A free day with no planned activities today, so we had a bit of a later start. We had our carb-load (gah!) breakfast, packed our luggage to check out, and headed out for the day. Many from our group signed up for a hike to a glacier, including via feratta and some challenging climbs, while we held back to take a leisurely 20km hike. We were so blessed with gorgeous weather, blue skies, no clouds, little wind. We made a few pit stops…the ATM to withdraw some more pesos, the bakery to get some lunch items and then our group of 6 were off for our hike to Lauguna Torre, to chase a glimpse of the dramatic Cerro Torre.
The hike started out with more climb than we anticipated, however it quickly levelled out to the typically described “Patagonia flat” (gradual up and down) through a lovely forest and meandering glacier fed river. After counting the kilometre markers, we arrived at a mass of rocks (moved by the glacier) to the lake at the bottom of the glacier with the impressive Cerro Terro in the background. We layered up and enjoyed lunch, some treats, and the unbelievable moutain views.
Heading back along the same trail, I occasionally turned back to take in the mountains behind us, while being cautious of the rocks and roots underfoot ahead. Gerard serranded us with his songs while we trudged along the trail and greeted trekkers heading in. We noted hikers in flip flops (!), another drinking a 2L of coke and others wearing full wool seaters (while we were in t-shirts)! The views of the mountain valley carved by the glazier competed equally with the views behind us.
