Since my last blog post, I left Ushuaia and took the plane to Buenos Aires and from there to Bariloche. The city, also known as the Switzerland of South America, offers some beautiful trekking tours. In addition to the Nahuel Huapi National Park, which was founded in 1922 and is therefore the oldest national park in Argentina, the city also offers many other interesting opportunities to stay here for a longer period of time. What is striking are the many chocolate shops throughout the city and the very western-looking infrastructure.
So after I landed in Bariloche, I first took a closer look at the city. I have summarized a few impressions below.
Afterwards I looked around on a few tours in the area and found what I was looking for with the Nahuel Huapi Traverse. The tour takes you through the national park for 5 days and is said to offer very beautiful views of the surrounding area. Accommodation can be found at the 4 mountain huts, which also represent the daily stages. Since the tour, especially the third day, is classified as very difficult, it should not be underestimated and should only be attempted when the weather conditions are very good.
Of course I still wanted to try it and so I started making the final plans for my tour. I bought food for the next few days at the supermarket and packed it into my backpack with my tent and other equipment to set off on my next adventure.
Day 1 – Cathedral to Refugio Frey – Sunday 14.01.2024
So today I finally started on a tour again. After a quick breakfast, I packed everything up and made my way to the bus stop to take the bus to the starting point. After just a few minutes the car arrived and after a journey of almost an hour I arrived at the ski lift below Cerro Cathedral. I got out there and, like many other hikers, started the climb to Refugio Frey.
At the beginning I went back along a wide path along the slope and since there was still a lot going on here, I had to overtake a few people. Every now and then I got a nice view of Bariloche and some surrounding lakes.
Later the path moved increasingly into the forest and became increasingly steeper. Since I only had a few kilometers to run today, I took a short break in a shady place and ate a few nuts.
Then I continued up through the forest. In between I passed an old refuge, which had been beautifully integrated into a rock and thus offered an interesting sight.
After that the path became increasingly steep and the forest slowly diminished. Since it had become quite warm by now, I worked up a sweat as I climbed up in the sun.
At least I was soon able to see the refuge and thus my current sleeping place. After a few more exhausting minutes, I finally reached the stage destination.
Once there, I registered at the hut and then set up my tent at one of the pitches on the slope. Even though I had chosen one of the better places and it already had some wind protection, it was still very windy up here on the mountain.
After setting up my tent, I made myself some dinner while enjoying the view, which looked pretty good considering the nice weather. Since the wind had increased quite a bit by now, I improved my windbreak a bit after dinner, but it wasn’t that easy. Even though I had built a pretty good wall by now, my tent was still wobbling back and forth.
When I went to bed in the evening, I tried to sleep a bit in the strong wind, which unfortunately I didn’t really manage to do as my tent was repeatedly hit by strong gusts of wind and was therefore shaken quite badly.
Day 2 – Refugio Frey to Refugio Jakob – Monday 15.01.2024
Unfortunately, I couldn’t really sleep tonight due to the strong wind. Accordingly, I got up in the morning and tried to take down my tent in the still strong wind. When I had finally successfully packed everything up and stowed it in my backpack, I sat down for a few minutes in the heated common room of the refuge and drank a warm coffee there. Then I started the second day of my tour.
I left the refuge and walked along the lake on the left side to the end.
Behind me I was able to look at the beautifully situated hut for some time.
When I got to the back end of the lake, I met a family of ducks, but they weren’t very impressed with me.
After that the path changed pretty quickly into rockier terrain. Since the wind was hardly noticeable here and the temperatures were already quite high even in the morning, I took off my jacket after just a few minutes and stowed my hiking poles in my backpack so that I could better climb up with my hands. During this short break I started talking to a man from Germany who wanted to run the same tour as me. He told me that the third day was going to be really difficult, but that he couldn’t walk it because he couldn’t find space for his tent in the next refuge, so he was going to go back down to the ski facility on the other side of the mountain From there take the bus back to Bariloche. Since I hadn’t booked anything for the next night, I was surprised, but as far as I understood correctly from a dubious trekking website, you only had to make a reservation for camping in the first refugio and you would get a spot on site in the others. When I told him this, he just wished me good luck in getting a place and then we parted ways again.
I finally struggled up the steep slope with all my luggage. Although the path was actually pretty well marked, I had to stop again and again to look for the next point. But not only because of that, but also because the path here was very steep and therefore strenuous, I only got up slowly.
After a few sweaty minutes I reached a small mountain lake. The lake with the snow behind it made a beautiful backdrop. At least the path further up was already clearly visible and so I no longer had to look for the way forward on the white wall.
Now wearing sunglasses, I continued up through the snow. In the morning it hadn’t really melted yet and was therefore easy to walk. So I continued along the slope up through the beautiful white.
Soon the snow ended and I went up steep rocks again for a few minutes, where I spent most of the time climbing further up on all fours. When I had left this point behind me, a short plateau followed and then I reached the highest point on today’s tour.
On the other side of the mountain I immediately saw a beautiful panorama of the mountains of the national park.
Since I liked the view here so much, I took a break for breakfast and ate some cereal while I took a closer look at the mountains and lakes.
