Jan 28-29 attempting to head north

With the closest cash machine being over 500km away, I am operating on limited funds. Hence, the most logical way to head north to my next destination is to find a ride. The bus costs 15 mil ($34 USD approximate)and I only have about 35 mil for the next 8-10 days. Villa OHiggins is at the southern terminus of the Carreterra austral, so all cars andctrucks exiting must head north. However, departure days seem to be largely governed by the glacier tour boat schedule. The day after the glacier tour, people leave.

There is a mandatory, free ferry about 100 km north of here in Puerto Jungay that leaves 3x/day, so I need only apply myself to procuring a ride during 3 45-minute intervals. No one seems to have left town in two days. I have one more chance tonight to get a ride before I acquiesce and buy a bus ticket for tomorrow.

Fortunately, things have been very mellow at the hostel and there are 13-15 cool people here, mainly cyclists, to hang out with. Last night, we had a hottub party. I have been camping in front of the hostel bc it is cheaper. I probably would camp even if I had more $$$.

The weather has been wet and moderately windy which stifles any motivation to explore the area. Mostly, I have been socializing and eating here. It's a good rejuvenation stop. Hopefully, tonight I will make it to Caleta Torta.

27 Jan: The Dancing Beaver

View of Villa OHiggins from mirador above town.  Zou can see two lakes and Rio Mayer

I have to say, I feel much more at ease here.  Villa OHiggins is at the southern terminus of the Carretera Austral.  It is difficult to get here, so I am finally away from the masses.  Most of the people here are adventuresome, families from Santiago, or are on a tour bus to see the glaciers.  Evidently, this place is on the cyclists map of roads to bike.  In any case, it is nice to be around more adventuresome travellers.

There was a big tour group staying in the hostel last night that departed this am.  Jorge is short staffed and I am short on Chilean pesos, so I negotiated a work trade.  I spent most of the day helping Jorge.  He is from Spain and is a real character.  His nickname is the dancing beaver.  Go figure.

In the afternoon, I hiked up to the mirador overlooking town.  I will try to post a picture.  Internet is really slow, so no promises.

26 Jan: From Candelaria Mancila to Villa Ohiggins

Hielo Sur boat from Candelaria Mancila across Lago OHiggins

Firstly, I should note that I am borrowing a computer from a Slovenian guy who is staying at the hostel.  The y and z are reversed and I cant find much of the punctuation.  Bear with me.

I slogged this morning to Lago OHiggins.  I officially entered Chile at the guard post and interestingly there was no customs declaration.  i guess that they know that you will need your food and dont bother confiscating.  I waited 3 hours for the boat and borded it at 5:00 with the cyclists.  There were lots of tourists on board that had done glacier cruise.  Three hours later we pulled into port and I was able to catch a ride into town with a family visiting from Santiago which saved me bus fare and halving to walk to the hostel.

El Mosco is a really neat hostel.  Jorge, the owner, greeted me warmly.  He is a friend of a friend and is full of good travel advice.  I set up my tent out front bc it is quieter and cheaper than sleeping inside.  I was hoping to go out for dinner, but I learned that there is no ATM here and possibly no ATM that will accept my card for 500km.  I spent most of my US currency in El Chalten when the ATM therew ran out of cash.  Austerity measures are in effect.

13 missing posts Found!

Some way, somehow I ended up with two blogs!  On some days, I inadvertantly posted to the wrong blog that I didnt know that I had.  The problem has been rectified with a lot of cutting and pasting on slow wifi using a slovenian keyboard.  A small miracle.

Most of the missing posts are from the last 8 days beginning in El Calafate.  Enjoy!

Missing Days

To all of the dieheart readers of my blog (I'm sure I Call you mom, dad, aunt, uncle):
There are five days of posts from Argentina that are missing from my blog. I spent a lot of time at an Internet cafe in El Chaltén updating the blog. These are missing.

The other thing to note that I am no travelling through a more remote corner of the world and posts maybe sparse for a while.

