Patagonia Part 7: Bariloche

From El Bolson, we headed 2 hours north to San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina´s Lake District. Bariloche is both a popular national and international destination, known for its pristine lakes, great hiking in summer, excellent skiing in winter and, most famously, for its chocolate. We were skeptical at first about the rave reviews of the chocolate, but once we tried it we were converted and bought ourselves a sizable assorted bag - which of course didn´t last as long as we hoped.

Thanks to a tip from our friends Yaron and Dorit (who we met in Torres Del Paine), we secured a nice little studio apartment in the heart of the old town with perfect views of the massive Nahuel Huapi Lake. We also ran into our Swiss friends from El Bolson (Chris and Sabine) and convinced them to stay in the same building so we could hang out. We arrived on the weekend, so spent a couple leisure days exploring the city, checking out the numerous chocolate and souvenir shops, seeing the terrible Hollywood flop "10,000 BC", and going to a Mexican restaurant where the margaritas were tasty, but the food only semi-authentic. We also spent time preparing for our last big hike in Patagonia in the Nahuel Huapi National Park. The weather was beginning to turn, so we were hopeful it would hold a few more days to allow us a good trek.

After visiting Club Andino (the supposed trek experts who actually weren´t that helpful) first thing Monday morning, we decided on our route. Chris and Sabine chose the same so we set off together on the bus to the start of the trek. The full circuit was supposed to take 5 days, but there were a number of alternative routes from the main trail in case of weather or other challenges. While we wanted to attempt the full track, we were strongly advised against it due to probable snow on the highest pass. Eric was game to attempt it if possible, I was a bit more leery.

Day one was fairly leisurely, skirting along the mountainside for some nice views of another of the national park´s lakes and then following above a river into a valley set in between a couple steep rocky mountains. Above the tree/shrub line were some very impressive rock formations - a few of them quite popular for rock climbers. The Refugio Frey sits at the edge of a small alpine lake (partly covered in ice this time of year) with excellent views of the spiring rock peaks. The hut keeper has a gigantic cat (we nicknamed him "little puma") that is quite the outdoor-kitty by day, but spends his evenings indoors on the laps of guests, most favorably men...he loved Eric and Chris and paid little attention to Sabine and I (both cat lovers).

Day two was another day of excellent weather - clear sky and sun, with just a slight bite of cold from the approaching winter. It was by far our most difficult day of the trek, and in my opinion, one of the most difficult days of trekking we´ve done in Patagonia. We began the day climbing out of the rock valley, up to the top of the mountain. This meant a lot of rock scrambling and a bit of climbing made more complicated by the patches of ice that had not melted in the shade. But teamwork and careful foot placement got us to the top...and we were rewarded with an incredible panoramic view of all the surrounding lakes and mountains. I was hoping our major climbing was finished...but I was not so lucky. We descended the very steep (and I´m not exaggerating when I say VERY steep) mountainside into the next valley, navigating once again the rocky terrain and eventually able to almost ski down the last bit of gravelly dirt. We had lunch on the edge of the forest in a sunny spot overlooking the boggy valley beyond. Then, we did it all again...climbed another rocky mountain, got to the top for more stunning views, and then descended a very steep mountainside to the next valley which had a lovely lake and rushing river. It was in this second valley that the Refugio San Martin sat, again next to the lovely alpine lake. The hut keeper here didn´t have a cat, but he did have a dog, a wife and a cute baby (just as good!). We spent the evening with Chris and Sabine and another fellow trekker from Utah cooking, playing cards and enjoying chocolate mousse for dessert (Chris and Sabine had discovered my weakness for sweets and were extremely gracious to share their chocolates and desserts!).

Day three...It rained (and snowed on the main pass) overnight, which meant the decision of whether to continue over the pass or follow the valley to an alternative end was easy. Though from what the hut keeper told us about the snow already accumulated on the pass, in addition to seeing a guy arrive the previous evening who had tried the pass and fallen injuring himself and losing or damaging a lot of his stuff, we had already pretty much decided that it would be safer to head back. We were happy that Chris and Sabine decided to join us and we made our way down the gorgeous valley. The hike was relatively easy compared to the day before, but it was still 4 hours and provided some great views of the mountains and river from a lower elevation.

When we got to the main road, we decided to walk another 5 kms to the small settlement of Colonia Suiza (Swiss Colony). We had heard great things about this little holiday village and since we were with two Swiss, we had to go there and try the Fondue (which was excellent). We found some nice cabañas (cabins) that had a rec room with TV and DVD player...after a few days of hiking, a bottle of wine and a good portion of Fondue, we were all quite happy to settle in and watch "James Bond: Casino Royale." And I also must mention our close encounter with a pet guanaco (he thought he was a dog) who followed us around while we explored the village.

The following day, we began hiking back towards Bariloche and were lucky (for the first time on this trip) to hitch a ride with little effort along the way. We took the bus the second half the way, admiring the many lakes and cute cabins (think Lake Tahoe) along the route back. The two couples separated to shower and run a few errands before we reunited for a last dinner together. We decided to cook in since we had an apartment...we provided the main dish of pasta and Chris and Sabine made a Couscous salad and brought a mouth watering (literally) apple strudel from the bakery. Strudel is a favorite in Switzerland and after the Fondue we had to round off our Swiss experience! We were quite sad to say goodbye to Chris and Sabine...they had been wonderful companions for 2 hikes and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. We are hoping they will decide to visit us this summer in California during their travels in the US. ;)

The following day we left Bariloche and Patagonia on a 19 hour bus bound for Mendoza - Argentina's wine country...