Thursday, 15 February 2018

Part 26 Torres Del Paine, Perito Moreno, Cerro Fitz Roy, late Jan 18


Pataeolian Upset  (The Power of the Patagonian Wind)

It was misty and rainy at the end of the world. We rode 30 km of ripio through Tierra Del Fuego National Park back to Ushuaia. There we gassed up and bought groceries before returning to Graciela’s house in Rio Grande. We sent positive thoughts to little Selena, the victim we had helped the previous week, as we passed the crash sight. She had punched a hole in the windshield of her mother’s car with her head. The car, probably with too much speed and while attempting a left turn, had slipped on loose gravel and rolled in the ditch in front of us. Argentina has a very high crash rate. Crashes have been a constant throughout, and would continue to punctuate, our South American journey.

Graciela greeted us with hugs and kisses, fresh coffee and crepes. Her stove and her spirit warmed us. There was easy conversation throughout the evening before Graciela went to work.

We had about 100 km of ripio to do the next day. The crossing into Chile at the lonely and windswept little station was brief and efficient. The ripio started immediately and was easy this time. Our knobby tires dug into the gravel and grabbed the gnarly hard-pack, providing good traction. The final section, 60 km to the Porvenir ferry, was immediately of lesser quality. It steadily became worse. The gravel was deep in places and made it tempting to go too slowly for the heavily banked corners. Slippery gravel, steep banking and slow speeds on right handers made one slide down into even deeper gravel at the base of the turn. Isabelle had some difficulties with this.

In Porvenir Harbour


We arrived in the bleak little town of Porvenir cold and tired. A trip to the ferry dock revealed that there was only one trip per day and we had missed it. Disappointment piled up as our first and second choices for lodging were closed or closed down. We ended up paying top dollar for a lovely cabana. The luxury was great but so was the guilt; five days worth of lodging budget blown in one night!

We chatted a bit with a couple next door who coincidentally were from Ottawa. They had rented a 4X4 pick-up truck to tour the area. Michael said that he had read how bad the section of road we had just ridden was. That road had motivated him to splurge on a four-wheel drive vehicle from the rental agency.

I serviced Isa’s chain after all that dust and gravel. The wind howled and was bitterly cold. Task completed, I went inside. The gas fireplace radiated delightfully. We watched TV while doing a couple of loads in the automatic laundry machine in the kitchen. An evening walk to the only bank in town, in the only town we had encountered so far in Chile, felt good and loosened our legs. We agreed to a ten percent fee at the Cajero Automatico (ATM) and about 3% more with our bank but our minds were eased, finally having Chilean Pesos in our pockets.

On the ferry


The ferry ride was windy and rough. This second crossing of the Straight of Magellan, from Tierra Del Fuego to the mainland, was wider than our previous crossing and took two and a half hours. Luck was with us and we got seats at a table in the lounge, despite the crowds. We shared the table with a cyclist names Paulo. We would bump into him a couple of weeks later in El Calafate.

I checked on the motos several times. The small ship was groaning, clanging and bucking hard. Suspension compressing with each yaw, the motos really looked like they were going to topple over. The crew had not tied them down yet. Crash bars on the motos allow them to remain undamaged in a fall. The concern was that my moto’s probable fall trajectory would put it on top of an expensive looking bicycle. The crew eventually put blocks around the wheels and under the engine skid plates in strategic locations. They had clearly done this before because the bikes didn’t budge after they had finished.

Safe and dry in Punta Arenas we found the hostel we were looking for. It was in my notes as a recommended, bike friendly place that let you camp with kitchen privileges. It also proved to be popular with backpackers. We stayed in the overcrowded, overpriced place and put on a happy face. We met and had dinner with a pleasant Dutch couple, Will and Garret. They are about our age. They too said that the place was a fire hazard and they would be glad to rent their pick-up truck and to move on the next day.

The ride from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales redefined the phrase, “worst wind ever” for us. It came from the left (W) and tried to dump us into the ditch. We rode with a large steering correction that caused the bike to lean sharply toward the opposing lane. We developed the habit of slowing right down for passing trucks and buses.