25 Jan Lago del Desierto to No Mans Land

View of Fitz Roy from Laguna del Desierto

Laguna del Desierto
The boat ride across the lake was relativelz uneventful.  There were tourists, cyclists, and me.  At the far end of the lake, I officially exited Argentina.

I fully expected to camp at the free campground here as it was already 6:30,but I noticed that all of the cyclists were surrounding a caballero and about 8 horses.  I went over and learned that for 7.5mil, I could have my heavy bag transported the 24 km across to Lago OHiggins.  Feel a little guilty, I accepted rationalizing that it was very late.

I was introspective as I plodded alone thru the muddy Coigue and Lenga forest as it was the 3 month anniversary since I left my job.  The thought that kept recurring is that I still dont feel relaxed.  Im still feeling drained mentally.  I have not been able to read a book and can not retain much new information.  The residuals from my job are astounding.  One things is really apparent, I need more time to heal and rejuvenate.

I crossed the border by myself and reached the camping area at the estancia in good time.  I had a good nights sleep at the quiet estancia amid 6 cyclists.

25-Jan Morning at the Mirador

Fitz Roz massif

I awoke early to clear skies and almost no wind. It was chilly. I made a quick getaway to the closer mirador for Fitz Roy. It took me about 1.5 hours to reach the scenic mirador. Photos forthcoming.

After a 35 minute break I retreated to town for some last minute errands, a shower and to pack up. I will now need to carry everything on my back but still have too much stuff. I jettisoned over 10 kg of stuff down south. In the box I sent to myself to be picked up in Bariloche is my deoderant, hairbrush, and fav warm pants. The decisions on what I can live without are always interesting.

24-Jan part 2. Mirador Los Condores

Torre massif: Cerro Torre, Torre Egger, Punta Heron, and Cerro Standhardt

Vista from Mirador Los Condores

I'm not sure why, but blogspot has a word limit on the iPhone.

Anyway, around 6:30 ish I noticed that there was nor a cloud in the sky. I wandered down towards the Park Admin office on the south end of town (1 km) and I could see the top of Cerro Torre! So, I decided to hike up 30 min to Mirador Los Condores. There was a nice view of the Cerro Torre Massif, Fitz Roy massif, and El Chalten.

Due to low wifi signal, photos will be forthcoming.

24 Jan : Bad Decisions

I woke up this a.m. to clear skies! Finally! I jumped out of bed, packed my day bag, skipped breakfast and headed for the mountains. I decided to shelve my initial plan of hiking the "Lomo Del Pliegue Tombado", an overlook, for a closer view of the mtns. I decided to try the Torres first. I really want to see Cerro Torre. I hiked as fast as I could being worried about the clouds. I made the 9.5 km in good time, but there were too many clouds to see anything. Arggg! I could catch a glimpse of the summit of FitzRoy protruding over a mtn and made a sharp right turn. I half walked/ half ran to beat the clouds to the mirador. An hour and a half and 7 km later, I saw Fitz had clouded over. Damn! I decided to retreat, but went out RioBlanco 8 km to the road where I hitched a ride on a tour bus. On the way out, I was lots of climbers heading in to take advantage of Tuesdays good forecast. The forecast would turn out to be remarkably accurate.

I was so frustrated! When I got to town, I learned that 1 ATM was not working and the other was out of cash. Evidentally, this is normal here. Funny that a tourist town that doesn't take credit cards frequently has no cash. Argghh again.

Clouds roll in again

I bought food at a tiny market that accepted Visa. Booked a bus to Lago del Desierto for the next day using my remaining US dollars. Looking out, I could see that the skies were clearing.

23 January

I had a down day today. Cleaned gear, took shower, and sauntered down to the Park Service office for the 2:00 movie. The only other person there was my friend Alexis whom I met on the bus to Torres del Paine two weeks ago. We keep running into each other. The movie was an excerpt from 1968 classic "Fun Hogs" about the first ascent on the southwest buttress of Fitz Roy. Afterwards Alexis and I hiked over to a waterfall (7pm round trip); it was uninteresting by AK and OR standards.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon updating the blog which is painfully slow bc the Internet connection in El Chaltén sucks. There will be no pics for a while.

