There are many accessible hiking trails around Bariloche, but some lie a bit deeper in the Nahuel Huapi national park. Several trails, including some to the mountain huts, start from Pampa Linda. A rough dirt road gets out there and the road closes during parts of the day. Yet I was surprised to see a range of campings, hotels and guest houses along the way. Two companies offer shuttles for those who don’t have a car, or, like me and my hiking buddy, for people who walk out another way.
We were off to hike the Paso de las nubes, a 2 day trail with overnight at the Agostino Rocca refugio. At 8am we left a quiet Bariloche and got shaken on the dirt road for about 3 hours. Oh, but the views! First we drove along lake Gutiérrez and I looked back at the mountains where I spent the night earlier. Then we passed right along the Mascardi lake. It was perfect. The sun was slowly warming up the fresh air and there was not a cloud in the sky. How nice it would be to camp here in summer and do different hikes out to the refugios. But fall has started and altough some people still camp, I prefer the warmth of a real bed. At Pampa Linda we saw the impressive mountain Tronador. The only one over 3000m and clearly recognizable by its permanent snow cover. What a sight!
A ranger was walking around the Pampa Linda area, checking what people were up to and if they had reservations. We were all set with reservations for the fully booked refugio and the overpriced boat that would take us back the next day. So I had a second breakfast of boiled egg and some crackers, and we set off. At first the trail was a road, used by the national park rangers. We crossed a river and found the split from where you can go to 2 different refugios. Our trail slowly got narrower and gently went up and down. We saw many other hikers. Partly because it was a sunny Saturday. Partly because there is a short time frame in which you can start the walk. The river was on our side for most of the day and we had lunch on its bank in the sunshine. I noticed there was lots of bamboo on the trail and there were different types of mushrooms everywhere. Suddenly I heard a sound. “Huet huet”. Or that’s what it sounded like. The bird is always hiding, but it gave away its location. It’s actually called a Huet Huet and it was fun to recognise the sound as such.
It was an easy-going day until the last 3km or so. The trail changed into a steep trench, the ground completely scraped away by many feet. In some parts the “gutter” to walk in was as wide as my boot and I put one foot in front of the other, sticking my poles into the sloping sides. Occassionally there was a short flat-ish section, of about 5 meters, that was a nice opportunity to breath. On the hill a man with a chainsaw was working on trail maintainance. Following the trench we ended up on a high field with views of the surrounding mountains. We only had a few more slippery meters to go until the bright red refugio. There were some welcoming flags and a pile of building materials. Yes, our walk hadn’t exactly been peaceful. A helicopter had been flying up and down all day, bringing building supplies to the refugio. Apparently it is popular enough to add some more rooms. We saw how the goods were flown in on a rope underneath it and carefully places beside the building.
After watching in awe I planted myself on a bench on the wooden deck of the refugio. It was hot in the sunshine. Ahead of me was the route for the next day. You could see the valley, with a river of glacier water flowing through it to the Frias lake. Strange to see our destination. On my left was a mountain, with a tiny bit of white from Tronador sticking out. Hidden behind the rocks is the glacier, but we could only see a tiny bit of it, along with many waterfalls. Inside the refugio it was hot, even as the sun made way for the moon. Outside, staring at the stars was peaceful and cold. Inside, the many people created an overwhelming buzzing. The heaters were on strong and I slept on top of my sleeping bag. Each room had 8 beds. You would leave your big backpack and shoes in a hall at the entrance. It was absolutely packed and challenging to find anything. I missed the private space of my tent. It was nice to have a hot meal though: veggie lentil stew. It was absolutely delicious!
We thought we’d have loads of time the next day, since a big part was downhill and the distance was slightly shorter. It meant we took it easy in the morning, enjoying a hot drink with the breakfast we’d brought up the mountain. When we set off, some clouds were hanging in the valley, but the strong sun burned them off quickly. However, the day was much trickier than we’d anticipated. Initially we had to get down through the forest and it was pretty steep. We then ended up on a rocky bit, from where we had killer views of the Frias glacier. An older couple stood there and said they weren’t sure where the trail went. They headed right. I was confused. There was a pretty obvious pile of stones ahead of me. Surely following that would lead to another trail marker. We called after them. They returned and indeed found the route. I climbed up a rock to enjoy the view. The glacier was hanging up and in front and there were impressive waterfalls coming down. You could follow the water flow to the river through the valley. Then I see my friend slip and tumble down. Shit! That was scary. He seemed hurt, but managed to keep moving. It was a good reason to have a break.
We continued carefully as we descended down the rocks. From what looked like an old campground, we found ourselves in a dense forest, completely different from the first day. The hike was like an obstacle course and I joked about being in a tough mudder race. There were wet sections with pieces of tree in it to make crossing it easier. There were trees that had fallen onto the trail and made us duck or limbo underneath them. And there were plenty of steps and bridges of all shapes and sizes to work out the upper legs. Some parts had lots of little bamboo sticks on the ground. They made music as I walked on them, like the sticks you get in primary school.
We got pretty tired and hungry after a while, but we had to catch the boat at 3pm and we didn’t know how hard the last kilometers would be. So instead of taking a break, we pushed on so we could have a picnic at Frias lake, our pickup point. The final section along the river was easier. We crossed a very wobbly bridge and finished over a comfortable forest path. Only at the end there was one last challenge. It seemed like the bridge over a big trench had collapsed and for now you had to get down by rope and pull yourself up again on the other side. Although it was clear we had almost reached the end, suddenly seeing a building was still a bit shocking to me. It had been very quiet on the trail. There was a jetty for the boat, a shop, a replica of a motorcycle of Che and the customs building.
This place is part of a popular and expensive border crossing from Chile. You take several boats and buses through the nature and go from Puerto Varas to Bariloche. Everything is organized and you don’t even have to carry your own luggage. The age segment for that trip was a little different from the crowd in the refugio. After a picnic we took a short boat trip over the Frias lake. On the other side we were separated from the fancy, clean people in 2 different buses. They were in a crowded bus, we had a huge bus for about 10 people. At puerto Blest we boarded a much bigger boat for an hour or so, sailing on lake Nahuel Huapi. I couldn’t believe how many people were on the boat. It’s so expensive and yet it was full! Back on land we took the public bus back to town. I was glad to find a seat. I looked back on a good trip over a burger that evening, a hamburger I’d been dreaming about. I still think they should call the walk paso de los hongos, with the amount of mushrooms we saw. Maybe it’s the time of year.
Expensive? Sí!
For an activity you do on your own power, it’s got a big price tag:
Transfer to Pampa Linda: 35.000 pesos. Night in refugio: 60.000 pesos. Simple dinner at refugio: 22.000 pesos. Boat trip to return: 124.500 pesos.
