El Chalten (Patagonia)

Prejezd z El Calafate do El Chalten je kratky, jen 3h, ale i tak mame sanci okusit poprve neco z Patagonskych plani. Mame pred sebou 200km otevrenych prostor s kopci v pozadi, silnice je sem tam videt az 20km daleko nez zacne splyvat s pozadim.
Pred prijezdem do mesta musi kazdy povinne zastavit na centrale spravcu narodniho parku kde kazdemu durazne vysvetli co se tu smi a nesmi. Je videt, ze si tu prirodu umi branit - zadne cigarety, zadni psy, nahodne se pri prichodu z tury kontroluje jestli si kazdy nese zpet vlastni odpad. Odskocit na toaletu je mozne minimalne 100m od vodnich zdroju, atd. V pripade poruseni pravidel jsou pokuty vysoke (100-3000USD) a vyhosteni z parku jiste.
Mestecko je stejne jako vetsina mest co jsme zatim v Argentine videli postavene bez jakehokoliv uzemniho planovani. Ruzne styly a druhy budov splacane dohromady, zadny system, zadne chodniky, zadne centrum. Jsme uz dost daleko od civilizace, takze spojeni tu ma jen ten kdo ma satelitni telefon nebo internet, je to hodne pomale a drahe. Sami jsme na telefonu nemeli signal uz 7 dni.
Oba jsme ze vsech tech teplotnich zmen nakraply. Janca ma zablokovanej nosohltan a ja k tomu jeste bolest v krku. Ale prece nam nejake nachlazeni nezkazi vylet, ne?
V 9 rano slapeme do kopce a jde to ztezka nez se rozdychame. Po 1. stoupani vchazime do prastareho lesa (100ky let). Stromy jsou male a zkroucene, ale je vide, ze jsou hodne stare - vegetacni pasmo subarkticke. Po 1.5h dojdeme na 1. vyhlidku. Pod nami je siroke udoli s lesy, rekou a balvany vytvorene ledovcem. Cil cesty je uplne zahalen v mracich. Po dalsich 2h uz stojime u ledovcoveho jezirka Laguna Torre. Nalevo cerna hora Cerro Solo s lesy a vodopadem, pred nami ledovec Grande a zbytek je v mracich. Sedame si na breh jezera a jime obed. Behem necele hodiny se obloha uplne vycisti a hned nad ledovcem se tyci v plne parade spicata Cerro Torre (3102m) + 6 mensich bratricku. Je krasna hodne tenka a ostra s vyskou steny kolem 2km. Nechapu jak na to muze nekdo vylezt. Od 70tych let to bylo hodne dlouho povazovano za nejtezsi vystup sveta. Na rozloucenou nam jeste spadne jedna mensi lavina. Po ceste zpatky jeste zahledneme vrcholek Fitz Roye. Ve 4 jsme zpatky na hostelu, v nohach na rozcviceni 22km lehcim terenem. Zitra nas ceka 25 tezkym...
Na dnesni turu se k nam pripojuje nemka Konnie, mela jit uz vcera, ale nebylo ji dobre. Prvni hodinu opet stoupame, pak narazime na les ktery kdyby byl vetsi tak reknu, ze je to Fangorn z Pana Prstenu (temny a stary) a po 2h prijdeme na prvni vyhlidku. Tady nas dohoni ir Brian co jsme se s nim seznamili vcera (je z Coolmine, ctvrt kde jsme posledni 2 roky bydleli - svet je maly) a dal jdeme ve 4. Fitz Roy je stale v mracich a neni z nej videt skoro nic. Potkavame dalsiho znameho z Calafate, americana Johna, Brian ho zna z Bariloche! (svet cestovatelu je jeste mensi:) Posledni hodina je strmy stoupak suti a pak uz na nas ceka Patagonska klasika, jezero, ledovec, kolme steny. Nadhera, sedime a jime obed, ale Fitz Roy porad beze zmeny pritahuje vsechny mraky v okoli a neni z nej videt vic jak 0.5km. Po hodine jsme zmrzli a tak jdeme zpatky dolu. No nic, neni kazdy den posviceni...
Jsme zpatky na predposledni vyhlidce, otacime se a je tam! Obloha se behem 30min na chvilku vycistila a Fitz Roy, mohutna vez, splhajici do 3405m sviti v plne krase.
V 6 dotapeme zniceni na hostel, dame rychlou sprchu a jdeme na spolecnou rozluckovou veceri. Mam hlad tak si objednam biftek, zbytek sahne po tradicni stew. To co mi za pul hodky prinesou je neuveritelne. Nejvetsi kus masa co jsme kdy na jednom taliri videli. Kazdemu odkrojim 2cm platek, ale porad mi tam jeste pul kila zbyva. Nechapu jak nekdo muze takovy kus masa takhle vyborne pripravit, je to krehke a stavnate. Kdo nemel argentinske hovezi, tak v zivote hovezi nejedl! Rozdil mezi nasim a mistnim hovezim je jako kdyz si koupite hoskovy knedlik v lidlu nebo nechate udelat od babicky...a to vse jen za necele 200kc. (Krome hoveziho je, ale Argentina docela draha, 3tinka piva tak 40kc, salek caje 30). Navecer jsme domluveni s argentincema, ze jeste nekam zajdem, ale uz v 9 spi! (Normalne se tu zacina veceret kolem 10). Dali si dnes kurz ledoveho lezeni, 12h na nohou...
Posledni den je od rana hnusne, prsi a fouka a az ted nam poradne dochazi jake jsme meli stesti videt obe veze. Nedavno tu byla svycarska expedice co mela lezt na FR, TV stab, sponzori, atd...sedeli 6tydnu v base campu a horu ani jednou nevideli! Americani co jsou tu s nami ji zahledli jednou na pul minuty a nemci vubec.
Vecer uz se jen tak poflakujeme na hostelu, hrajeme posledni hru karet s argentinci nez se rozloucime a v 11vecer jdeme na bus do Bariloche.

