The weather forecast looked horrendous when I booked my campsites. But if there’s one thing I learned, it’s that the mountains are unpredictable and in many places the forecast has been wrong. So I was pleased to wake up to a seemingly perfect day. Sure, there were some clouds, a few of them dark, looming in the distance between the mountains. However, the sun was warming me up on the way to the national park entrance. Today I would make it to the famous Fitzroy range, seen from Laguna de los Tres.
I passed the queue, showed my year ticket, got passed the confusion of having the Netherlands as well as Germany written on there, and entered the trail. I wasn’t the only one using this beautiful day to head up, but I was one of the few with such a big pack. The first views were over the river and valley, el Chaltén disappearing behind me. I soon entered the woods and it seemed to go really quickly. I arrived at laguna Capri, where I sat in the sun at the lake’s edge. Far in front of me stood the Fitzroy range in all it’s glory. A cloud was hugging the tallest peak. It often looks like it’s smoking.
I walked passed some campers towards a viewpoint of Fitzroy. Big white clouds passed by behind it and I wondered if I would arrive in time to see laguna de los Tres fully, without clouds and rain. Every time there was a clearing in the forest I got a better look. But it wasn’t just Fitzroy. To its right hung the glacier Piedras Blancas. I loved how fierce and threatening it looked. Shortly after I walked into the camping and got greeted by a kind volunteer.
I didn’t wait long. I pitched my tent, threw my bag in, ate a quick lunch and continued up the hill. This last section was no joke! I quickly ascended high above the camp ground and the views were incredible. I saw lagunas Hija and Madre and el Chaltén seemed far away. This rocky scramble led to a rocky ridge with el Chaltén’s masterpiece right behind it. This was another moment that took my breath away. I didn’t want to leave. I layered up. Hiking up in a t-shirt was too warm, but here the wind immediately caught you and cooled you down. Although the sun was shining, some tiny pieces of hail came down from clouds that weren’t even above me. My view was a vivid blue lake down below the rocky hill. Behind it stood the spikey, pale grey towers of Fitzroy. There were patches of snow and a glacier came down on both sides of a lower rocky hill. People lined the edge of the lake.
I took some snacks from my backpack. A fox was walking around, looking for anything the people left behind. He was not at all shy! I sat for a while, taking it all in, but had to get up because it got chilly. The wind increased and as I was walking I had to stop at times, press my poles into the ground and brace for a wind gust. Some people went down on their knees. The funny thing was that as soon as I made my way over the ridge again, to make my way back to camp, the wind was practically gone. It also quickly got warm again. I ran into two people from Antarctica. Patagonia may be a vast place, but it’s still a small world. I couldn’t believe my luck with the weather. It wasn’t until now that clouds started to cover part of the view and it got a bit darker. I decided to walk to a viewpoint of the Piedras Blancas glacier. After that I was exhausted and ready to prep my bed.
I ate my sandwiches for dinner, went to the river to fill up my water bottle and brushed my teeth. Then I crawled into my sleeping bag. Unfortunately my tent fabric got stuck in a zipper and tore as I tried to free it. I guess I could finally use that tape I’d packed for camping emergencies. It was pretty cold this night and I took out my emergency blanket for extra comfort. At times a wind gust blasted through the forest, making my tent shake. When I woke up I fully expected it to rain, but it turned out to be a lovely morning. I could calmly pack up camp and took in the views of the Fitzroy range one more time before heading to my second camping spot. What a good start of the adventure!
