It's autumn here in Patagonia, and the trees are a sienna fire orange. The weather is windy, the mountains majestic, and the glaciers glorious. Life is beautiful and peaceful.
I first arrived in El Calafate, a town named for the barberry fruit that is 
abundant in the area. Legend states that anyone who 
eats the calafate will be sure to return to Patagonia. Driving the 20 km from the airport to the town, it strikes you that there is really nothing else around. The town itself is touristy and quite expensive, but head to the costanera lake path and you can find a breath of nature. The reason everyone come to El Calafate is to see the 
astounding Perito Moreno glacier. And astounding it is! I did a full-
day trek 
on the glacier and got to wear crampons for the first time! You 
can drink the water straight from the glacial streams, as you can from the other streams in Patagonia. It was a fun trek.
Next I went to El Chaltén, a town with the indigenous tehuleche name meaning smoking mountain (because of the ubiquitous clouds around the mountain peaks). En route the bus stops at a little cafe/hotel called Las Leonas, where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid actually hid out way back in the day! El Chaltén is a tiny unpaved-road pueblo and much more enjoyable than El Calafate, both of which are in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. It is known as the national trekking capital and is famous for the Fitz Roy 
mountain range, located in the Southern Patagonia Ice Field. The entrance to the town is the park ranger's station, where everyone disembarks and listens to an overview of the park and leave no trace principles. A good 
introduction to El Chaltén! On my first night I took a short hike up to the look-out point Mirador Los Cóndores. On my first full day I did an 8-hr hike to 
Laguna Torre, from which there's an excellet view of Cerro Torre and Glaciar Grande. The fun part is the last section of the path - a rocky traverse on the ridge of 
the cliff. Even better in the rain! The next day I had the best hike of my life. Seriously. Through the forest, around rivers, over the steppe, across bridges, nearing the mountains. It was a 10-hr round trip adventure to Laguna de los Tres, 
possibly the most beautiful scene I have even seen. Especially since the last hour is straight up a rocky 
winding mountain face. Exhausting and exhilirating! The final view is a brilliant cerulean lake with the Fitz 
Roy (Chaltén) range in the background. A 'wow' out loud moment. A fierce wind started howling - sharp good
cold. I had to lie down on the rocks so I wouldn't blow over! I walked down to the lake and sat 
for hours. Then nature smiled, the clouds cleared, and the wind stopped. The setting sun illuminated the peaks, and blue sky shone through. A rare moment for these mountains. It was a gorgeous hike down, and I somehow had so much energy when I finished that I ran the 2km back to my hostel. Beautiful.
Now I am gearing up for a 5-day trek in Torres del Paine, currently hanging out in Puerto Natales waiting to find a camping partner. It's not fun playing the waiting game, so hopefully I'll have some luck in the next day or two. I'm eager to hit the trail, especially since it's starting to get snowy there! I hope my next update will be a positive reflection of the trek - whatever happens it's sure to be an adventure!
