The Falling Sky
Patagonia
03 CHAPTER
FITZ ROY
Patagonia is a very deserted region. On my bus ride to El Chalten, only endless pampas, covered by the semi-dried grass flashed by. This vast, open space, appearing before you, stretching beyond the horizon is a marvel! Plains covered with grass carpet sometimes come to live in the form of a small number of grazing cows and pampas deer. Moreover, when your eye becomes accustomed to this scenery, the peak of the most magnificent mountain in the Argentinian Patagonia - Fitzroy, unexpectedly grows before you.
Curiosity is bordering with fear.
A bus from El Calafate took us to the small, tourist town of El Chalten, where the trek to Fitzroy, at the foot of which lies the picturesque lake Laguna De Los Tres, starts. The length of the trek in one direction is 10 kilometers.
First, the path goes through densely overgrown forests, speckled by running springs from melting glaciers. Perhaps there is nothing more delicious in the world than crystal clear water that is melting from glaciers, continuously flowing through mountain crevices, forming the entire mountain rivers and lakes. I didn't taste anything more special than this in my whole life! You will surely not die from thirst in the mountains of Patagonia! Water can be safely replenished from every spring you encounter on your way. Every sip makes you absolutely enriched. Just WOW!
In some places, the vegetation grows over your head, and you need to break through the bushes along narrow, winding paths, which sporadically go up, then slide down again. At some point, the forest ends, and rocky slopes are strewn with tricky stone blocks. Andean condors - the biggest birds on Earth, are circling above you, behind you, there are the hills that you just passed, and Fitzroy – the greatest wonder of nature is hidden somewhere behind the rocks.
At the last bit of the way, you need to climb up to the lagoons for about an hour and a half, walking up on steep rocks, not knowing what awaits you at the top. But when the peak of Fitzroy begins to loom in front of you, the emotional bliss takes your breath away. It gracefully appears from behind the rocks, right in front of you within arm’s reach.
When going on a trek, it is always difficult to imagine what the ultimate goal destination looks like, what is waiting for you on the way there, how much strength will be needed, and will it be worth it? In journeys like these, I often face the shaky moments of truth, especially when walking uphill for a very long time, and many hours in a row. When my body slowly weakens, the legs stumble over the sticking rocks, the blinding and stingy sun burns the back of my neck, and my trekking boots give me new blisters, I start to question the purpose of this torture. Why in the first place, did I ever think of going to the mountains of Patagonia, and not to the warm and sandy beaches of the Dominican Republic instead? Except, people who have once fallen in love with the mountains, will never turn back, and I continued to push through, tormented by the shortness of breath, and occasional panic attacks, especially when the dizzying landscapes behind my back revealed the mountain peaks stretching to infinity. The real fun begins, when you already crossed various mountain ranges, but wait a minute… that's not it! You are not even close to the Mirador (the viewpoint with a stunning view; the final point of ascent), but you continue to walk obediently, very slowly, targeting your every step. And finally, the top of the mountain Fitz Roy is showing right in front of you, and there is no end to your delightful excitement! This is magic, mysticism, ingeniously concealed by nature in a stunningly beautiful place, and you see it with your own eyes when most people don't even know that this kind of treasure is hidden in the mountains of Patagonia, and probably are also less concerned with the thought of getting here. You walked for a long time, and it was hard, but it certainly worth it, and it's difficult to disagree. Inside, everything rejoices, vibrates, and starts to fill up with energy. The unneeded stream of information in your head, drilling thoughts, anxiety, and fears accumulated over the years - disappear like a mist, somewhere near this fabulous lagoon.