Fotky jsou na link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51857&id=1344786025&l=47f3a11229

Transfer from El Calafate to El Chalten is short, just 3hrs. Despite that we get a first taste of Patagonian plains. 200km of open spaces with small hills on the horizon, you can see up to 20km of the road before it starts to blend with the visibility line..
Before entering the town everybody must stop at park rangers hut and listen to a presentation of what is allowed and what not in the park. Rules are very strict - no smoking, no dogs, random checks of backpacks to see that you have your rubbish with you, go for a pee at least 100m from water, etc. Fines from 100-3000USD and certain banishment from the park.
Both of us have blocked nose and sore throat from all the extreme temperature changes, but that is not something that could stop us from seeing the park! Early in the morning we are already going uphill (only direction from the town) and enter old forest(couple hundreds yrs). Trees are small and very crooked, forest is dark, it reminds us of Fangorn from Lord of the rings movie. After 1.5h we reach the first viewpoint. Below us wide valley with forests, glaciar river and boulders. Objective of our hike is completely covered by clouds...After another 2hrs we stand at the glacier lake Laguna Torre. On the left huge black mountain with trees and waterfall, in front of us glacier Grande and the rest is still in clouds. We sit down on the shore to have a lunch. Within an hour the sky clears completely and right above the glacier we can see pointed Cerro Torre (3102m) in full beauty altogether with it´s 6 smaller brothers. It is gorgeous very slim and sharp with wall length about 2km (that is about 20 Dublin Spires). For a long a time in 70´s it was considered to be the toughest climb in the world. As a farewell small avalanche falls down...At 4 we´re back at hostel, bit tired but it was a good 22km stretch in easy terrain before our tomorrow´s 25 in difficult one..
Next day we start early again and our German friend Konnie joins us. First hour we go uphill again and reach different forest and walk through it for 2hrs before reaching first viewpoint. Irish guy (Brian from Coolmine, are where we lived - world is small) from our hostel catches up with us and we continue in 4. Fitz Roy is from the morning still in clouds. Soon we meet another guy we know, American John and we find out Brian knows him from different part of the travels as well - world of travellers is even smaller :) The last hour of the hike is very steep uphill through gravel and boulders. And then Patagonian classics - lake, glacier, vertical walls.
Magnificence, we have our lunch and wait for Fitz Roy to show up. But after an hour it still looks like all the clouds are attracted by this piece of rock even more than us. We start to get quite cold so decide to return. Well life is not all cakes and ale...
We are back on the second last viewpoint and turn around and here it is! The sky cleared in last 30mins and we can see this massive tower reaching up to 3405m. Fitz Roy is looking at us from it´s forever frozen pedestal!
At 6 completely out of energy we come back to the hostel to have quick shower before our last dinner together. I´m starving so go for the steak while others choose traditional local stew. The thing that lands in front of me in half an hour is the biggest piece of meat I´ve ever seen on one plate in my life. After sharing an inch with everybody still over a pound is left for me to cope with...how can anybody prepare such a big meat that it´s so tender and juicy? And all of that just for 7EUR (on the other hand Argentina is quite expensive and we find it impossible to fit into our budget)
We planned to go for a beer after the dinner with Argentinian lads but when I come to their room at 9 they are all sleeping already (normally at 10 they start eating their dinner and go out around 2am)! Later we find out they had a day tour of ice trekking and climbing - 12hrs, good they managed to get back :)
Last day is miserable weather all day and only after talking to other people we realize how lucky we were (Lucky Irish they say:) Recently Swiss mountaineering expedition with TV crew, sponsors, etc sat for 6 weeks under the Fitz Roy and didn´t manage to even see it. American couple we share room with saw it for 30seconds and Germans didn´t see it at all in last 5 days!
After last game of Truko with Argentinians and farewell we head for our bus to Bariloche.

For pictures please use the below link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51857&id=1344786025&l=47f3a11229