When a cross-wind comes from the left, an oncoming large vehicle first hits you with an explosive shockwave. Following immediately is a brief shelter from the cross-wind. The shockwave rattles your brain and the wind shadow causes your moto to jump violently toward the on-coming truck. Anticipating the necessary and sudden release of the leftward steering correction takes practice. A fraction of a frightening second later that steering correction needs to be reapplied as one is struck by the blast of the return of the Patagonian wind. Reducing our speed to 20 kph slows and reduces the effects. It gives us more room for error, a fighting chance.

Spring flowers


The “Yellow Plum Tent House” in Punta Arenas was a pleasant place to stay. It was a little expensive but it was clean, modern and even at capacity, not overcrowded. Carlos, the owner, had been a guide in Torres Del Paine National Park. He seemed to enjoy pouring over maps and giving insightful hiking advice.

Blooms in a harsh climate


Numerous tour company offices in town offered various bus/hike packages into the park, 80 km away. Carlos became excited over the fact that unlike the hoards of backpackers in this touristic centre we have our own wheels. We told Carlos that we had several days to spend in the park. He suggested a central campground that did not require a reservation; from there, a series of day hikes. We could ride to the trail heads on park roads. To train our bodies each day the hikes would become longer and more challenging, leading to the hike that would give a postcard view across a suspended lake to “Paine’s Towers” on the final day.

Keeping warm in the south


Carlos finished his thorough briefing by warning us to leave town with enough fuel for a range of 500 km. Our jerry cans and red bottles raise our range to 600 km. He showed me where to get fuel outside the park after taking a rough short-cut route into Argentina.

Everywhere are signs of new growth


The Yellow Plum breakfast was fabulous. We followed it with a shopping trip to buy supplies for the week. We would need to be completely self-sufficient. The town’s supermarket was really busy with customers wearing outdoor sporting clothes and buying dried foods. We fit right in.

Approaching Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine


Following Carlos’ advice, we then walked to the tourist office to pick up the best free map I have ever seen; a full topo, waterproof map of the entire park. The map was marked with all points of interest, trails and trailheads. It even showed spots with elevated risk of high winds. We understood that trails were sometimes closed due to high winds that could sweep people off of a mountain.

Guanaco Silhouette


It was a windy ride on Ruta 9 followed by 50 km of good ripio that brought us to the campground. The relatively short ride took a long time because of the numerous stops we felt compelled to make to take photos. The views were stunning. We spent the first night at a site with the best view but with little shelter. The wind drove us to a better sheltered site the next day.

The first campsite

The Second Campsite (see the orange tent?)

A Visitor to the Campground


Our first hike was on the Mirador Condor trail. It was a blustery climb up the windward side. There was a deep “V” between two peaks that created a venturi effect. The focused wind in the venturi was “blow you off the mountain” strong. We crouched low to reduce our profile to the wind but still our hiking boots slipped in the gravel. Once again, our understanding of “the strongest wind possible” was redefined. It would soon be further re-defined.

Summit of the Mirador El Condor Trail

Calm on the Lee Side


The first of two hikes planned for the next day was closed due to high winds. The second hike required a 45 km ride on park ripio roads to the trailhead. It gave views of Lago Grey filled with turquoise, milky water. The trail followed a kilometer-long gravel bar onto which white capped waves crashed noisily. Four kilometers upwind lay Glaciar Grey. An hour and some climbing later the glacier was more easily seen across the creamy blue Lago Grey. We opted not to take the boat ride to the foot of the glacier. At $150 per person it was outside our budget.

The gravel Bar

Glaciar Grey

Lago Grey Explained

Glacier Grey Explained


We finished the day exploring some trails on the hills surrounding Pehoe Lake, near our campground. The sun came out and the scenery hadn’t become “old” to us. We were fascinated by the story book shapes and colours in the mountains. It didn’t seem real. We couldn’t resist looking at them from every possible angle. Sometimes we just sat on a comfortable rock and stared.

Lago Pehoe near our Campsite

Lago Pehoe with Paine's Towers behind

From the Hills Overlooking Lago Pehoe


Mirador Cuernos was the next hike. The sun was out that day and so was the wind. We walked leaning sideways from time to time, our balance aided by our hiking poles. Quadrupeds have superior traction and balance. We peeled off layers in the 26-degree heatwave. This hike provided the closest views so far of the towers. We were growing accustomed to the wind and our cranky old bodies were building endurance capacity. Tomorrow would be the big hike with the postcard view.

