Some days are tough. There’s not always a clear reason and often it’s more a feeling of being out of sorts. Of being in your head. Of not really being in the moment. And I had this the day I took all my things into the Chacabuco sector of Patagonia national park. It didn’t help that it was pouring pretty much non-stop that day.
My transfer dropped me off at the Alto Valle camp ground early. We were supposed to have some time at other stops, but it just wasn’t enjoyable. So I found a big shelter with a gorgeous view and squeezed my tent in between the picnic tables. At least I would stay dry tonight. With a break in the rain I decided to explore a bit. I walked up a large part of the 4×4 dirt track that led to several walks. Yet it started raining again and I got soaking wet. I wasn’t having fun so I returned, blaming myself for going out in the first place. My gear was wet and I hadn’t seen anything special.
After a night of rain, the clouds seemed to disperse in the morning, with the sun even coming through at times. Yet the rain was replaced by strong gusts of wind, so it was still pretty chilly. The 4×4 road seemed much shorter today. Before I knew it I had covered the 5,5km till the start of the Lago Chico loop. I was passed by a car, whose passengers were heading for the same route. I knew they were behind me, but I didn’t see them at all. Yet I took comfort in the fact that if a puma attacked me, someone would soon find me. As I told the girl at the park ranger office yesterday of my camping plan, she got really excited. “You might see pumas! A guy had one right by his tent recently.” So yeah, I had pumas on my mind.
The walk wasn’t surprising in the landscape, since I’d already walked in the park the days before. There were the low, dry shrubs, yellow and green. Also, the plants have an aggressive way of reproducing. Their spikey seeds get stuck to your clothes and prick your fingers as you try to remove them. I will not miss those! There were some tall grasses and patches with lots of trees. Some trees had spikey caterpillars on their branches, who would catch a ride on your clothing when you brushed past the branch. But the landscape had some cool rock formations and walls I didn’t expect. The Lago Chico lay in between two of these walls. I also didn’t expect the views over lake Cochrane. From the very end of Lago Chico you look down on Lago Cochrane, all the way into Argentina, where the lake changes its name. The deep blue water was the opposite of the darker, greener water of lake Chico.
Walking back on the other side I was treated to more views of Lago Cochrane and in the distance I saw the little islands that are closer to Cochrane town. I also saw a bunch of bones. A puma’s prey? And lots of poop. Puma poop? Did that look fresh? Is a puma watching me? Could I fight a puma? Where do pumas chill? A tree, a rock, tall grasses? My mind dwelled on all these questions, but the puma never came out. Perhaps for the best. My trail finished at the Douglas Tompkins lookout, the founder of North Face who bought the land for the national park. I had planned to spend some time staring out over the lake from there. Yet when I arrived at the beautiful picknick shelter, the wind was raging over the pass. Not a pleasant place to be. Despite the pretty views I was still out of sorts. I kept reminding myself of my plans: hot chocolate at the national park café, a dinner in a restaurant, buying new supplies, a bed to sleep in, a bus to a new town, calling my family, a drink with a travel buddy. It kept me going.
Back at the camp ground I passed the time listening to some music. Some fellow campers were hanging around in their car, looking a bit restless. Time passed. No transfer. As I was about to go ask the girl overseeing the campsite if it was normal the transfer was late, the guy from the car asked me if I was waiting for something. Then I heard the news: the road had been flooded by the rain and was impassible. I freaked. The camp girl told me they’d try to come for me the next day. Gone were my dreams and plans. I would not be in a bed tonight. I would not be on my bus tomorrow. I would not meet my friend. Instead I had a cold shower, was putting up my tent again, and deciding how to divide my rations of 2 cups of soup and 8 dry mini-wraps. It would be dinner, breakfast and lunch. The only solace was that I wasn’t alone. There were more people stranded, some also planning out their meals.
I was very cold at night, potentially because of my light dinner. I couldn’t even get warm during the day, despite the sunshine. The wind was less intense, but still there to cool things down. The carabineros came by in the morning to tell us the road was still closed. They’d check again in the afternoon. There I stood in many layers of clothes, fearing another cold night in my tent, but this time without any food. Around midday I asked the campsite girl if there was any news. She said the transfer guys thought they could cross. An hour later I saw 3 cars arriving, one of them my transfer! Honestly, I couldn’t be happier, even though we wouldn’t leave until 4pm. The way back seemed to take forever. There was still water on the road, but it was manageable in a 4×4. We picked up many more people and made some stops. At least I got my hot chocolate!
In town I apologised to the lady where I’d reserved a bed for the night I was stuck. She was so kind and worried for me about my lost bus ticket. Luckily a ticket was available for the next day, as well as a bed in the dorm. I lost some money in the change of plans, but the next day I would be back on track. Patagonia turned out to provide adventure, not in the form of a puma, but in the tons of rain. I keep wondering though, how come nobody warned me the road could flood? I guess it doesn’t happen too often in the summer, because even the transfer guys were really excited about it all. So… all’s well that ends well I guess.
The details
Camping: Alto Valle, 8000 pesos per night, showers (solar energy, so mostly cold), toilets, beautiful shelters with tables and picnic benches. Gorgeous terrain and views! When camping, you only need to pay the national park fee for one day.
Trail: Lago Chico (12km), finishing at Tompkins lookout. Can be reached by 4×4 or on foot on a 5,5 – 6km dirt road. There is another trail available, called Los Gatos, but I didn’t explore it