22 Jan: Even windier and rainier

I packed up camp around 9:30ish in heavy wind and rain.  I decided to hike the long way out past Laguna Torre because I thought just maybe the weather would inprove.  Wrong!  In the strong tail wind, combined with rain, I was quickly soaked.  The trail was one long little rivulet of water and not soon after departing, my boots were filled with water.  At least I had a tailwind which is way warmer than a headwind.  I plodded along feeling really dejected.  Wet feet can really mess with your head.  I had a headache too.  By the time I reached town almost five hours later, I was completely wiped out.  The weather is often better in town, but not today.  There were gale force winds and rain.  To top it off, there were no beds left in town and I woyuld have to camp in my wet tent.  Crap!  Even worse, the power was out and had been out for 2 days.

One of 2 things worth photographing today; an interesting frog

Yellow, lady slipper-like flowers dotting the trail

I waited 5 hours in the hostel where I had stashed my extra stuff when I went trekking.  I was hoping the rain would stop.  The owner let me take a hot shower and it really helped.  Around 7:45 the rains stopped, but the wind didn´t.  I set up camp in an unprotected, but decent enough campgraound.  I really guyed out my tent, bc the winds were insane and continued on thru the night.  But it didn´t rain and the upshot was that the strong winds dried absolutely everything.

21 Jan: Wind and Rain

Mirador Piedras Blancas

Mirador Laguna Los Tres

I was hoping the weather would clear for the 450m hike up to the Laguna Los Tres, the mirador for Fitz Roy.  So, I first hiked to a mirador called Piedras Blancas (white rocks) where there was supposed to be a hanging glacier with some of the monoliths towering over.  Too cloudy to see Mermoz and Guillamet; so it was just another glacier as far as I was concerned.  Later in the day, I hiked up to the mirador for Fitz Roy, but the weather had deteriorated more.  Very windy and rainy.  No mountains to look at.

21 Jan: Sunrise on Fitz Roy massif

5:45 a.m.

I woke up early because of heavy winds, then was kept awake by noisy Israelis camped near me.  Since I was awake and it was not raining, I decided to walk around the clearing in the valley and watch the sun rise over the torres and see if anything was visible.  I was rewarded for my efforts.  Lucky me!

Sun rise on Fitz Roy massif.  Note that Fitz Roy is not visible.  However, you can see St Exupery and Poincenot.  I was happy to see a red sun rise.

20 Jan: Fitz Roy lives up to its reputation

As a climber, Fitz Roy is the stuff dreams are made out of.  A trip to Patagonia without visiting the Torres woulod be inconceivable.  Indeed, this granite monolith rising 3441m from the edge of the south Patagonian ice cap is one of the world´s greatest mountains.  And it was first climbed by one of my mounatineering heroes- Lionel Terray.

View on the hike in before the rain started

Countless slide shows I have seen and stories I have heard recount the amount of suffering needed to scale this awesome monolith.  The climbing is high caliber, but it is the notorious bad weather that thwarts most attempts.  The gale force winds and extreme wet weather are legendary.  I have been blesses with a big serving of both (to last 3 days!). Why should I be spared the full experience?

20 Jan: El Chalten

On little sleep, owing to the extremely late entry of my roomies whom I have never met (still haven´t), I dragged myself out of bed to catch a bus to El Chalten- the entry point for Los Glaciares/ Fitz Roy.  I was alittle irritated that 1 of my roomies was coughing and hacking all night in the bunk above me.  Nothing like sharing a tiny room with complete strangers broadcasting germs.

The 3-hour ride was a mostly uninteresting drive across the pampas.  When we got close, we were granted an outstanding view of the Fitz Roy Massif.  There were clouds obscuring the summit of Fitz Roy, but that did not dimish its grandeur.  St Exupery, Poincenot, Mermoz, and Guillamet were clearly visible. "So you´re Fitz Roy?" I thought to myself.  I was glad the bus driver pulled into a mirador for photo opps.  At this point, it may be the only view I get.

