident in myself as a person; that I have the power and ability to direct my life that I would like to live it. Completely independent and self-reliable. No longer do I see myself as a teenager.

I AM AN ADULT!!!!!!

Perito Moreno Glacier

How is the Perito Moreno Glacier not one of the seven natural wonders of the world?!

It was finally time to whip out the snow gear I had been lugging around because it was time to go ICE TREKKING!!!

I basically had to crawl onto the bus at 7 AM to Calafate after a fun last night in the hostel at ElChalten. There are really only 2 things to do in this small city: shop or go to the Perito Moreno glacier. As most of you know shopping is not my thing, so I had the rest of the day to sleep and relax. Unfortunately, I had left the camping at Fitz Roy with painful blisters so I was not against the idea ata ll! The hostel was a very social one but I was passed out in the dorm before the BBQ even started! That was embarassing. It wasn´t a horrible idea though considering 6 AM the next morning I was heading out the door to visit the most incredible galcier in the world!

With my heels bandaged carefully, I got suited up in my white and blue fluffy snow jacket and electric purple snow pants to tackle it. The only way to go trekking is through a tour so I forked over the money; but really, how often do you get to go ice trekking? It included a boat trip, 2 hours on the ice, and time to tour the balconies. From Calafate (being the nearest town), we drove 2 hours through pristine forest to arrive at the national park. It was raining when we got there yet everyone was up on the decks of the boat staring as we got our first looks at the beast. The front wall that greeted us was between 40 and 60 meters high. With the early morning sun, this sheer ice wall was literally glittering. Around the edges, massive fallen ice chunks floated in the cloudy water. The sharp ridges and crack sthat ran across it were intimidating. And I am sitting there thinking to myself, "Am I seriously going to go climb this thing?! Are you kidding me?!"

All the clients were divided up into 3 groups; mine was the ´foreigners´ group. Funny enough, we only came from 3 countries: the US, England, and most were from Israel. We hiked to the edge of the glacier where the staff helped strap on our medieval cramp-ons. All they were were metal rectangles with 3 cm spikes on the underside. They were so frickin heavy that walking had suddenly become foreign. My first steps on the ice were baby ones but after few minutes of walking class I was trying to run up ice hills. Our guides had to keep me on a tight leash throughout the whole trip. I was indulging a bit too much in the ability to explore odd places that the cramp-ons gave me. After climbing up & down, peering into deep crevasses, and hiking to different valleys on the glacier, we finished with alfajores (cookie sandwiches of dulce de leche)and whiskey on ice. Normally no one falls but we recorded 3 by the end of the trek. Stupid foreigners.

After lunch we got a 2nd boat trip heading to the balconies where we zoomed up really close to the wall. It gave me a better perspective on how gigantic this monsterous glacier really is. The balconies where constructed into the hillside opposite the glacier offering the perfect panoramic views. It was breathtaking to be able to step back and look at the glacier in its entirety. The front wall reaching 60m above water with another 140m underneath, 3 km wide in the front, and stretching for even more kilometers into the snowy mountainous distant was just...wow!

There was the Perito Moreno glacier.

Once in a lifetime.

The Colors of the Fitz Roy

For my 3 days of Fall trekking in the Fitz Roy National Park in El Chalten,

Argentina, I saw every single color of the rainbow and more!!!

Pink- The color of the clouds when I climbed the to the ultimate lookout point in the dark by myself to watch the sunrise of Patagonian landscape. I had a moment of inner peace there. I will never forget that.

Red- The foliage of the Lenga trees that consumed the majority of the land and slowly creeped up the slopes of the mountains sometimes reaching the stark white snow caps.

Orange- My tiny 1-person tent where I slept and sometimes made my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners which always was ham & cheese slices on crackers with mayonnaise for three days. Yummy the first day; not so much the third.

Yellow- The glorious sun which I was so lucky to have. It is special when the weather is nice and there are no clouds so you can see the top of the peak for maybe half a day; but three!! I could have not asked for better weather :)
Green- All the lush mosses and low brush still flourishing along the lakes' edges under the red, orange, and yellow lenga trees.

Blue- The incredible color peeking out from under the snow at the Cerro Glacier and Fitz Roy. My first glaciers!!!

Purple- My used snow pants that I purchased to withstand the snow that I would soon be encountering on future treks.
Brown- The new HiTec hiking boots that I purchased. They

left me with 2 MASSIVE open and oozing blisters the size of half dollars and 5 small ones of the front of my toes. That is what happens when you have such little time to break them in before you start demanding of them.

Black- The condors that sailed overhead in the distant in the ridiculously strong winds.

Grey- The glacial lakes and river that flows from the park filled with minerals etc from the melting! As well as the color of the massive rock tower that forms the Fitz Roy Peak.
White- The perfectly crispy snow glittering in the sun that covered every single peak and glacier from every lookout point.

