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Crossing Río de las Vueltas on the way into Chalten…, | |
…over this bridge. Time to introduce the Hilux, Toyota that is, a 4x4 per rental agreement, which we realized several days into the expedition was actually a 4x2. Patagonia is brutal on vehicles - I've personally witnessed during my short time here, 7 popped tires, gomas pinchadas, one decimated suspension system, and a chassis cracked beyond repair. We negotiated two spares for the Hilux; they were so beat to hell that they each should have properly come with spares of their own. | |
¡Bienvenidos a El Chalten!, village of 200 permanent residents founded in 1985, the youngest town in Argentina. | |
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A large granite wall hems El Chalten on its southern edge, ideal nesting place for Andean condors. Upon our arrival, two condors circled along the walls, their shadows dancing with erratic undulations of granite. The condor has landed. | |
Monte Fitz Roy as seen from town, weather holding. We knew we'd been blessed by the amazing visibility on the drive in. Many people visit for just one photograph of Fitz Roy, stay for days or weeks, only to return home empty handed because the clouds never clear. The indigenous Tehuelche thought the perpetual clouds were smoke, thus mistakenly naming the monument "Chaltén," "volcano" in Tehuelche. Or so the tourism brochures read. Anyways, visibility upon our arrival was outstanding… | |
What's that billowing behind the granite? | |
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