In the Shadow of the Volcano

We just finished a great 4-day trek around Volcan Puyehue, down to some thermal springs, and around the volcano to the south side. After day 3 we couldn´t find the trail where it enters the treeline, so we had to slog back up to a high pass, and retrace our steps back to the trailhead (shame on you Expediciones El Caulle for chargeing top dollars to enter the estancia lands and selling maps for this trek, and not marking the trails). Anyways, the weather was spectacular, and the mountain scenery breathtaking. More photos in the gallery. Enjoy!

Patagonian Summer, Such a Tease

 Every few days summer manages to crash what seems like winter´s never-ending party by bargeing in with a day of shocking heat and big blue skies.

The View to Lago Nahuel Huapi and Bariloche from Refugio Lopez, December 30, 2006.

Comfort at the Edge of a Glacier

Frank and I just returned from a few days at Pampa Linda (translates roughly to “Beautiful Valley”) just south of Bariloche. Boxing day was spent boxed into the van, waiting for a storm to pass. While we sipped tea, we watched horizontal rain turn to hail and snow and the trees sway violently in the wind. Once the storm passed we were able to stretch our legs for several walks in the area, including a trek up to the base of Monte Tronador where there is a cozy and well-stocked refugio.

Also in the area is the Ventisquero Negro, a huge glacial outflow extanding from the slopes of Monte Tronador. At first glance, the glacier appears to be a moraine, cliffs of rock and soil spilling into a silty lake. But beneath all the gravel is ice, a longe tongue of permafrost churning up the valley as it squeezes through a gorge and progresses to a form a deep valley filled with meltwater. Icebergs float by, slowly melting, breaking the reflections of surrounding cliffs. Nearby, waterfalls cascade over cliffs like veils of tulle, wandering to the rhythms of the gusting winds. The steady ssusshhhh… ssushh of the warefalls are interrputed by the cracking, thumping, and rumbling of glacial activity. A dramatic and humbling place.

Another Visit to Parque Nacional Lanin

Volcán Lanin (3271 mts), as seen from a pasture at the start of the ascent, looks deceivingly tranquil on a clear day. Ferocious winds whipped the ice and snow on the upper north face forcing many mountaineers to abandon their ascents at the 3000 meter mark.

_____

After recovering from our fender-bender in Zapala, we spent a day and night on the flanks of Volcán Lanin, one of Argentina’s finest parks. The park borders on the huge Nahuel Huapi Park to the south, and several Chilean parks to the west, making this area (known as The Lakes District) one of the largest expanses of park land in Patagonia. We were in Lanin in March earlier this year, and trekked to the southern base of the “volcán” on a glorious autumn day. This time we visited the northern face, hiking up to the “Refugio Militar”, the highest point for day-trippers. The weather was fantastic (but for the proverbial freezing winds) and we stretched our eyes with vistas to Volcán Villarica in Chile 50 kilometers to the north. Lanin is one fo my favourite parks in Patagonia. Far from the maddening crowds of Fitzroy and Torres del Paine, the land is vast and elegant, with rolling pastures nestled between dramatic rock walls and craggy tusks formed by millenia of fierce winds. Sapphire-blue lakes and smaller volcanoes compliment the acentuate the towering cap of Lanin. And as always, there are small woodsy towns nearby - Junin and San Martin de Los Andes - cultured by cheese-makers, artisanal chocolatiers and micro-brewers.

More photos can be seen in the photo gallery.