Hike-u

As previously mentioned, I'm not much of a hiker. When I was sixteen, everybody in my class was doing something called the Duke of Edinburgh award. Part of it consisted of hiking for two days in the Wiltshire countryside and camping overnight. By day two, I was so incredibly grouchy, mumbling obscenities and cursing the lack of concrete, that the rest of my group was honestly worried that I was in the beginning stages of hypothermia. I wasn't. I just hated being cold and wet and sleeping in tents and peeing in bushes and being covered in mud and hauling a backpack... I hated all of it.


That hasn't changed.


And yet, I found myself in the self-proclaimed "hiking capital of Argentina" on Thursday. Mainly because everybody I've met kept telling me that I HAD to go to El Chalten. That it was the most amazing place. That I would really be missing out if I didn't at least go for a day.

El Chalten

When I arrived, I was greeted by sleeting rain and the worst non-hurricane winds I've ever experienced. You couldn't see the mountains, you could barely see the ground in front of you. As I trudged towards the trails, I silently cursed everyone who told me to go to El Chalten. And then I binned my nascent trekking attempt and went for pizza and a beer instead.

Tasty local brew

An hour later, the weather had marginally improved (no sleet but still ludicrously windy) so I tried again. And this time, not only did I make it up one of the easiest trails, but I also passed several septuagenarians along the way and beat them to the viewing point by five minutes! Achievement!

Mount Fitz Roy

Several quick photos later, I scampered back down the trail and promptly sank into the nearest pub to sample some of the local microbrews while patting myself on the back. Job well done.

Me up a mountain