View of Fitz Roy massif from highway mirador

I packed my backpack with 4-5 days of food, made a quick purchase of bread and empanadas, and hot the trail.  After about an hour, the rain started.  Yes, this is Fitz Roy!  I made it to Campamento Poincenot in 2:20 min.  I set up camp in a light drizzle asap.  By now I have it down to a science.  Set out ground tarp, put rocks in the corners to keep from blowing away, set up tent, guy and stake out tent.  Put garbage bag (for waterproofing) of food in inner lefthand corner, next garbage bag of clothes goes on left behind food.  Blow up air mattress and insert on right side, sleeping bag is last.  Change out of wet clothes and hang to dry in tent.

El Calafate: mz return to Argentina

The strike ended, finally, yesterday and I booked the first bus out this morning. It felt so good when the aduana stamped my passport. 6 hours later, I arrived in El Calafate, Argentina at siesta hour. It seems like no matter what I do, I get hung up by siesta hour. I arrived with a laundry list of items to do in preparation for my circumnavigation of Monte Fitz Roy tomorrow: food shopping, pharmacy, bank for ARG currency, buy map, ship stuff to myself in Bariloche. Alas, most of it would have to wait until after 4:00 pm.

So, I checked into my hostel and headed for the lake to take a look around. To my surprise, I found a small bird sanctuary of sorts on a lagoon near the lake. I paid my $4.00 USD and took the walking tour. Though rather blustery, I was elated to see so many Flamingos Australes (Chilean Flamingos). It was near to watch there bright pink wings flap in awkward flight.

This hostel is large, vacuous, and soulless. It is in stark contrast to the warm "everyone is family" vibe at Erratic Rock where I weathered el paro (the strike). I find it kind of lonely in a strange way and cannot wait to get to  Los Glaciares mañana.

Having finished my errands, I decided I was overdue for a good Argentine Parilla. Sadly, it wasn't nearly as good as the ones up north.

I am now down to a backpack and daypack. And am rejoicing in my improved state of mobility.

16-Jan: the strike continues

The paro (strike) continues. The federal government wants to raise the price of fuel in southern chile by 20%. All roads are blocked, there are transportation strikes, and most businesses are closed.

Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales are overflowing with tourists that are trapped here. I am safe and sound in a great hostel , Erratic Rock, in Puerto Natales with a front row seat to all the excitement. I was evacuated from the national park yesterday only two hours after I completed my 7-day trek. Others have not been so lucky. Some folks waited 3 days in the park sans food others never made it in.
They have been trying to arrange transportation to evacuate all the extraneous to Punta Arenas or to Calafate, Chile. All buses have been canceled to Calafate. One flight to Punta Arenas took off, but it has been deemed unsafe for other flights and the road to the airport is blocked. There is a red cross shelter here in town that is the disorganized info nexus and provides food and lodging for stranded travelers. It was termed the 'gore tex gringo refugee camp'. I was just there and it's mayhem. I may volunteer there later. For now I am contented to hang out here and ride this out comfortably. Though there is a lot of nervous energy floating about. I will go to Calafate, but right now things are fairly backed up there with refugees.

trip to town: strike, road blocks, and red cross gringo refugee camp

Torres dia 7: Las Torres a almenecer

I got up at 3:50 a.m. to hike up (650´approx) to see sunrise on the Torres.  Thankfully, the weather was warm and there were only a few clouds- just enough to make the photos interesting.

Torre Central close up.  A Spanish team is attempting this peak and has already fixed rope on a few pitches before retreating to wait for better weather.  When I met them later in the day, they were happy to examine my pics for route conditions.

I played with my camera settings for the first time since buying the camera.  I have not been happy with the quality of photos to date.

Happy to be at the Fin del Sendero/ End of the Trail

Using the sunset setting on my camera, this is one of my favorite shots.  I like the shadows in the early morning light.  Often times the Torres are red at sunrise, but I was elated just to be able to see them after so many days of rain and clouds.