After my 20-minute break, I had a steep descent ahead of me.
For a long time I went down a slope where there was no real path to be seen and I more or less slid down the gravel. At least there were now and then larger rocks where I could see a marker and so I knew that I was on the right path. I literally slid down the slope on the scree and at times it felt more like ice skating than hiking.
After a very strenuous descent for my joints, during which I had lost almost 400 meters in elevation in about a kilometer, I finally reached a forest path that made running a lot more pleasant.
I made quick progress again in the forest and enjoyed the pleasantly cool temperatures in the shade. I took a break at a river where I was finally able to fill up my water and ate a cheese and salami sandwich for lunch. Then I continue my hike in the forest.
After a few kilometers the climb became steeper and steeper again. I soon reached the tree line again and was then on rocky ground again.
After an initial climb there was another short flat area. Here I took another final drink break and looked at the landscape in front of me to identify a suitable route up. Since there was still a lot of snow here and the slope seemed very steep, the route shown on my map was not particularly optimal.
So I made my way up one last time. First there was a short zigzag path over rocks and stones and then I was standing in front of the steep snow field.
I chose a route that took me very steeply up the slope for a few meters, but then quickly continued on to rocky ground. When I got to the summit, I found the actual path again on the other side and could see that no one seemed to be walking the actual route through all the snow.
From here I could already see today’s refuge down by the lake and opposite me the mountains that I was supposed to cross tomorrow. From here it looked like a lot of snow and I was already wondering how I was going to get over it safely tomorrow. Both the first ridge and the wall that leads to the left were full of snow and the back slope in particular didn’t look particularly safe.
Nevertheless, I started the descent to today’s destination. At least the path was a little clearer here and so I followed the path down, which was again very steep, for a long time. Since I always needed my hands, I unfortunately couldn’t use my poles and so the descent soon became quite strenuous for my legs.
Once I reached the bottom, I went briefly through the forest and over a river. Then I reached the hut. In fact, I also got a place for my tent. As I had already suspected, the hut owner informed me that I couldn’t walk the next stage to Lago Negro because the route was too dangerous due to the amount of snow and would therefore still be closed. He then briefly showed me on a map how I could get back to Bariloche tomorrow.
Then I set up my tent in a suitable place in the forest, where I was at least well protected from the wind and could therefore expect a somewhat quieter night.
Later I cooked myself something to eat and then soon went to sleep.
Day 3 – Refugio Jakob to Bariloche – Thuesday 16.01.2024
Since I unfortunately had to cancel my tour today due to the route being closed, I at least had plenty of time in the morning. I relaxed and took down my tent and had breakfast in the refuge. Afterwards I made my way back to the valley.
At first it started off for a short while through the forest and then there was a direct descent. However, I made quick progress on the easy-to-walk forest path and quickly lost a lot of altitude. In between, I was once again able to catch beautiful views of the surrounding landscape and some waterfalls.
Since the temperatures had continued to rise in the meantime, I changed to my short hiking pants in the morning, which immediately felt more comfortable. Wearing shorts and a shirt, I continued walking through the beautiful area on a beautiful morning. I continued through the forest, which seemed very different here than in the other parts of Patagonia I had been to before. Somehow everything was very green and, in contrast to Ushuaia, I could see some blooming flowers again.
When I had to cross the valley’s river after a few kilometers, I sat down on the other side and took my lunch break there. Today I had cheese and salami sandwiches again. Afterwards I continued walking through the area, which increasingly allowed me to walk in the warm midday sun. I made quick progress on the flat path and repeatedly encountered groups of hikers coming my way.
After a few more kilometers I came directly past the riverbed again. Here I first filled up my water bottle and then made myself a relaxing coffee, which I then enjoyed by the water. The sound of the river seemed quite meditative and the coffee tasted excellent.
Afterwards I walked through the forest again for some time, although I was walking on very dusty ground, which meant that my shoes and my legs soon looked pretty dirty. It went up and down a few more times before I reached the end of the actual tour.
Unfortunately there was no bus stop or anything else on the street. So I continued on the other side along a small path through a nature reserve. I had previously found a route to the next town on Komoot. Shortly before the first houses I found myself standing in front of a river again and couldn’t see a bridge anywhere.
So I briefly changed my shoes and crossed the wide river, which was neither particularly deep nor had a strong current. With the temperature now almost 30 degrees, the cold water was a pleasant way to cool down. On the other side I put on my hiking boots again and walked to the center of the town.
In a café I asked where the next bus to Bariloche would be and luckily it left right in front of it. Less than 10 minutes later I was back on the bus into the city.
During the trip I met a couple from Brazil who I had already met a few days ago and with whom I had had a beer before my tour. They also took advantage of the good weather and went on a boat trip on one of the lakes.
When I arrived in Bariloche, I quickly booked a room for two days so I could plan my next tour there. In the evening I went to eat at a nearby restaurant and met a hiker from the USA who I had talked to a few weeks ago on the O-Trek in Torres del Paine. I sit down at the table with them for a moment. While I drank a beer with them, I got a few hiking recommendations in the area and we talked about previous tours.
Late in the evening I returned to my room and went to sleep pretty exhausted.
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