Training Log Archive: Stijn

Overcast day in El Chalten so we linked some of the shorter hiking routes and climbed the hill overlooking the village (Cerro Rosado). Beautiful trails through the forest and a few glimpses of a snow-covered Fitz Roy towering above us in the clouds.

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move135658426

C • Fitz Roy 1

First run in 2 weeks! Felt great :) Along the valley paths to the nearby waterfall and back with Fran.

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move135658428

We woke up to the expected rainy day and cruised down through the forest to the road, where we caught a bus back to Bariloche.

Definitely right up there with the best hikes I've done. If you're in the area, don't miss it!

This day was a technical traverse over Cerro Lopez and Cerro Bailey Willis to Laguna Negra. After a bit of scrambling above the hut, we crossed a large snowfield and the route markers disappeared. Based on the map and trying to avoid steep snowfields, we went up a heinously loose scree slope where absolutely everything moved half a metre down when you touched it. Scary stuff, with each of us climbing up separate lines to avoid knocking rocks onto each other.

Once on the ridgeline, we found the markers again and after a quick side trip to tag the Pico Turistica summit, we got to skate all the way down the other side via more loose scree. The going was much easier after that, through a meadow, over a pass (plus side trip to summit Cerro Bailey Willis) and then down more scree in the pumping wind to the Refugio on the shore of Laguna Negra.

We had lunch here and then dropped down the many zigzags into the forest, planning to hike out to the road and camp at Colonia Suiza. Just a few kays down, we came across the most beautiful forest campsite and decided to rather camp there.

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move135225379

The high traverse route from Refugio Jakob to Refugio Laguna Negra was still snowed-in for the season, so we opted for a long walk around and back up to Refugio Lopez via a beautiful forested valley, a 10km stretch of gravel road and then a final steep 900m climb. The day dragged on a bit but by making it to Lopez, we could still do the last part of the traverse on our final day of good weather. Amazing sunset from Refugio Lopez, where we were camping again.

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move135225379