Saturday found me in the window seat of a plane flying south along the Andes starring intently out at the masses of snowy peaks. After almost a full two hours of amazing alpine landscapes there was a jagged split in the snow and the teethy grin of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre welcomed me to Southern Patagonia. We spent three days hiking around the spires and glaciers of these peaks on what might just be the most enjoyable backpacking trips of my life. We were blessed with three days of clear cold weather in a land that is famous for its unpredictably and bad rain storms. The valleys were turning their fall colors around clear alpine lakes boarded by glacier blanketed mountains. And to top it all off, the immense and dramatic towers of Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre, and neighboring spires were our constant companions. We rounded the last day off with a pre-dawn hike up a snowy ridge to watch the first rays of morning sun light up the east face of Fitz Roy, and then hiked out to the snug quiet valley town of El Chalten to catch the bus back to El Calafate. Here we have merged once again with the tour bus crowds and postcard stands for a short while inorder to go and see the impressive Perito Mereno Glacier. We head off to Chile and Puerto Natales tomorrow to see more granite spires by the name of Torres del Paine.
I am adjusting to life as a temporary only child, interpreter, and nature guide. Life is good.
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