The view on the way down of Lago Torres.  It could be eastern Washington or the east side of the Rockies.

Torres dia 6

A view of another beautiful lake along the trek.

Today I hiked from Los Cuernos to Campamento Torres.  It took me 5.5 hours and involved a lot of elevation gain.  It was hot which contributed to my lethargy.  I was happy to be alone on the trail with my thoughts for the first part of the day before coming across scads of noisy trekkers ( mostly from one country).

After setting up camp, I scrambled up to the Mirador to see if I could catch a glimpse of the Torres.  It was windy, rainy,and cold.  The views were not what I hoped for, but I did see two foxes scrounging for food crumbs left by trekkers.

Torres dia 5

Today I hiked up the Valle de Franca hoping that the weather would clear and I would catch a glimpse of the Cuernos del Paine.  It was really nice to hike without a heavy pack and I made it to the Mirador (5.5 km) in 2 hours.  But it continued to rain and as I gained elevation, it snowed.  Just like the last time I hiked in Hatcher Pass, AK in the summer!

When I got to the top, the sun began to stream through and I was granted a misty view of the Cuernos. Afterwards, I returned to Campamento Italiano to pack up camp and hike to Los Cuernos (7.5 km).  Daily total was 18.5 km mas o menos.  I briefly thought about hiking to the next campground, but it was already 4:00 and I didn´t know if I had another 4 hours of trekking left in me.

Cuernos del Paine in the morning mist.

Torres dia 4

Today I trekked from Refugio Grey to Campamento Italiano, roughly 18.6 km, 400m of elevation gain, and 6 horas.  As I write, I am entombed in my tent in heavy rain.  I arrived in camp, thankfully, before the rain began.  I am damp, but mostly dry.  I cannot leave the tent without getting water inside owing to the design of the tent (single wall for winter use).  Note to self: bring pee bottle next time.

I didn´t sleep well last night and awoke early.  As it was raining, I cooked breakfast and made tea inside my tent.  I quickly packed during a lull in the rain and hit the trail before 8:00.  I appreciated the tranquil solitude for the first 2 hours of hiking.  I reached Refugio Paine Grande at 11:30.  I had lunch and said goodbye to friends that I met along the way who were exiting the park via the catamaran across Lago Pehoe.  

Side note: no one can really leave the park today as the roads are blocked in protest of a proposed 20% gas price increase in southern Chile.  I have no idea where my outbound friends ended up bc they needed to catch a bus for the 2 hour ride back to Puerto Natales and the buses are on strike too.

Before I departed Paine Grande I got the weather forecast and immediately felt dejected.  ¡Màs lluvìa!  I felt demoralized as I slogged my way up to Campamento Italiano on swollen and blistered feet.  I was happier when Ron-from-Israel caught up with me and I had someone to cheer me up.

After getting camp set up (another tent city), I went to the 3-sided shelter to cook some food consisting of ramen noodles, salami and olive oil, cheese and cookies.  Everyone there was Chileano, so I got to practice my Spanish again after 3 days hanging out with gringos.  Soon it began to pour rain and more and more people crammed in under the little shelter.  Many were ill prepared for rain (cotton kills! ¡algodon mata!). 

Palabras del dia fueron "mojado" y "empopado" = wet

Torres dia 3

The view of Glacier Grey just below the pass

Today was supposed to be very difficult with a 640m pass to surmount- Paso John Gardner.  I thought it was easy and appreciated having a lighter pack (6# lighter owing to food consumption) which was more manageable.  The 800m descent from the pass was more challenging.  It involved steep sets of 20¨stairs that were very jarring.  I also had a tailwind for the first time.  though the wind wasn´t constant, there were heavy gusts that threatened to tumble me down face first. I reached Campamento Pasos within 5 hrs and my travelling companions all arrived soon thereafter.  We cooked a hot lunch then continued for another 3 hours to Lago Grey at the advice of a guide who mentioned that they had hot showers.  The camp is on the famous ¨w¨ route so it looked like a massive beach party.  There was a two hour line for the camp showers, but I snuck into the refugio and got one right away.  It was someone´s birthday, so we celebrated with boxed wine ($4000 pesos).  Its not like this is really a wilderness experience anyways!

