The Patagonia Icefield is the largest nonpolar icefield
on earth, and the third largest mass of ice (after Antarctica
and Greenland). This is the most remote and challenging trip we
offer.
Day 1: Pick up at the Intl. Airport, transfer
to your Hotel. Hotel night in downtown area.
Day 2: Reception at El Calafate Airport and transfer
to El Chalten, driving through the Patagonian steppe and toward
the cordillera. We'll pass the glacier-fed Argentino and Viedma
Lakes, and perhaps see some elegant guanacos, choiques
(lesser rheas) and condors on the road to El Chalten. Night In
El Chalten. Meals provided: Dinner
Day 3: We'll check our gear in the morning, and
then hike to Piedra del Fraile, a charming mountain cabin in the
forest, where we'll set our first camp. Meals provided: breakfast,
lunch, dinner.
Day 4: Weather permitting, we'll continue to
Lago Electrico, and hike up to Paso Marconi through the Marconi
Glacier. This will be the most strenuous part of the trek, but
on a clear day the views of Fitz Roy, Piergiorgio and Pollone
are astonishing! We'll camp at the top of Paso Marconi. Meals
provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Day 5: Now that we're on the icefield, we'll
continue heading south on snowshoes until we reach Circo de los
Altares, a resting spot with unique western views of Cerros Fitz
Roy, Cerro Torre and many satellite peaks. We'll build a tent
shelter with shovels, and spend time melting snow for drinking
water and dinner. Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Day 6: It may be possible to spend an extra day
at the cirque to rest, explore, and enjoy the views, otherwise
this day is reserved in case of bad weather. Meals provided: breakfast,
lunch, dinner.
Day 7: We'll continue hiking across the icefield
until we reach the lateral moraine that provides access to Paso
del Viento. We'll camp at Ferrari's bivouac, named after Casimiro
Ferrari, the first climber to climb Cerro Torre's daunting west
face. Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Day 8: We'll climb up Paso Huemul. Here we leave
the ice and hike skirting Mount Huemul. From here we'll enjoy
amazing views of the icefield, the Viedma Glacier and the Mariano
Moreno range. We'll continue hiking down through rocky landscapes
into our last camp. Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Day 9: From here it's back to El Chalten via
a boat transfer and a short bus run. The afternoon will be free
of activities to rest and enjoy what this small mountain own has
to offer. Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Days 10/11: We reserve these two extra days in
case of bad weather conditions at the beginning of the trip. (We
need a reasonably good weather-day to go up Marconi Pass.)
Day 12: Transfer back to El Calafate to catch
your flight to Buenos Aires.
|
