Springtime in the Andes

It's really pretty here.

On Sunday morning I caught a late-morning bus to a small satellite community called Colonia Suiza. This is basically a strip of mostly tourist-oriented things (campgrounds, restaurants, artsy shops) along a dirt road. For me, it was the jumping-off point for a 5-hour hike up to a mountain refugio called Refugio Italia, next to a mountain tarn called Laguna Negra. The first 3.5 hours were along a mountain stream with gently increasing elevation. The woods were generally similar to what I encountered in Parque Huerquehuay in Chile, only the coigues trees were generally smaller. After those 3.5 hours, I reached a small campsite, and could see the falls.

Going up probably 200m.

A Canadian hiker coming down had told me to expect snow. As the trail wound its way up the side of the mountain on one side of the falls, there was snow. I tell ya, crossing snow fields that descend steeply for 30m is not always fun in the springtime. If the snow decides to slip, you go with it. To the rocks (usually) below.

But the refugio was reached without incident.

Those of you who have been in White Mountain huts will know what sort of service those provide: large dorm rooms, a staff of four or five, hearty dinner and breakfast, all for about $60.

This was not that. There was, at the time, only a young lady from Buenos Aires as caretaker. The capacity was about 60. Dinner and lodging cost A$38 (about US$13). The place was poorly heated (one central stove that madam caretaker did not feed too much), but it was shelter from nearly-continous 15mph winds. There was me, the caretaker, and an Argentine couple. An American couple popped in to say they were camping (!) nearby. I saw where they put their tent, but I'm still wondering how easy it was for them to cook dinner, given the winds. The caretaker said that the high moutain routes were still snow-bound and generally dangerous due to spring avalanche-like conditions. This did not stop one Aussie clown from making such a traversal (I passed him on his way down near the refugio, decked out in full snow/ice gear.)

Laguna Negra was still mostly frozen over. The temperatures at night were probably above freezing, but not by much. I was toasty warm in the sleeping bag, with the usual I-don't-want-to-leave-it problem in the morning.

Morning was actually relatively wind-free. I took about 90 minutes to explore the shoulder of one of the nearby peaks that seemed attainable without winter or mountaineering gear. It wasn't, but I got a great view of one of the other local peaks, which is named Cerro Catedral for a very good reason. Since my pictures were stolen , you can look at another traveler's pictures to get an idea.

The hike down was uneventful, if a bit rushed, as there are few buses going through Colonia Suiza each day.

The day yesterday was capped with one thing I like about Argentina: a three-course dinner with 1/2 bottle of wine for about $15. Yum.

Today is a relaxaday, hanging about Bariloche. Tomorrow begins the slog back toward Santiago (requiring about 16 hours in buses, with about 7 hours of layover in Osorno Chile).

Hasta luego!