In some ways, I have been journeying these past 10 days to come to this mountain, Mount FitzRoy. Now, I sit before it and its sub-peaks. I sit in the waning light and the coolness of the evening, but FitzRoy's west side still basks in the strong, summer sunlight. On that other other side of the mountain is the great southern icefields, and Chile. If I return to this area, that other other side of the mountain is where I will travel to.....
It was my second day backpacking in the FitzRoy area. Both days have consisted of a 3-5 hour backpack, and then an impromtu, super fun personal day adventure. (Today also included an early afternoon nap in my megamid - door open, feet warmed by the sun.... ahhh.)
My adventure yesterday definitely earns "trip highlights" status. After hiking into my first camp, I wandered up canyon. Then, the adventure began. I improvised a harness with a piece of climbing webbing and couple of carabiners.... I clipped myself on to a previously setup Tyrolean traverse, and pulled myself across the mighty FitzRiy Rio.... and then I hiked to Glacier Grande. I returned to near my camp as the sun was setting to cook dinner and drink a beer on the shores of Laguna Torre.
My adventure today was an off-trail, downclimb of a steep skree/snow/waterfall slope to hang out next to a pristine glacial lake.
11/28, Piedra del Fraile
At some point, Patagonia weather will win. Today, the weather beat me down some. I'd had (relatively) incredibly fortunate weather over the past two days, but today... the wind and the rain came, and they came hard. My extra side adventure today came not after my backpacking hike, but during it. It was a fight against the elements (and also an accidental off-trail slog up and down an old glacier morain). At times while walking today I was actually knocked over by the wind.
But now I sit in the comfortable confines of the refuge at Piedra del Fraile. I warm my feet (and soul) by sitting next to the wood stove and drinking Mate.
A few pics.... Drinking from cold, glacial water. Mount FitzRoy. Tyrolean Traverse. View from my nap site. Lake with Cerro Torre in the background.
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