The last stop on our Patagonia tour together was the beach town Puerto Madryn.  We had plans of seeing whales, penguins and sea lions oh my!  Our hotel was a little oasis a bit outside of the town.  We were greeted at the door by an adorable beast of a dog, who by the looks of things had just had a recent surgery and was, thus, condemned to the cone of shame. We asked the dog’s name and the owner told us his name was ‘LuAnne.” Okay. . . interesting name for a huge male dog, but maybe it was a cultural difference?

Our first day in Puerto Madryn we headed to the Valdes Peninsula to do a little whale watching.  This was such a neat experience.  I’ve been whale watching before but previously trips have been on larger boats than what we were on.  For this trip we were riding on small raft type boats that allowed us to get very close to the Right Whales.  Off the coast of the Valdes Peninsula is a breeding ground for these whales so we were able to see many mamas and babies.

On day two we went to see penguins in the nearby town Punta Tombo.  These little cuties had the life.  They live on this huge peninsula where they build homes in the bushes, burrow their eggs, have parade walks to the water, and swim in the ocean.  We walked about a mile along this path beside them, pausing, of course, to let them pass.  Penguins have the right of way in Ponto Tombo.

 

After visiting the penguins we went to  Egidio Feruglio Paleontology Museum where we walked around the national park.

We ended our days in Puerto Madryn back at the hotel oasis where we started.  One night, I was chatting with the hotel staff and called the dog LuAnne. “‘LuAnne? No, el es Luján.” ‘No, his name is Luján.’  Oooooh Luján? You mean the classic Spanish surname derived from the Basque language and originating in Northern Spain? NOT ‘LuAnne’ the popular American name most common from the 1960s and 70s? Oops!!  Another lost in translation moment, but this time at the expense of a sweet furball.

 

After conquering Fitz Roy our bodies were aching and we were ready to take a break.  We hopped on a flight from El Calafete flying south to Tierra del Fuego.  This was probably the most terrifying flight I have ever experienced.   After takeoff the pilot came on the intercom and told us that we were lucky because we would have a great view of the Upsala Glacier from the plane.  He decided to fly the plane very low through the Andes to view the glacier.  Next, he turns the plan around and flies back in the opposite direction so the OTHER SIDE of the plane could get a good view.  We were so low and the turbulence was awful. I thought it was more scary than fun.  Apparently, though, I was in the minority because the other passengers on the plane were bouncing up and down in their seats squealing an excited “Wheeeeee!!!!!”  I did another  ‘mental checkout’ by pulling my hat over my eyes and starting deep breathing meditation techniques.  Thank goodness for Carly, her fearless attitude and great photography skills.

We arrived in Ushuaia, which is located at southernmost point of South America on a an island called Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire.)  Ushuaia is magical.  It’s the jumping off point for many trekkers goings to Antarctica.  The place just has an adventurous feel to it. It’s motto is ‘Ushuaia, fin del mundo, principio de todo.’  Ushuaia, end of the world, beginning of everything. 

The first day started with a boat ride along the Beagle Channel.  We saw panoramas of Ushuaia Bay, wildlife on the De los Lobos and De los Pajoros Islands, as well as the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse.

Day two we hike through Tierra del Fuego National Park.  We met a guy who was sailing to Antarctica the next day. Before making it to Ushuaia, I said to my group “Maybe I could like hop over to Antarctica at one point after leaving you all in a couple of weeks.”  I was thinking maybe it was a 8-10 hour ride. Uh yeah.  I come to find out it takes 30 hours on a HUGE icebreaker ship to make the trip. I never said geography was my strongest subject!  I’m learning as I go here, people!! Anyway, this guy was telling us all about his trip and the ways he prepared.  He was an extreme adventures travel agent and he wanted to ‘experience this trip’ before he sold it to adventure seekers.  I told him about my year-long journey which impressed him (which in turn, impressed me because I just impressed an extreme adventures travel agent!)  He told me traveling alone was difficult for him and it was something he had to practice.  We talked about the struggle of staying present and not get lost in your mind.  It’s so easy to think about and wonder what is happening at another place and time (especially when I am missing people from home.) It was refreshing to hear this perspective from someone else.