The Frey

I just wanted to put this on here as a terrific example of what can happen when you make friends with other travelers:

I arrived in Bariloche, found the hostel, cruised the city, the norm. I whipped up a pasta dish but of course I made absolutely WAY TOO MUCH! I am still learning my way around the kitchen. As I offer my bountiful meal around, the first 2 takers are 2 young guys. One is from Melbourne, Australia and the other is also a gap year kid from Connecticut! Small world, ehh? We got to talk and these guys are rockclimbers. I am of course interested and start looking through all there picutres of where they have been climbing for the last three weeks up north. Their shots are filled with towers of rock and beautiful horizon lines with peaks that look like sand drip castle.

When I press for some more details, I come to discover that up north really means a public bus ride and a 4 hour hike away!!! I am suppose to be leaving this night for a 28hour bus ride south. I flip a coin and it lands on heads. I have to go! I am definitely not a climber but it seemed like a gorgeous that I just couldn`t pass up the opportunity knowing that I was so close. Plus I can take the next bus, right?

The next morning I pack up my small pack and head up to the Frey Refuge named for the popular climbing peak it is snuggled up against. Since I was only going for the night, I was not carrying much weight and made it up in 3 hours. It is located in this thin valley on the side of a glacial-fed lake overlooking the principal peak in the area called The Main Bull at about 2400 meters. We are about 1700 meters up so it is very brisk. The refuge had a kitchen where for a high price could have a tasty meal cooked for you by the 1 staff member and a central room filled with tables and sweet climbing shots. The dorm has mattresses layed all over the floor and on a layer of wooden platforms to keep your stuff. Most people camp though. At the high season, there can be up to 100 tents surrounding this little diamond but during my time there was more like 20 people.

I quickly make friends with the chef and the 2 serious climbers that have been staying there for some time over a chess game. I was only planning on staying the night and returning down the mountain to Bariloche but I couldn`t leave just yet. The next morning I did a quick hike to lookout point. At the top, the wind is gusting very strongly and the rain has started to roll in. I quickly snap some pictures of the 3 Kings peaks, Cerro Catedral and the view of National Park Nahuel Huapi within which I am hiking.

When I got back, the climbers invite me to go rockclimbing! I had expressed interest in at least being able to watch them climb that afternoon. But with the strong wind and oncoming rain, their climb for the day was botched. Instead, they offered to teach me at a nearby spot called Escuelita. They had never done this climb because, well, they are just too good for it. The chef lent me her gear (rope, helmet, harness, shoes, etc.) and I was pumped! Pela, the Argentinian of the 2 climbers, took me out to the rock. He scaled it easily. It was cool watching him navigate his way up this face finding places to lock in the rope in different caribeaners and other climbing gadgets. Meanwhile, I am at the bottom as his safety thinking to myself, ”Can I really do this?”.

Escuelita got its name because although it is one of the easier climbs in the area, it has a variety of tecnical areas. Therefore, it is a good spot to practice the different tecniques. The thing is that I have no tecnique! This is not a rock wall you find in a gym with plastic hold sticking out. The rock is rough and you are trying to wedge yourself between opposite sides of crevasses to create resistant to climb. I also quickly had to learn how to remove of the equipment Pela had placed on his way up! There was one spot in particular I failed the first three attempts to pass. I needed to blindly get my foot around a protuding rock and onto a tiny knot belly button level. I bloodied my hand a bit when I just went for it and ended up swinging around until I bounced back to some flat rock to regain my climbing position. Th fourth and final attempt I got it though. I do not know how but I did and that felt good!

Unfortunately, I couldn`t complete it. The last two meters tests your crack climbing skills. You need to stick your arm as far into the crack and make a fist. Using this, you pull yourself up and try to wiggle as much of your foot into the narrow crack as possible. It was more than difficult and without experience nearly impossible for me. The plus: this meant I got to rapel down the 60 feet I had climbed up instead of walking down the back.

We returned to refuge in the dark to a warm fire. The chef had made an incredible meal for an elderly couple and had enough extra to make a plate. She gave it to Pela and me as a treat after my experience.

I feel so lucky to have been able to do this. I would never have been able to have a basically free one on one rockclimbing lesson with a professional in one of the best spots in Argentina unless I had met these incredible people. I really hope that I can make someone else`s trip more special like these guys did for me.

My First Meal in Argentina

I am standing in the check out line at a supermarket in Bariloche, Argentina minding my own business. I had just crossed over from Chile because my visa ended that day. After a long bus ride, I just wanted to get some good food in me. On the conveyor belt I have pasta, pineapple, some juice, and tuna with the hopes of whipping up a creative dish. An elderly gentleman that is standing in front of me paying turns and examines what I am going to purchase; he was is pleased.

He starts to tell me how I need meat. I am in Argentina, I need meat for every meal!!! I offer up the tuna as an alternative. According to him, the best meat in the world comes from Argentina and it would not be wise of me to miss out on an opportunity to try it!

Then he asks where I am from. Normally I say New York; no one has usually heard of Connecticut unless they are from the States. Suddenly he burst into song! Very loudly, he starts to serenade me with an old jazz tune clearly about New York. I am definitely a bit embarrassed but it brought a smile to my face.

I thank him for the song, pay, and eat a terrific first meal in Argentina.