Argentina Day 6 - Overview of El Chalten

Rain rolled in overnight and was scheduled to end around 10am. In looking for possible hikes for today, I decided maybe one of the shorter hikes was a good option, and I’d save the next longer hike I want to do for tomorrow when the weather is better.

After breakfast most of the group walked to the park office to check out the area hiking map. Behind the office are a few shorter trails, so we took one that is named as a condor lookout. It provided good views of the town and a lone condor.

We returned to town and tried to grab lunch, but the electricity was out, thus closing all of the restaurants and stores. Just as I was asking someone to pray that my bread loaves would multiple the power came back on and the grocery store opened.

Some decided to roam the town for the afternoon and check out the shops. I charged my phone, had some tea and stroop waffles, and relaxed for a little. Then it was time to walk! Nicole joined me for a stroll to initially find a dinner spot, but it turned into an exploratory hike.

We crossed a bridge to a dirt road and found where the rock climbers hang out. Then we went the opposite direction and found the trail to an amazing overlook of El Chalten. It was a steep climb (probably steeper than yesterday), as I was on my tiptoes the entire way up. At the top my spidey-senses were going off because of the height, but the view was so worth the butterflies in my gut. This hike is not part of the National park hikes, so it doesn’t appear on the maps.

Tomorrow will be a longer hike to see a glacier and lake. I must say the weather has been fantastic, even with the little bit of rain and clouds today.