Backpacking South America

Yes, crossed the pass of the clouds (Paso de las Nubes).  It’s a two-day hike, but wasn’t quite as simple as our guide book made it seem (our packs were also a bit heavier than they needed to be…).  As we prepared for the hike, we asked about the condition of the trail, and everybody told us, there is some water – but it wasn’t until we reached the ranger’s office at the trailhead, that we heard we were going to have to go through shin-deep water.  We were both concerned, but figured what’s a little water going to do?

Day One

The trail map said the first day should take 8 hours.  We headed out despite a few clouds accumulating on the horizon.  We found ourselves some good bamboo walking sticks and kept trekking on.  We were making great time and reached the first campground in 2.5 hours, much sooner than the map said (4 hours).

At the campground, we had to ford a river that turned out to be knee deep.  The current was very strong and our backpacks had some minds of their own.  I changed my shoes in for my flip-flops and crossed first, dropped my pack and went to the middle of the river to help Carra across.

We shipped out to Pampa Linda, right outside of town from Bariloche, for a few days. We decided to hike Paso de las Nubes, which is at best a two day hike, starting in Pampa Linda, which is supposed to be the easier direction to cross. We found a really cute Hosteria (Hosteria Pampa Linda), like a Bed & Breakfast, with a long, rich history that we just couldn’t pass up.

It’s this cute little Inn that can accommodate about 36 people. It’s now run by the granddaughter of the original owner. They are at the base of the massive Mount Tronador, which is located in the southern part of the Andes Mountains between Chile and Argentina. It’s popular with mountaineers, but it’s serious work to get to the top and is only open to the most experienced climbers. The final ascent, we were told, is only done in Spring, when there is ice on the last face. In Summer, the rock is so fragile that it crumbles when you try to climb it. The mountain is about 3400 meters, which is over 10,000 feet. Sorry, but you couldn’t pay me enough money to walk across a glacier.