Patagonia Burning

Its been a few emotional days, hearing the news on the 30th that Torres was burning and would be closed for a month.  With Lucy´s love for the Park and it being our main goal behind the trip, it was looking to be a very sad turn of events.  Although still a bad fire, it appears the authorities are getting it under control and word in Peurto Natales is that the Park may reopen in 48 hours with limited access.  So we wait and hope, both that the park opens and that the damage is not as bad as some have been speculating.

Up until hearing of the fires, all was going to plan.  We left Villa O´Higgins on the 8am ferry across the lake meeting some great people on board and seeing glaciers before the tough climb past the Chilean border post up to the official border south of the lake before the steep and rugged single track descent to the Argentinian border post on Lago Desierto.  Our plan to take backpacks and carry all our stuff on our backs and push our empty bikes worked well and we made it all the way in one trip, getting the ferry across the lake that evening and then biking into Chalten the next morning.  · hours bumping on another rough Argentinian road got us to town after lunch and we hit one of the best pannideria´s (bakeries) yet for rolls and bakery treats before finding a spot at a climbers campsite in town and having a magnificent argentinian steak for dinner. 

Ellie and Lucy cross to Chile...

Heading south towards Chalten and Lago Desierto with Mnt Fitzroy behind us...

We had some cracking views of Mount Fitzroy and Torres coming into Chalten from Lago Desierto and so decided to head straight up into the hills to spend a night at Laguna Torres or Fitzroy and had a super two days up in the mountains, the weather was closing in a bit so we didn´t get to see the massifs from close up, but just being up there among the glaciers, peaks and ice was good and we had windy night campping below Fitz.  It was that morning we found out about the fire at Torres and decided it was best to head straight for Peurto Natalaes to save us a bit of time in case we had to wait to get into the park or juggle plans a bit and so far this is proving to have been a good call, as amongst all the speculation, no one really knew what was happening.  So a New Year dinner in El Calafate and then onto Natales and now hopefully we are poised for a week of hiking in the Park...
After which we will be back on the bikes for the last 600odd kms to Ushuaia before Lucy flies home.....

Will add some more pic´s later tonight, heading to town on a mission.