One Apple A Day #185
El Chaltén, January 9th, 2017
The first impact with El Chaltén had been shocking. We weren’t expecting to find such a lively, colourful, young and vibrant town. The streets were full of boys and girls, mostly in their twenties, with a new age plus mountain expert style. We felt like we entered a mountain version of Goa.
Finding a place to stay hasn’t been simple. It’s high season, as the kind girl at the tourist office told us, and El Chaltén is the favourite place in Patagonia for climbers and hikers. Everyone wants to take a look at the Fitz Roy.
We settled down for a cabaña, a sort of wooden shack in a camping space. The first look at the place hasn’t been promising, but it was the only option available, and we didn’t want to waste the afternoon, so we decided to leave our bags and say hello to the Fitz Roy.
We hiked to the viewing spot in an hour or so, a much-needed walk after days sitting and driving in our truck. Unfortunately, Fitz Roy is a shy guy, and it was hiding behind the clouds. It was also windy and freezing, so we made the promise to come back, and we decided to complete the loop indicated on the map to go back to the town.
That was a great idea.
Now we are sitting on the shores of Laguna Capri, a small deep blue mountain lake surrounded by trees and mountains. The trees shelter us from the cold wind, and the mountains keep the sky over the lake free from the clouds.
We are sitting on a trunk with our feet in the icy water, the sun in the face.
Everything is just perfect.