hitching

Finally, we are here in northern Patagonia in Argentina. After 72 hours of travel (planes, overnight buses, more buses, and lots of waiting for buses) Nick and I got to La Chacra Millalen yesterday afternoon, and we instantly knew it was worth the many hours to get here. La Chacra (farm) sits 5km outside of a little pueblo called El Hoyo. When we arrived yesterday there we already 6 wwoofing volunteers, but four left this morning. Josefine, the owner of the farm, is a sweet woman who was born in Switzerland and moved here almost 30 years ago; she´s never gone to college, but she speaks at least four languages (probably more) and is quite fantastic. The farm consists of a large garden, two sheds, a panaderia (bread-making building), and a main building housing a kitchen, a family room, and a guest room upstairs. All of this surrounds a majestic weeping willow and is so peaceful and picturesque that I was completely at ease from the moment I arrived. Surrounding the Chacra are the Andes mountains, glorious structures ranging in size from hills to towering mountians and peaks, all of which are majestic. Its hard to believe that we are really here amongst such staggering beauty. On the buses we were able to get an idea of just how vast the Andes are. As we drove we were surrounded by innumerable mountains, yet as we passed and were able to see beyond their slopes, countless other peaks came into view. The sight brought tears to my eyes several time and I am still in continuous awe of their barren and rugged beauty.

Today, as our first day unburdened by our backpacks and without the need to travel anywhere, Nick and I decided to find a mountain to climb. We found a trail that climbs Cordón Piltriquitrón and set out with no clear idea of how to get to the trailhead or of what sort of hike it would be. The trail is off a dirt road that is on the outskirt of El Bolson, a town that is about 20 km north of El Hoyo. We set off walking down the dirt road that leads from La Chacra to El Hoyo, and were picked up by a rickity old truck after 15 minutes. This was my first hitchhiking experience, and it felt glorious!! Bouncing around in the back of the truck, in the shadows of the royal Andes, my heart was soaring. They dropped us in El Hoyo, and we started walking north through el pueblo, sticking our thumbs out at passing cars. We waited at the edge of town for another 15 minutes before another car pulled over for us, this time a nice car (proving wrong my theory that only old beaters will pick up hitchhikers) driven by a young Argentinian who chatted with us all the way up to El Bolson. We didn´t know exactly where the road that lead to the trail head was, and the man was kind enough to drive into El Bolson, ask for directions, and drive us back until we found the correct road. Nick and i were surprised by his unasked-for generosity. We then began the treck up the road, and soon discovered that it was 10 km long and very steep. After 4 km, we sat down for a break and another dilapidated truck came around the corner after us, picked us up, and took us all the way to the trail head. This was by far the most fortunate of our rides of the day. The three people in the truck (Fabrién, Marte, and Pablo), offered to give us a ride back down the after we were done hiking, as they were doing the same trail. As we began the trek, it started to snow. Yesterday it was 30 degrees celcius and torturously hot in the sun, and today it was snowing. Eh? Global warming? The snow, combined with the magical forest which could have been pulled out of Lord of the Rings, made the hike completely enchanting. As we neared the refugio (small buildings found on lots of treking trails with beds and food) we passed through a section filled with wood carvings: a woman, a gaucho, a reclining ent-like creature, and other abstractions.

Pablo and the others waited for us in the refugio while Nick and I hiked a bit further (by this point getting anywhere near the summit was out of the question). The scenery quickly changed from forest to a desert-like barren landscape dotted with small grasses and a few brave and stunted pines. Clouds blown by frigid wind wafted across the slopes with an eerie presence. Although the view would have been stunning, walking through the clouds was also quite unbelievable, as we caught occassional glimpses of jagged peaks and slopes. Back in the refugio, we had some maté with Pablo and friends and then treked back down. They invited us to their cabin for pancakes (a sweet late-afternoon dish here) but that fell through for some reason I wasn´t able to understand. They ended up driving us all the way back to El Hoyo and gave us their email addresses. They live close to Buenos Aires, so we hope to see them again once we are up in that area in a few weeks.

We will be here at La Chacra Millalen for a week, and then will be meeting up with Jehan and Roxanne before we head down to Chaltén and Los Torres Del Paine!!! AAHhh! I am bubbling over with happiness.
¡Ciao!