Palomitas (little doves) are these elegant orchids that dotted the trail.

Above Glaciar Grey on yet another misty day.  Some people thought this was the most amazing thing they had ever seen, but I guess I am spoiled by living in AK.  To me it was just another big glacier without views of the surrounding peaks.  It was awesome in its immensity, though.

Torres del Paine Dia 2

View of Lago Dickson and Refugio

The winds thundered past all night with intermittant drizzle. Camp, surprisingly remained quiet until 10:00 a.m.  I guess everyone knew it would be an easy day- 4 hrs trekking and 9 km to Campamento Perros below the pass.  Peros was really windy, but featured an enclosed and semi heated cooking shelter that was super fun and very social.  I started to get to know my fellow trekkers.

Happily posing without my heavy pack on

At the top of a moraine in heavy winds just above Campamento Peros

Torres del Paine Dia 1, 8-Jan

The 2 hour bus (15,000 pesos) from Puerto Natales dropped me at the park entrance where I payed the  fee ($15,000 pesos) and caught the shuttle ($2,500 pesos) to Las Torres.

I began hiking at 11:15 and inspite of the prohibitively heavy pack, I made it to the first campground within 3 hours at 13 km.  I met a guy named Ken who I hiked with.  I didn´t like the camping area which looked like an estancia/ranch and I was feeling pretty good, so I kept going to the next campground which was another 18 km away.  Over 20 miles on my first day with a 55# pack!
I reached Refugio Dickson at 8:15.  It was windy and cloudy, but it was a really scenic place.

Clouds reflected in Lago Paine along the trail.  This is one of my fav images.

Hiking towards Campamento Dickson.  Lots of Calafate bushes.  The local legend is that once you taste a Calafate berry, you will always be back.

Puerto Natales

I arrived in Puerto Natales around noon and immediately got settled into my hostel, Erratic Rock.  I was expecting a bunch of dirtbag climbers, but instead was greeted by east coast Jews- go figure!  I sat through the Torres del Paine orientation put on by Erratic Rock´s "basecamp".  The guy sitting next to me whispered "I think we have a minion".  Indeed there were about 18 Israelis there and the two of us.

I spent most of yesterday and part of today preparing for the 8-day trekking circuit around Torres del Paine.  They don´t sell dehydrated meals here, so it took a lot of thought and my pack is uber heavy.  I am guessing over 50 lbs.  I packed everything inside garbage bags to waterproof my clothes, sleeping bag, and tent.  The area is known for high wind, so pack covers do not work.  There is some food and fuel available for purchase along the trail, but it´s at a premium.  I may eat at one of the refugios as a treat, but will try not to make it a habit.  Since I am solo, I need to carry my own tent, stove and fuel.  Since there is a high potential for it to be rainy and windy, I need to bring extra clothes which also adds to the weight.  There is a whimpier way to do part of this trek called the "W" for its shape: and the less hardy stay in refugios, have showers, and get served meals, but that isn´t my style.  I have been getting rather paunchy on my South American diet and I fully expect that lugging 50 lbs over 100k will help.

I am leaving tomorrow a.m. and will be incommunicado for about 8 or 9 days, but should have some lovely pictures to share upon my return.

D

Punta Arenas

Los Pengüinos de Seno Otway

 Fun little trip to check out the Magellanic peguins at Seto Otway.  Strangely enough, these penguins have burrows in the pampa where they sleep.

 Dad stands sentinel over two youngin´s

 Such a handsome little devil!

I was sure glad he rain had stopped.