The last part of day 2 was a pretty hilarious adventure.  The trip itinerary noted that there would be canoeing along the Lapataia River.   Our first step into the realm of ridiculousness was getting dressed up in an intense hazmat style suit complete with water-waterproof overalls, fishing boots and life vests.  Don’t get me wrong. .   I didn’t want to go swimming in the freezing cold water but it just seemed a bit extreme! We were then led to what seemed like a white water rafting boat but I thought we were canoeing? Were there even rapids in the Lapataia River?

We made it to the water where our rafts casually floated down the river and the water gently lapped at the sides of the boat.  Our group was feverishly rowing with our oars to help the raft pick up speed and yet we still moved at a snail’s pace through the calm water.  At one point, we became stuck on what I assumed were rocks. I stabbed my oar into the water and felt completely stuck.  I looked over at a fellow group member and saw him step out of the boat.  He was either Jesus walking on water or we had just completely beached ourselves.  The water was so shallow at parts that our boat was stuck on the river’s floor. The group could not stop laughing as we all exited the boat and pushing it back into deeper water. It was not exactly the exhilarating white water rafting experiences I had hoped for, but ultimately it was pretty darn funny and enjoyable.

That night we had a delicious dinner by the water to celebrate Jamie’ s birthday.

Our next stop on the “Patagonia World Tour” was the beautiful city of El Chalten.  This quaint little town, established in 1985,  is considered the trekking capital of Argentina being that it is situated at the base of Cerro Torro and Cerro Fitz Roy Mountains.   Our main goal over the next 2 days was to hike a part of Mt Fitz Roy. This little gem has gorgeous views and is, coincidentally, the peak on the Patagonia brand logo.

I really loved El Chalten.  It was just so charming.  You can tell this is a town on its way to bigger things.  Although it is quite  teeny tiny, there was constant construction going on around us; new hostels, restaurants and shops all in various stages of development. It  felt like a town living a double life.  It was calm, seemingly our hidden secret, yet we knew more was brewing beneath the surface.  We kept asking ourselves “What will this place look like in 10 years?”

On our first day, we hiked to Laguna Torre.  It was a fairly easy hike but took nearly 6 hours to complete.

The hike winded its way over rolling hills and ended at a huge lagoon. The lagoon was expansive and beautiful.  As we approached the top we were nearly knocked over from the rushing gush of wind.   We slowly climbed around the lagoon’s edge and took shelter in a walled rock structure to eat our lunch.

The next day we were prepared for the big hike.  This was the granddaddy of all hikes. The infamous Fitz Roy.   We met a new friend on our hike the day before to the lagoon. He had done both hikes that week. We asked him to rate them for us on a scale of 1-10.  “Okay let’s see,” he started.  ” If the Fitz Roy hike is a 10, then today is probably *please say 8 or 9, please say 8 or 9* hmm today is probably like a 4 or 5.” Yikes. Not what I was hoping to hear.

He explained to us that most of the hike wasn’t all that bad.  “It’s about 4 hours each ways and 3 of those hours are totally doable. . but the last hour. . .” Marco’s voice drifted off.   Oh yes, the last hour.  I had heard of ‘the last hour’ from others we had met along the way.  “The last hour of the Fitz Roy hike is straight up hill.”

So there it was.  A line was drawn in the sand.

Theresa versus The Last Hour.

May the most fabulous gal win.

As expected, the start of the hike was just fine.  Through the woods, over a couple of gentle hills, all in all quite pleasant.

Finally after nearly 3 hours of hiking we made it to the final section.  There were many signs warning us about the next 700 meters.  For anyone who has been to Machu Picchu and climbed Wayna Picchu, this would be a good comparison of the last hour.

MANY steps leading up the mountain. Passing some.  Waiting while others walked down the steps beside us having just completed the journey.  Asking “Sooo. . . give or take, are we almost at the top?”  Hearing answers like “Oh no way!  You still have 45/30/15  minutes let.”

 We finally made it to the top and it was so sweet!  Theresa:1 The Last Hour:0

The peaks sprawled out in front of us like majestic family. One slightly taller than the next. The clouds around it gave a reverent feeling to the whole setting.  As if a veil would lift for a short time and then momentarily settle back over.