On the Trail to Mirador Cuernos


Mirador Cuernos

Alright, the next day’s wind was the worst possible. We were 15 km into the ride to the trailhead for the big hike. The wind was blowing just the right way into a couple of narrowing valleys amongst the foot-hills. These natural venturis focused and amplified the terrible gusts to unbelievable speeds. There were a few bad corners that we survived by reacting quickly to the gusts, leaning into the wind. Weaving our way through in low second gear worked alright for the first few of them. Then it happened.

I descended into a shallow valley. There was a left bend in the road at the bottom before the ripio road rose again to the crest beyond. Just after beginning the gentle left-hander I was slammed with a blast from the left. I survived it by giving a large correction to the left.

“Really strong left crosswind! Be ready to correct left”, I said into the mic.
“Wowa!”, came back to me in the headset. A look in my mirror confirmed my fear. Isabelle changed direction to the right in a hop and headed straight into the ditch, front wheel first.
“Are you OK?”, I asked
“Yeah, I’m fine”, she answered, “I’m in the ditch.”
“I’m coming to help”, I said preparing to stop. “I can’t stop here the wind is too strong. It’ll knock me over. I’ll go over the top and find a place to stop. Are you sure your OK?”
“Yup”

There was a little parking space for a mirador over the crest of the hill. It was really windy too. I parked into the wind hoping the bike would remain standing while I was gone. At least it was off the road. The walk downhill and back to Isa felt like a steep climb. Head down, leaning heavily forward my meandering path finally got me there.

A bus had stopped beside her. It was swaying back and forth a disturbing amount but it was also providing a wind shadow for Isa and her moto. Two guides were off the bus and had straightened out her bike in the ditch. It was in line with the road again but in the deep loose stuff.

I swung a leg over and tried to get the bike out of the ditch. Loose gravel spraying behind, I got the bike up onto the road. Moving forward, the wind shadow from the bus ended and a huge blast of wind slammed into my left side. I corrected, leaning the bike over at an impossible angle. I was on the right-hand side of the road crown. The tires slipped on the bad camber and loose gravel; the road camber, slanting downwind and toward the ditch, offered reduced traction. It was my turn for an ungraceful exit from the road.

“Is this one of the times we decide to turn back?”, asked Isa, letting slip a little of the stress she felt.
“Oh yeah”, I answered “this is definitely unsafe. We’re lucky no one got hurt. I’ll turn your bike around and park beside that little rise on the right. It should be sheltered enough there for you to get back on it.”

I tried the same method of climbing out of the ditch but this time the spinning rear tire just dug a hole. Isa and the guides got on it and pushed me onto the road, this time perpendicular and facing the wind. It was much easier to control the moto. I climbed the road camber and rode over the crown before turning left. Now the camber was in my favour and helped me to fight the force of the wind.

While walking back to retrieve my moto the wind gusts seemed even stronger. I could feel my boots slipping and realized I would soon be carried into the ditch. Crouching to reduce exposure to the wind I used baby steps to get through the worst of it. It was unbelievably powerful. As I pulled back onto the road with my moto I saw two bicyclists riding toward the danger zone. I waited and warned them to walk their bikes as they approach the top of the hill because of the treacherous little valley beyond.

I made it back to where Isa was waiting and we set off for our campsite. There would be no hiking for us today. The wind was strong all the way back to camp. There were three small zones that had particularly focused blasts.

We learned that the wind gave warning of an approaching gust by throwing up clouds of dust. Sometimes, there was a swirling dirt devil thrown into the mayhem. Each wave lasted several seconds. Anticipating an air blast with the appropriate lean helped reduce the surprise factor. Positioning ourselves on one side of the road or the other, to use the natural camber of the road to advantage, gave our tires a fighting chance at finding traction. Our technique improved and we stayed upright.

