I arrived in Ushuaia, my first destination in Argentina, after an 11 hour bus ride on Christmas day. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling great, so I spent my first 2 days keeping it easy. But on day 3 the weather was nice and I got tired of just staring towards the mountains. I wanted to see some of those mountains! I decided in a short hike to the glacier right above town.
I arrived to the trail head at the small ski area by Uber. From there it was easy to follow the signs, and other people, up the mountain towards glacier Martial. There was a small and at times steep forest trail, alongside a river, next to the ski slope. Soon it turned into a rougher, rocky terrain. There was a patch of snow where all people seemed to stop. They were taking pictures and perhaps throwing a snowball. It confused me a bit. This patch of snow wasn’t a glacier. Or was it all that was left?
There was another trail going up steeply to the left of the snow patch. Halfway through there was a sign warning of avalanche danger. The trail continued to some big boulders and rocks from where you could look at the glacier. Officially you couldn’t go that far, but the sign warning of danger lay flat on the ground, perhaps taken out by the last avalanche. Everyone past it anyway and some people even continued on the snow to a rock in the middle.
This glacier is fairly small and I didn’t see any blue ice. To me it looked just like the last snow, melting as the summer comes. But it was still a super scenic place, with the snow between the rock walls. And… the other side had a great view towards the city and the Beagle channel! It was the perfect excursion for this day for me. There was a side trail a bit lower on the mountain that was supposed to go to a mirador de las lagunas. However, it seemed like they’d put up a “don’t go any further”-sign before any lagoons were in sight. Rather than return, I saw a trail descend steeply. It led to the forest. I went for it.
It was steeper than I thought and I was glad when I reached the forest. Although there were official markers, I couldn’t find this trail on any map and I had no idea where it would end. I sped up, continuously hoping I wouldn’t have to climb all the way back up again. I checked my map and would soon be below the start of my hike. Then the forest trail suddenly stopped at a wide walking path. A bridge crossed back to the few buildings at the trail head. That’s where I went to the Cabaña de té, a very cute tea house, completely decorated in Christmas theme.
I entered through a tea shop and found a table near the display case with cakes. They have there own patisserie, so they all looked good. They’d better be, since a slice of cake costs between 9 and 10 euro! The service was pretty terrible and I didn’t necessarily feel welcome, but the tea and cake were very good. After this break I decided to walk back to my hostel via the forest trail. It was still wilder than I’d expected. Then I found my way through the city. The houses are all different and you could have a really cute cottage right next to what looked like a make-shift building still undergoing changes. Overall that makes it hard to appreciate any beauty. But after seeing a bit more, it does get easier to appreciate the city. Now I just need to figure out how you’re supposed to know when to cross the street!