After soaking it in, we turned around to do the whole thing over.  On the way back we were exhausted.  Sometimes coming down is harder than going up.  Fatigue starts to set in and every step can be an excruciating crunch of bones.

There was a moment when, in a fit of tired frustration,  I yelled “This place is never-ending,” into the open valley in front of us.  Carly (the kindest and sweetest person you’ll ever meet) responded with a quiet “Seriously.  Get me off this *expletive* mountain.”  At that point, we had aching feet and were ready to be done.

Every minute wasn’t extreme elation but every minute was worth it.

A few minutes later we felt sweet joy and pride when we crested over the final hill and saw our little town laid out before us.

We practically skipped back home where we indulged in pizza, beer and dulce de leche delicacies.

The next morning we were up early on the road to the Upsala Glacier in  Los Glaciares National Park.  We arrived at Estancia Cristina which is a private ranch located in the National Park.  Estancia Cristina was established in the early 1900s by British traveler/explorer Joseph Masters.  Our route that day consisted of a bus to boat combo.  This seemed to be the case many days in Patagonia.  The area is so remote, and multiple forms of transportation were needed to arrive at a destination.  The boat ride was beautiful.  We passed through gorgeous icebergs floating in the water.  In Europe there is definitely a feeling of “Oh look!  Another cathedral.”  In Patagonia it’s “Oh look! Another glacier/iceberg.”

 

Now prepare yourself for an inundation of beautiful iceberg pictures:

 

 

We finally got to the ranch and unloaded from the boat.  In the brochure we were led to believe that when we arrived at the ranch we would be taken to the top of a giant hill on All Terrain Vehicles (aka 4X4s) to view the Upsala Glacier.  Jackie, Jamie, Carly and I were so quite excited for this adventure!  The night before one of us, who shall remain anonymous (note: me), said “Guys, in all seriousness, let’s be super careful tomorrow on the 4X4s.  We probably won’t be wearing helmets and who knows how difficult it will be to drive over the rocky terrain.”

Now for a tangent: My brother is a Physician Assistant.  Whenever I call him worried that I have contracted some incurable disease he tells me “Theresa, in medicine we say ‘Let’s look for the horses rather than the zebras'” which essentially means “Theresa you have food poisoning from Morocco not Ebola.”  In other words what is the most probable conclusion here?

I should have used the ‘horses/zebra’ analogy in this case.  Did I really think I would be given my own personal ATV 4X4 to drive up a mountain to a glacier at breakneck speed? Well, yes I actually thought that.  But SHOULD I  have thought that?  Well, maybe.   There were a bunch of misleading 4X4 pictures on their website. HOWEVER, would that have been the most successful way to get a bunch of people up a mountain to a glacier?  The answer to that is no.  Instead we were loaded into Safari looking jeeps with benches on each side and a handle bar attached to the ceiling.  “Hold on because it’s going to be a bumpy, nausea inducing ride,” should have been inscribed on the side of the jeep.

 

 

 

Needless to say, I was happy to exit the jeep and head towards the glacier.  After a short walk we made it to the lookout point.

One thing I have come to realize about Patagonia is it’s undescribeable and unbelievable.  It’s like looking a postcard and this day was no different.

Next we left and rode back to the ranch to take a tour.  We walked around the grounds, the original buildings and the museum.  The Master family had a son, Perci, and a daughter , Cristina.  The ranch was named after Cristina who sadly passed away at the age of twenty.  Perci (the son) left the ranch and did not return until he was sixty.  When he came back he married a ranch employee named Janet.  During their marriage the tried to adopt a child partly to keep the ranch in the family.  According to reports the government would not allow.  Many believe the government wanted to take control of the ranch when no one in the family was left living.  Perci died in 1984 and Janet in 1997.

We returned to El Calafete on our boat.  On the way back we passed by the other side of the Upsala Glacier.  Fun Fact: The Upsala Glacier was named after the researchers who studied it from Uppsala University in Sweden.  Six Degrees of Separation Fun Fact: Jackie taught graduate classes at Uppsala University in Sweden for seven summers. (Have I mentioned she is a rockstar teacher/professor?)  Everyday I am reminded of what a small world it is!