Chronicles of a Patagonia Road Trip: Part IV

My arrival to Buenos Aires on April 20^th marked the end of my trip through Patagonia, as well as the end of my journey through Latin America. It has been quite the experience and I could not have asked for a better finale than this road trip.

Day 17

"Woke up to a view of Mount Fitz Roy through the wind shield of our truck. We had arrived to El Chaltén. Excited to be hiking after two weeks of inactivity. Fall colours against the backdrop of Fitz Roy the whole way. After setting up camp at its base, decided to hike to a glacier that caught our eye from the drive into El Chaltén. Getting there involved an hour or two of bush-whacking through a swamp and scrambling over loose rocks. But it was worth it. I was in awe of its baby blue colour and the thunderous sounds it produced as it cleaved. The shore of the glacier pool was dotted with chunks of ice, some as big as I. It had been days since I had last showered and the pristine water was just calling my name. It was the coldest water I’ve ever swam in, but being somewhat clean afterward was well worth it."

Woke up to this view near El Chaltén

Fall colours & Mount Fitz Roy

Taking a dip in glacier run off

Day 18

"Got out of the park just past noon and decided to treat myself to clean laundry, a bed, and the cheesiest Roquefort pizza in town. Will be back on the road tomorrow."


Day 19

"Glad to have picked up another longterm hitch-hiker, James from England. Not only can we now split fuel costs four ways, but we can sing along to 'The Proclaimers' in a four-part harmony."

Guanacos

Llamas

"Hard to believe that the Landruiser was able to handle the sharp turns on the way to Perito Moreno Glacier at double, and sometimes triple, the posted speed limit. We were silent and holding on for dear life as Tom negotiated the windy road of the national park trying to get us to the glacier before the sun set. While the passengers all made it, the truck took a little bit of a beating. The suspension was a little squeakier than usual, one of the windows was stuck, and one of the speakers ceased to work. But we managed to make it just in the nick of time, and had the entire park to ourselves."

"The glacier truly was one of the most amazing sights. It was baby blue, laced with crevasses and stretched as far as the eye could see. The sounds it made as it calved were deafening, and some lasted nearly a minute. Furthermore, it would often prompt the calving of another part of the glacier, perhaps hundreds of metres away."

Perito Moreno Glacier, El Calafate, Argentina

Managed to fix the speaker, but no luck with the window

Day 20

"Last night we ate at an all-you-can-eat parilla in El Calafate. We were stuffed and several bottles of vino deep when we discovered that the restaurant had wifi, fast wifi. As it was the first place in Patagonia that we've managed to find wifi good enough to open our e-mail, all of us, with the exception of James for he lost his cell phone, busted out our tablets and computers and went at it. We were the last people in the restaurant and eventually the staff got fed up and simply shut it off to get us to leave. After  Tom and I dropped off Thomas and James at a hostel we decided to park our truck - i.e. mobile home -  outside the restaurant in hopes that they reconnected the internet. We were in luck and spent some more time sending e-mails, calling banks, etc."


Day 21

"The streets of Puerto Natales at six in the morning are not what you would expect of a small town in Southern Patagonia... It made for an interesting start to our multi-day hike of the 'W'-trek in Torres del Paine National Park. Due to bad weather forecasts and a time constraint on our road-trip, we opted to do this four to five day hike in three. We traveled lightly the nine kilometres to the lookout point for the towers. The weather was beautiful and we had a great view of the towers at the top. But we only had maybe a half hour to soak it in as we still had the majority of the hike in front of us. We raced down the trail, picked up our packs, and had to set a fast pace for camp if we were going to make it in day light. The wind was incredibly strong. We made it just as the sun was setting and, at the end of the day, we covered about 32 km. Quinoa for dinner."

Gauchos herding horses

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

Los Torres del Paine

Day 22

"More hiking, more incredible scenery and more Quinoa..."