A couple of hours later, back at the campsite, a cyclist approached me asking for a butterfly bandage. He had fallen in the wind and cut his eye lid. The bleeding had clearly startled him but it had stopped on its own. The wound was completely closed. A band aid would be tricky at best on a blinking eyelid. It was a minor cut, not worth covering the whole eye. His vision was fine. Antiseptic cream and no bandage seemed the best choice.

We quickly established that he was one of the cyclists I had warned on the windy road. He was Danish and was traveling south. I didn’t catch his name but we had a lovely chat. He topped up my “must see and do” list for Patagonia with great recent advice. He mentioned the detour on Carretera Austral was over 100 km long and involved a ferry. Four months ago, there was a landslide accompanied by tragic loss of life. The detour was still there when he passed through. He thought the road might be open by the time we got there.

Jim and Sue from Seattle invited over for a chat in the evening. They are close to us in age. Their campsite was up the hill a little from ours, where the view of the towers was spectacular. We sat with them in a spot that was well sheltered from the relentless blow. They have been traveling for about three years. They go back home periodically. We spent a couple of hours in easy conversation with them. They are a lovely couple, kindred spirits.

A 4:30 alarm felt especially early. It had only been truly dark for about five hours but light was already returning. We hoped to beat the wind with an early start out of the park. We had decided to abandon the idea of the big hike. There was no avoiding that dangerous little valley that had toppled us both. It was part of the only way out of the park. The road to the south entrance was closed for repairs. We steeled ourselves for trouble. Lago Pehoe was calm, hardly a wave on it.

“Wasn’t that our little valley back there?”, I asked into the mic fifteen minutes later.
“Yes, I think it was”, replied Isa with relief in her voice.

Leaving the Park


Our stress levels immediately dropped and we began to enjoy the ride. The early morning light was magical. The border crossing back into Argentina was quick and easy. We took the short cut back to Ruta 40 that some say should be avoided in the rain. The road was rather rough. We took it slowly, often in second gear.

Up the road we easily found our campground in El Calafate. The town is an upscale version of Puerto Natales. It too has numerous outdoor gear stores, cafes and restaurants but El Calafate has infrastructure to handle hundreds and hundreds of tourists at a time. The big attraction is the Perito Moreno glacier. This beautiful sight is a stop on any Patagonian itinerary. It is accessible by paved road and is reported to be stunning.

We encountered some French Swiss cyclists at the campground. We had met them at the Yellow Plum in Puetro Natales. They had skipped Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine. Apparently, the park has a reputation among riders for bad weather and nasty wind… We also ran into Eric and Kathleen in the same campground. They had stayed at Bertha’s for a short time in Sucre. We compared travel stories since leaving Sucre. Eric said that they had seen us weeks before on Peninsula Valdez. We appeared to be having a bad time on the Road of Marbles. Standing on the bikes, we looked concentrated. They were in a rented car and he said it sloshed around, skipping from track to track in the soup of stones. They had spared us the extra stress of a friendly beep while passing.

I discovered a loose windshield mount on my bike and rigged a temporary fix. One of the plastic supporting parts was broken. I assume it was caused by the powerful crosswinds that rattle the windshield so much. There is also a fracture in Isabelle’s left-side panier mount. It needs welding. Cafes and trekking stores can’t fix that. Surrounding these tourist towns are hundreds of kilometers of Patagonian steppe without a building in sight.

Paolo, saving $50 in bus fare, hitched a ride with us for the day trip to see the famous Perito Moreno glacier. The glacier lies about an hour and a half west of town. He is camped near us. We met him on the Porvenir ferry a few weeks ago. He cycled up from Porvenir and this was his first stop. It seems many cyclists skip Torres Del Paine because it is such a long detour off Ruta 40. It also has a reputation for bad roads and foul weather.

Paolo with the Southern Tarn and Glacier Terminus Behind. 
(You can see the peninsula of bedrock just above his GoPro)

The Perito Moreno glacier is impressive and beautiful when viewed close up. The site is very well managed and can easily accommodate the hundreds of tourists it does each day without the environment being damaged in any way. A shuttle bus brings loads of people from the parking lot to the beginning of the trails. A series of raised steel trails allows viewing of the glacier from many different angles without touching the ground. It’s a brilliant system covering a few kilometers.