Sleep deprivation

I had a long day yesterday between the early start for climbing and the late flight. Because I have too much stuff with me, I paid for an airport transfer. I flew the budget Sky Airlines to Punta Arenas for $120 USd. I wasnt sure what to ecpect from a low end air carrier especially after i had such difficulty booking the flight. When I checked in, I knew I was well above the 20 kilo limit. The guy at the counter could not believe I was traveling solo with so much stuff. He kept shaking his head and laughing. I told him i was a climber and therefore my stuff is big and heavy. I don't think he wanted to deal with it bc he didn't charge me. He put me in seat 1c. First class, I asked with a wry smile? He said it's like first class because I get served dinner first and can drink as many pisci sours as I want. Really? This is a budget airline? I get dinner? Of course I had forgotten that a 9:30pm flight is smack dab in the middle of Chilean dinner hour. The flight attendant woke me up for dinner and I don't remember anything else until we landed. I groggily managed to get a cab (no small feat) and grabbed to hazy looking Brits to share it.

I was super psyched to have a room reservation at the hostel Erratic Rock where I only had to share with one other person. Every hostel has a personality of it's own. In Buenos Aires, my hostel was a youth party scene. In Pucon, trippy, hippie, dippy ambience with hot androom with thin walls. In Puerto Varas, hostel was very clean, nice, tidy, with great dining are- you could tell it was German run. The catch was that I was in a small room, I mean tiny , with four people and bunkbeds. It got rather stuffy in there. So nowI am at Erratic Rock which is situated above a bakery. My room is huge! The trade off? Only one bathroom to share with the other ten people who are staying here. I was happy to see the complimentary pair of earplugs on my night table until I learned why they are there. The walls are insanely thin here, there are creaky wood floors, and the bakery down below opens early to pound bread dough. Still the two young guys who run this place more than make up for the quirks. They have exuberant youthful energy and are really accommodating. They plied me with lots of matte this a.m. which I sorely needed.

Laundry has become a mounting problem (12 days worth) and I don't have that much with me t- to give you a clearer picture. I don't trust the laundry services with my hi tech fabrics and have been unable to find a do it yourself place. I have been using handsoap in the bathroom sink to wash some items to buy more time. When I asked the two young guys who run the hostel, Phillippe y Patricio, where I could do laundry, they said no problem, we can do it for you.  Such service! 

I read a quote by Lady Florence Dixie who opine "I suppose there may possibly be drearier places but I do not think it is probable.  I haven't yet figured out what I think yet because I haven't been outside.  But it is raining.

climbing Volcan Osorno

Last night I packed up all my stuff because I needed to check out in the a.m.and am fling out in the p.m.  Since I was planning to climb el Volcan Osorno, I also had to pack gearand get my clothes ready so as not to disturb my 3 other roommates with my 4:15 a.m. wake up call.

As it turns out, I didn´t need an alarm.  Andres, the guy sleeping in the bunk above me is a tosser and turner; each time he moves it is like a mini earthquake down below.  Unlucky for me, he got up to take a leak at 4:00 which is like a 7.2 earthquake, and thereby stole my last 15 minutes of sleep.

After 2 days of rain, the weather was perfect for climbing.  My guia, Victor, and I started climbing just after 6:00 a.m.   It was windier and colder than expected, so I had to put on all my clothes from the start.  Thisincluded my "dog walking" primaloft skirt.  I think I looked quite fetching!  See summit pic below.  The rain left the slopes icy.  The climb isn´t really technical other than a few crevasses that we had to negotiate, but the top is very steep.  We didn´t belay, but the guide insisted on short roping me, which is rather a blow to my ego.  The thing about climbing with a guide is that I don´t get to call the shots.  Ifyou know me well enough to read this, I am certain you can envision the power struggles.

Back problems notwithstanding, it was a lovely little climb with some great vistas.  It took us just about 4.5 hrs up, 40 min summit break, 1.75 hrs down.  Summit elevation is 2652m and elev gain is approx 1300m.

 Summit photo

 View of the Andes from the ascent

 Volcan Osorno and multi-colored rocks

View on the descent

I got back to the hostel around 3:30 p.m. and immediately began drying and packing my gear.  I did it yard sale style, which piqued the interest of many of the staid hostel occupants.

Tonight I fly out to Punta Arenas arriving at midnight.  Long day!