The Towers at night

Setting up camp

Day 23

"The absurd cost of transport to get back to the parking lot at the start of the 'W' trek left us with a bad taste of Torres del Paine National Park. We were further aggravated when we got to the parking lot and the hotel wouldn't sell us any gas. We asked every person in the parking lot if they had any gas to spare. After an hour or two we collected maybe a litre. Decided to push for a small town between the park and Puerto Natales where rumours hold that there is a black market for gasoline. If we didn't make it, two of us would watch over the truck for the night while the other two hitched a ride into town to fill up a gas can. We made it, but the police wouldn't help us and said we'd need to hitch a ride. Finally we found the black market and bought out their whole stock, a whole six litres for more than $12 US. We had doubts that it would be sufficient to take us to Puerto Natales, but we made it with one litre to spare in the tank. Will we never learn..."


Day 24

"Slept at a nice hospedaje last night run by a grandmother named Gloria. Surprised to find the windshield wiper snapped off the car. Used some fishing line to fasten it to the truck. At least it came in use somewhere, for I'm surely not catching any fish with it... After conquering the 'Towers of Pain' (Torres del Paine)  we are ready to continue our journey sur, down the 'Road to the End of the World' (Carretera al Fin del Mundo) to 'The Land of Fire' (Tierra del Fuego). I hope the scenery lives up to the expectations set by the epic titles..."


Day 25

"Took a ferry from Punta Arenas to Porvenir, the gateway to Tierra del Fuego. While the road here looked better than most we've been driving, it was by far the worst. The dirt road was saturated with water - it was essentially mud. In 4WD we were sliding off the road into the ditches lining it, getting spun around over 90º at times, and getting covered in mud. It was comparable to driving the worst black ice. This drive would be impossible without a proper truck. Made it to Ushuaia, Argentina."

Tierra del Fuego, Chilé

In the 'Land of Fire'

Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The southern-most tip of South America reachable by road.

Day 26

"Today we discovered that Argentinians do not take kindly to British folk. They hold a grudge over the Falkland War and continue to claim the islands are theirs. Signs prohibit 'British pirates' from docking. James is convinced that he is given higher hostel prices once they hear his accent."

Day 27

"Trying to get off the Land of Fire is not easy. Rumours hold that one may be stuck up to 70 hours waiting for the wind to die down before the ferry can attempt the three kilometre crossing. We arrived at night to find a line stretching about two kilometres. And while the ferry was going, it would close in two hours and we would not make it until the next morning. James slept in the drivers seat, I in the passenger seat, and Tom in the back. We were fast asleep when we got woken up and told that there would be one last ferry and its our turn. James has never driven a large truck before and when Tom mentions it's a four speed, James is thrown off, "Is that just like a five speed minus one?!" Half asleep it was a jerky ride onto the ferry, and we almost missed the ramp."


Day 28

"Had to change the tire today for the first time this trip. Discovered that the jack is too small. Made for an interesting, and miserable, tire change in 70 km/hr winds. Sad to see James leave today as well. And, once again, there were two..."


Day 29

"Getting fairly proficient driving a manual transmission, but haven't quite graduated to driving stick with a hot cup of coffee. Tom was asleep and it was my turn. Grabbed a coffee and managed to navigate the parking lot without spilling a drop. My confidence was high. But then I was forced to stop on an uphill before merging on the highway, and, to make matters worse, there was a truck right behind me. I made it fine, but spilled half the cup on my crotch. Curse the lack of cup holders in this Landcruiser."


Day 30

"Arrived to Buenos Aires today. Bittersweet about it. As excited as I am to explore this city which I've heard so much about, it very well be my last day in the ol' Landcruiser. Over the course of the thirty day road trip we've had numerous experiences - some good, some bad and some ugly. It was a journey I surely will never forget."

Tango show in Café Tortoni, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Summiting Cotopaxi

Volcán Cotopaxi

Volcán Cotopaxi consistently makes it to the top of travellers' itineraries when visiting Ecuador. At an elevation of 5897 metres, Cotopaxi is the second highest peak in Ecuador and the third highest active volcano in the world. It attracts both hikers who want to admire the textbook conical shape of the volcano, and mountaineers who aim to stand on its glaciated summit. It was my goal to experience the latter. After all, how hard could it be?

As I started looking into what the climb involved, the gravity of the task began to sink in. I heard first-hand accounts of the climb, which invariably held that Cotopaxi was one of the biggest challenges of their lives both mentally and physically. The success rate was also discouraging, which was consistently well under 50% from everyone I asked. Accordingly, I took some measures to improve my chances at summiting.