The Raised Trail System

A tarn is a lake that can form at the natural limit of a healthy glacier. It is often contained by a huge pile of end moraine but not in this case. Perito Moreno’s milky, turquoise-coloured glacial melt-water is held back by surrounding towers of bed-rock. The resulting tarn is very large and is in two parts. Separating the two parts is a rounded peninsula of bedrock, on which we stood facing west. The peninsula meets the glacier’s eastern endpoint. Lakes form left and right (south and north) of this meeting point of bedrock and glacier.

Southern Tarn on the Left of Glacier Terminus

Northern Tarn on the Right of Glacier Terminus

Extended periods containing high snowfall years can speed up the glacier’s flow rate. When the glacier has a faster than normal flow rate ice is pushed against the bedrock peninsula and forms a dam. The double tarn system can only drain to the right (north), a few kilometers away. Uneven water levels in the two tarns results in the creation of a stream between the glacier and the peninsula that flows left to right, draining excess water from one tarn to the other. The traversing stream serves to speed up calving of the glacier’s tip. This creates a natural limit to the extent of the healthy glacier. The stream also serves to transport away glacial till thereby stopping the formation of end moraine, at least for the next little while.

Meeting Point of Peninsula and Glacier Terminus

A Newfoundlander would call this a "bergie bit". This one is in the northern Tarn.

The raised steel trail system is so large that it is possible to find a quiet bench for uninterrupted listening to the cracking and shifting of the ice flow. We heard a huge noise as a “small” piece of ice, the size of a low-rise apartment block, thundered and fell into the tarn. The sound immediately grabbed our attention but the time delay caused us to see only the resulting waves.

Perito Moreno Glacier

Detail of the Crevasses 

Another great crash had us looking down the longest side of the glacier’s edge. We missed the action of course, because of the time delay, but I thought I saw a tall chunk of ice teetering above the splash. Continued staring at that spot was soon rewarded. A few seconds later that tower of ice fell 70m into the tarn. It was an impressive sight. The huge sound had many parts. The initial cracking, as the solid piece of ice broke away, was followed by crashing and break-up sounds. The tower pieces ricocheted off lower ice features on their way to the tarn below. Then there was a thunderous slapping sound, as if caused by a gigantic beaver-tail, but very much louder. The shock waves reached the shore a few minutes later creating a second show of sight and sound. We really enjoyed our day at the glacier.

"Fawlty Tower" Tumbling:










The ride to El Chalten brought us across the Patagonian steppe with mountains in the distance on our left. We stopped many times for photos beside beautiful lakes and rivers of glacial run-off. The Patagonian wind was our constant companion. It raced over waters that ranged in colour from powder blue, through milky turquoise to deep blue.

Lago Viedma

Heading north on the famous Ruta 40 there was almost no traffic. This now largely paved rural route connects tiny communities from north to south along Argentina’s western side. Nicknamed, “The Spine of the Country” it is more than 5,000 kilometers long and is considered to be Argentina’s “Route 66”. We passed the occasional cyclists, mostly in pairs. We really respect them and always give them an encouraging wave. One couple was stopped and looked discouraged about fighting the wind. It must be terribly tough. 

Rugged Beauty in Patagonia

El Chalten calls its self “The Hiking Capital of Patagonia”. It certainly is popular. There are many people and a density of highly priced services for them. The first campground we looked at was right at the road and looked like a parking lot full of tents. The second one was more inviting and less crowded. It was overpriced but it would do. We were cold and tired from battling with the Patagonian wind all day.

 Approaching El Chalten

I went for a reconnaissance ride the next morning. The first stop was the tourist office where the young woman gave me a map and trails advice. I continued north, out of town on a gravel road. I was looking for better camping and for an alternative trailhead for the “Lago de los Tres” trail that would take us to the glacier on Mount Fitzroy.

Scenes from the Reconnaissance Ride:






The road became rougher as I went on. I found a great campground that was almost empty. It was beautifully placed at a sheltered bend in the river and had great features. It was 10k away from town so not accessible by walking from the bus station. This and the fact that there was no wifi meant that the place wasn’t crowded with young backpackers. We talked about it and considered relocating. Faced with the task of re-packing and riding a rough gravel road, we decided not to go to the trouble of moving but will remember the lesson – get away from overcrowding by getting beyond walking distance of the bus station.

