After several hundred kilometers long bus trip we arrived to a small village - El
Chalten, close to Chile-Argentina Patagonian border.
The legendary peaks of the
Torre Mountain and the Fitz Roy Mountain stand out in the
middle of the flat Patagonian steppe and attract numerous
climbing expeditions from all over the world. The road from El Calafate ends in
the Park, in El Chalten, name the Indians gave to the Fitz Roy Mountain. From El
Chalten, one of the most popular walks is the one that leads to the first
camping site of the Torre Mountain. From here, it is possible to admire the
walls of this granite mountain that during many decades was considered
"impossible to climb", until it was conquered for the first time by
the expedition headed by Cesare Maestri in 1970. The Tehuelches, primitive
inhabitants of the regions, venerated the Fitz Roy Mountain and named it "Chalten",
which means "mountain that sends out smoke", since they believed it
was a volcano, because its summit is always covered with a layer of clouds. Its
special shape and height must have served them as an orientation signal during
their annual migrations from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes.
Fitz Roy in the morning
Fitz Roy at sunrise, view from El Chalten
Tomasz Hilsberg resting after steep ascent. Laguna del Los Tres.
Fitz Roy right after sunrise, view from El Chalten
Glacier
Recently, while browsing the Internet, I found pictures
of Fitz Roy by Bernhard Mühr. I liked them very much. I recommend
visiting the site.