Preparation

First-class seats en route to Quito

First thing was to get my hands on some suitable mountaineering gear. While I wasn't totally unprepared - I brought with me base layers and both down and hardshell jackets for the harsh weather of Patagonia - I was missing a few key things. Therefore I headed to Quito, Ecuador's capital. I stayed at the Blue House Hostel in the Mariscal district, which was situated within walking distance of several outdoor shops including Andes6000, Tattoo Adventure and a North Face outlet store. After taking care of the gear, I began researching Ecuadorian guiding outfits.

There was definitely no shortage of guides to choose from in Quito. I decided to go with Gulliver Expeditions and pay a little extra to go one-on-one with a guide - I didn't want to be responsible for my partner missing the summit if I couldn't make it, and vice versa. Now that the logistics were in order, it was time for the physical prep.

I hopped on a bus headed into the Avenue of Volcanoes. Here I planned to do some hikes and acclimatize. The first five days I did a popular trek from village to village in the Andes known as the Quilotoa Loop. The highest elevation I reached on this hike, however, was merely 3900 metres on Volcán Quilotoa - i.e. two kilometres in elevation shy of that of Cotopaxi.

Crater lake of Volcán Quilotoa

Iliniza Norte was the next step; at 5126 metres, this volcano would give me an idea of how I'd fare in the high altitude climb of Cotopaxi. My guide Sergio and I started from the parking lot at 3950 metres. After two and a half hours, weathering a snow storm and a steep scramble, we made the summit. With this relatively quick pace and not feeling any symptoms of altitude sickness, I was feeling pretty confident about Cotopaxi.

The Ilinizas, Sur (left) and Norte (right)

The scramble to the top

Summit of Ilinza Norte

Attempting Cotopaxi

Sergio picked me up from my luxurious room at Hosteria PapaGayo at noon on February 27th. On the way to the climbers' refuge we stopped at a road-side restaurant and had a two-course meal, the sopa and pollo Ecuadorian classic. After a few hours of sleep, I woke to a three-course meal. It was raining hard and the clouds showed no signs of lifting. I was told that I had five hours more to sleep and if the weather didn't improve, the climb would be off. It was tough to fall back asleep. Between 5:30 and 11:30 I think I managed to get about an hour of light sleep. Fortunately, the weather had improved and we were going to give Cotopaxi a shot - after one last meal of course...

We drove up to 4500 metres, geared-up and began the approach to the glacier at a quarter past midnight. After an hour and a half we had reached the glacier, strapped on our crampons and tethered ourselves together. It was pitch black and all I could see was the headlamp-illuminated ice directly beneath my feet. Nevertheless, it's not as if I would've appreciated the scenery around me if it had been visible - in fact, it was probably for the better. Upon reaching the glacier, we climbed up pitches between 30º and 50º the whole way; unlike regular hikes where the trail levels off a bit after a steep pitch, the route up Cotopaxi got steeper and steeper as we got closer and closer to the summit. I eventually shut-off my brain, shut-out the pain and focused exclusively on the side-stepping rhythm of one-two-three: downhill foot, uphill foot, ice-axe and repeat. The only break in routine was for a quick drink of water and the opportunity to take in the city lights of Latacunga and Quito in the distance.

After six hours of this gruelling climb, we reached the summit of Cotopaxi just in time for the sunrise. A second-wind hit me and I felt a huge feeling of satisfaction. There I was, standing at 5,897 metres - 19,347 feet - above sea level looking into the crater of this monstrous volcano. Unfortunately, the high didn't last long for I realized I still had to descend this freagin' thing with the little energy I had left. At least this time I would see what it was I had actually climbed up!

Sunrise at the peak of Cotopaxi

Crater of Cotopaxi

View of the Andes

Triangular shadow attests to the textbook conical shape of Volcán Cotopaxi

La Vista on the descent

Sergio and I

I was in a daze, with a pretty bad headache, as we drove past wild horses in the national park on the way back to Hosteria PapaGayo. After hopping on a bus bound for Quito and checking into the hostel, I climbed into bed at four in the afternoon, totally content, and fell into a 17-hour slumber to the tune of 'Wild Horses'...