Scenes from the First Hike:




We took two smaller hikes today, each one giving fabulous views of the surrounding mountains. We shared the meadows with some healthy-looking cows. The big hike will be tomorrow. It covers 20k and rises about 700m. It will be a long one.

The “Lago de Los Tres” hike begins at the north end of the village. We started at 10:30 in the morning to let the strong sun warm up the air a bit. It gets dark at 10:30 and we allowed ourselves 10 hours for the hike. There were so many jaw dropping views along the way that we lost count of them. The last kilometer took a whole hour. It was a steep ascent over loose ground. The trail switched back repeatedly as it brought one up the massive dam of end moraine that held in the glacial tarn above. There was a shelter and rest area where we ate a late lunch to gain strength for the final push.

 Scenes from Early in the Lago de Los Tres Hike:


Some people will do anything to get their photo taken.

A sign posted in Spanish and English at the rest area gave warning about the difficulty of the final kilometer. It said that the trail could have high winds, was covered in loose material and required good physical conditioning. We saw people experiencing difficulty, despite the warnings. Some of them slipped on the steep glacial till during the ultimate kilometer. A couple was stuck in place with one of them frozen in fear. The young woman was covered in dust. Her partner was trying to reassure her. We imagined that she had fallen one too many times for her nerves to bear. Equipped with good boots and hiking poles and having experienced New Hampshire’s challenging White Mountains we found the trail to be of medium difficulty.

Slowly Approaching the Pointed Giants:






The trail ends on top of a huge pile of end moraine that hold back a milky turquoise tarn. The glacier’s end is actually a little higher than the final tarn and run-off has created a smaller, suspended tarn contained by exposed bedrock.

Standing on Top of the End Moraine
The Tarn and Glacier Terminus at Cerro Fitz Roy
Neighboring Peaks

It was worth the effort it took to get there. That day’s hike was easily our favorite one of the trip so far. We hiked 10 km back to the village. It was mostly downhill so we covered it in a much shorter time than the ascent had required. We treated ourselves to an expensive dinner near our awaiting warm beds. Sleep came easily.

We hoped an early start the next day would give us some riding time northward, without wind. We were particularly concerned about a 75 km section of ripio with a bad reputation. The ripio begins 125 km outside of El Chalten. The wind was our companion, strong and loyal, from the beginning of the ride. We have learned to manage it on tarmac. On gravel, the wind would literally cause our downfall.

We aired down our tires for better traction and the first 32k of ripio went well. The condition of the ripio was reasonable. The wind was from the left and easily tossed us around. It was in the next 5k that things went wrong.

Reasonably Good Ripio at the Beginning

The worst part of a stretch of bad road always seems to be in the middle. The middle section of this patch of ripio on Ruta 40 has deep rounded pebbles, just like the “Road of Marbles” on Penisula Valdez. We were crawling along in first gear when a big gust of wind blew over Isabelle’s moto. The side panier caught her foot and twisted her ankle, the left one this time. She didn’t know it until later but, you guessed it, she had fractured it.

Her ankle didn’t really hurt that much so tough Isa decided to ride it out. The deep gravel seemed impossible to navigate in the relentless blasts of wind so we got through that tough section by getting completely off the road. The shallow ditch was bone-dry and offered good traction. We putted along in first gear. When it got rough in the ditch we simply rode further away from the road and onto the flat Patagonian steppe. It was hard packed mud and gravel. It would have been a nightmare in the rain but it was a perfect surface for riding that day. A few kilometers later the deep gravel finished and the road became normal ripio again.

True Grit: Isabelle Reaches the End of the Ripio

Twenty-five kilometers later there was blacktop. Seventy-five kilometers after that we made it to the town of Gobernador Gregores, without further incident. A visit to the hospital the next day confirmed our suspicion. X-rays revealed she had a small break in her ankle and no bone damage to her knee. Her chain smoking doctor wrote her a chit prescribing a Velcro boot and crutches combined with 25 days of rest before riding a motorcycle. Thanks, and a handshake were the only payment required. Medical care is free for all in Argentina. We began the search for long term lodging the next day. Here we go again.


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