Best Day of Hiking for all of 2010! (Mon 3/8)

Stats:
- 13.2 miles
- roughly 2700 feet of climbing

After not getting the views yesterday, Arn and I declared we were only going to hike if the day promised the views we expected.  We woke to howling winds and skies that did not convey certainty.  We still got up and went through the motions of getting ready for a day of hiking.  At breakfast, the owner of our lodge looked outside and declared it a good day for hiking.  I was not as sure, but we decided it was a go.

We met Shauna and Jullian for empanada "shopping".  We marveled at the choices.  We even found chocolate cookie "sandwiches" filled with dulce de leche and rolled in nuts. We all agreed it is a sweet kind of overwhelming to have so many choices after so long with no choice.  And, we also agreed --- our juice situation still sucks. With food in hand, we returned to our lodge.  Here was the plan...we would get a taxi to drive us out of town to the trail head.  Our hike would traverse the valley alongside of Fitz Roy and the Rio Blanco.  We would reach a junction.  From the junction, we would do an out and back hike to the lake at the base of Fitz Roy (Laguna de Los Tres --- the three towers).  Once we returned to the junction, we would take a different trail back to town.  So, the owner of our lodge called the taxi and we waited 20 minutes for our ride.

The taxi drove out the same road that Shauna and Jullian had biked into town.  It was truly terrible ripio and not worth a day ride (something we had considered until they told us the conditions of the road and recommended against it).  After about an hour in the taxi, we arrived at the trailhead.  Our views from the start were mind-blowing.  We could see the full tower of Fitz Roy, it´s neighboring towers, and the glaciers that abounded everywhere.  One of the peaks is named, "Electrica" and it was not hard to understand why.  The rock was brilliant red and appeared to be illuminated from within.  Against the ice and snow and blue skies, it was stunning.  The hike was a gradual climb through a lenga forest.  The forest was thin and we enjoyed view point after view point after view point.  The cameras were never in the pack for more than a few minutes.  It was awesome.  Arn said, "This is awesome, this is incredible, this is the best ever".  In the way that I dreamed of the Carretera Austral, Arn has dreamed of Fitz Roy.  He has wanted to see it, hike it, and know the place.  Shauna and Jullian came with no expectations and knew very little about Fitz Roy. 

While it seemed hard to believe, our views just got better and better and better.  Arn finally declared, "If we get to the lake and can´t see anything, it is fine with me.  This has been awesome and I am going to go home happy."  Well, I didn´t share his perspective.  I declared myself too greedy and wanting the Full Monty from this hike.  It was an awesome display of rock, ice, water, sky, and wind.

We finally reached the junction and turned toward Fitz Roy.  The trail turned upward.  It was a steady grind for about an 1800 foot climb up and over the moraine.  The trail surface was good, but I knew this would hurt more on the return downhill.  As we climbed, the skies were sunny and the winds disappeared.  The four of us joked about the wind and all agreed --- when we reached the top, we were going to get blasted.  Based on the downhill hikers, it appeared that more clothing was required for the top.  We continued up and up and up and up.  Once at the top, the views were unreal....full views of Fitz Roy, the other towers, the glaciers, the lakes, and all the other peaks.  The fog and clouds were gone.  And the wind....well, there was NO wind!  It was calm and sunny!  We took photos and strolled around until we found a nice place to park ourselves for lunch.  We laughed about how few times we have enjoyed snacks or lunch without horseflies or violent wind.  Today was sweet!  

Arn, Jullian and Shauna decided to climb one more short pitch to see if the views improved.  With fresh drugs in my system and a lot of miles to go, my feet prefered the downhill to more rocks.  I slowly picked my way down the moraine.  As we left, the winds started to roar and howl.  We were lucky with our timing.  The four of us rejoined toward the bottom of the descent.  At the junction, we took the trail headed back to town.  For many miles, we looked back to see views of Fitz Roy and the other towers. The wind continued to howl and whip around.  The hike wandered through a dense, short forest.  It was more like a maze through tight hedges.  The trails are very well maintained, so at least we didn´t feel like we needed hedge clippers to get through.

The trail finally returned to the valley that includes town.  We had views of the mountains and the braided turqouise river below.  The trail wound through large rock croppings and slowly descended back to town. Under the "Canadian influence", we returned for more ice cream --- same flavors as yesterday.  Arn summarized the day correctly: "Best day of hiking for all of 2010!"  It might seem like a bold statement for the 9th of March, but it was so awesome that we cannot imagine anything that could trump it.

We met Jullian and Shauna later in the evening for a great dinner and great wine.  It was an awesome day. We laughed about how many miles we have cycled and how beat up we all feel after two days of hiking. Sore feet and legs were shared by all.  Plans for tomorrow remain uncertain.