The Quilotoa Loop: Hiking between Andean Villages

The Quilotoa Loop

‘Quilotoa Loop’ is the name given to a multi-day trip from village to village in the Ecuadorian Andes. It rewards those who take the sketchy bus rides and complete the hikes with breathtaking views of a volcanic crater lake and a glimpse of everyday life in Ecuador’s highland villages. Thinking that this would be good cardiovascular training and acclimatization for a couple of high altitude climbs I had planned, I left Quito on February 18^th for Latacunga, which was where I’d begin the loop.

City of Latacunga & the start of the loop

The first leg of the journey involved a three-hour bus ride to Isinliví. The driver, who was preoccupied with his novia and phone as he negotiated the numerous switchbacks cut into the mountainsides, coupled with the numerous crucifixes lining the road, put us on edge the whole way. But we made it to the sleepy village of Isinliví in one piece. The cobble-stone streets were empty. There were no pubs or restaurants, nor were there grocery stores. There was one woman in town with internet connection who was willing to share it, but supposedly it wasn’t strong enough to open your e-mail. Underscoring the quaint nature of Isinliví was a map of the town found at Hostal Llullu Llama, in which every home was labeled with titles such as the ‘Italians’, after the Italian expats who made wooden furniture, and ‘Helena’s Mum’, who I could only guess was the mother of some lady named Helena…

The sleepy town of Isinlivií

Map of Isinliví

Hostal Llullu Llama

The next day we hiked to Chugchilan. The trail wasn’t physically challenging, but it was a challenge to navigate; the trail was not only used to connect the towns of Isinliví and Chugchilan, but also had numerous branches used by the locals to get to their homes and farms. We climbed over mountains, followed rivers, crossed pastures and encountered a couple of tiny towns along the way. Chugchilan was a little bit more lively than Isinliví and so I decided to see what was around. Walking down the street I noticed a large pig struggling in an alleyway and what I thought looked like blood spilling down the cement walkway. As I neared this same alleyway on my way back to Hostal Cloud Forest I noticed the scent of burning hair. I had no doubt about it, the pig was being slaughtered. I explained to the family that I’ve never seen an animal being butchered and I asked if I could come in to watch, with which they had no problem.

Hiking through pastures on the way to Chugchilan

Small Andean village on the way to Chugchilan

Andean Escuela

Chugchilan

The hike to Quilotoa proved tougher than we had anticipated. After hiking for a few hours and gaining several hundred metres of elevation we arrived to the rim of Volcán Quilotoa. The elevation gain put us right in the clouds and, unfortunately, we didn’t have the best view of the crater lake. We decided to head into town to spend the night at Hosteria Alpaca Quilotoa and save the hike around the rim of the volcano for the next morning when there would be better visibility. But we made a wrong turn; we didn’t read the full instructions and instead of staying within the crater, we descended the outside. There were a few clues that should’ve put us back on the right track: first, the trail we were taking was full of switchbacks and our map showed a straight trail to Quilotoa; second, we passed a sign for Quilotoa indicating that it was 3.5 km in the opposite direction; and, finally, we passed a sign for Guayama San Pedro, a town we had passed a couple of hours earlier. Due to the poor visibility brought on by the clouds, it took us an hour to realize we had come down the same route we had ascended! Fortunately, by the time we climbed back up to the volcano the clouds had somewhat cleared and we had a great view of the lake.

Laguna Quilotoa

Poor visibility at Volcán Quilotoa

Crater lake of Volcán Quilotoa

The final stretch of the Quilotoa Loop involved a bus ride back to Latacunga. We got a ride to Zumbahua from which we could catch a bus. We arrived right as they were loading up sheep on the roof of the bus. As we started driving along the winding roads we could hear the steps of the sheep as they tried to maintain their balance, but they couldn't always do so...

Loading up some extra passengers on the roof

Sharp turn

Hiking from Andean village to Andean village along the Quilotoa Loop proved to be a great experience. I had a chance to interact with the locals, got a glimpse of everyday life in the Ecuadorian highlands, and saw some beautiful views along the way. I can only hope that the exercise and acclimatization also helps me in my attempts at the summits of the Ilinizas and Cotopaxi next week.