And the Patagonia Expedition continues. After the challenging border crossing into Argentina and some spectacular day hikes around El Chaltén in the previous post, we take it to the next level in this post by trekking the very intense Huemul circuit right next to the Patagonian ice fields. Good morning once again from El Chaltén. We’re about to do all the hikes in El Chaltén. And todayThe Huemul circuit. The Huemul circuit. So we go to the park rangers to demonstrate our harnesses, because we need to cross rivers with these harnesses. And then, we are about to go on our first stretch, which should take us like hours to Laguna Toro. This is Joachim, and he will join us on the Huemul hike. These are the energy bars for the hikers. We are hiking down here, along the river to our campsite, which is over there. Making friends with the locals. Making friends with the locals, but maybe this could be dinner, Kristin. Should we switch dinner plans? After km of hiking, we finally arrived at our first campsite at Laguna Toro. Tent set up complete. Breakfast is porridge and patacone. Good morning from Lago Toro. We are on our way up to the Glaciar Rio Tunel.
Hiking The Huemul Circuit in El Chaltén Argentina Patagonia Photo Gallery
And we want to go today on the Paso del Viento. And we’re now searching for the way to cross the river, because last time I crossed the river actually over there where the sky is and then went up into these rocks. But this time, there is a rope and we have our harnesses with us. So we can go up here and find a rope and then we can just go over to the other side. Alright, we made it to the rope. So, it’s Kristin’s turn now, over this raging river here. So, this is where we just crossed the river. Alright, how was the zip-lining? It wasn’t as bad as we thought. We’re now in the rocky part, climbing up to see the glacier, which is over there, the Glaciar Rio Tunel, where all this water comes from. We try to find our way over these rocks. It’s hard. There are no marks or anything, just these little stone hills But they are not here all the time and it’s hard to find them in this terrain. After hiking all the way up, you know what’s in order? Food! Last part up and I feel like a mountain goat. Look at that. Alright guys, we made it! This side is pretty cool, but look at that side. Over there, we see the whole ice field. So, this is the south Patagonian ice field. This ice field extends, sq km and is the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water. So still, these are our best friends. We’re trying to find our way down to Campamento Paso del Viento. We set up the tent, and now it’s time for dinner. Good morning from Campamento Paso del Viento, and the sunrise. Today is day number.
And we are about to go to the next paso, Paso Huemul. And then, down to the lake, Lago Viedma. Alright, before we get to the Paso Huemul, we walk all along the Viedma glacier, which is over there. Do you see that? The ice here coming out of the south Patagonian ice field is the Viedma glacier. Which, is carving into the Viedma lake. And this is the place where we will camp tonight, right at the shore of the lake. We stopped our hike to get some calafate berries to improve our breakfast for tomorrow. So, we’re walking with our GPS now. Find our way. Viedma glacier is one of the ice field’s outlet glaciers that have more than sq km of ice field area each. Alright people, we are about to cross the paso Huemul but it actually feels more like the Paso del Viento today. It’s really, really windy. But, it’s just a few hundred meters left up there. Yes! We made it over the pass. And now, we’re going to the other side where we see now the lake. And suddenly, the wind stopped and we have the view to the lake. This whole pass is a challenge. Is there no part of this circuit that is pleasant to hike? You need to earn these views. The beginning was cool, but like, the rest has just been a total beast. We’re almost finished. A rainbow is leading the way to our camp. And we can see the Viedma glacier. Alright, we found some ice from the glacier Viedma. So what do you do when you find ice? You lick it. It’s really antique, the taste. Good morning from the campsite next to the lake, Lago Viedma. We got up early to see the sunrise. And we were surprised by a lot of icebergs today, in the bay, because of really strong winds in the night, which pushed the icebergs into this bay. Alright, it’s breakfast time with a view. Last stretch, we’re going from the Viedma Lake up and back to El Chaltén. Last day’s maybe the easiest day of the Huemul circuit, because you can find sticks here which you can follow. They’re markers. And always in your back is the Viedma Lake and Viedma Glacier. We have to cross the same river again, Rio Tunel. Getting our harnesses out. We arrived at the Bahia Rio Tunel. And this means we have finished the circuit trail. We are still alive. In the next post, we will visit the impressive Perito Moreno glacier near El Calafate. And, we get to know the guys from Pedal South, who cycled all the way from Alaska down to Patagonia. So, don’t forget to comment to this blog for new travel posts every Thursday. Check out my travel and hiking guides, as well as Kristin’s articles, if you want to explore this beautiful region as well. See you next time. Mmm. Mmm-mmm. Cracker with salami cream.
