Argentina>Patagonia>ElChalten>Laguna De los Tres
Undoubtedly, Laguna De lost Tres is the number one attraction for hikers traveling to thing stunning part of the world. We had our concerns about heading on this hike due to anecdotal stories from other hikers we had earlier met who failed to scale the final 400m, citing deep snow combined with dangerous areas of ice.
On our last full day in El Chalten we got what we considered was a lucky weather window – a cold, but mostly sunny day with relatively light winds, all somewhat scarce in Patagonia this time of year. We decided we would go for it when we’d read the forecast the night before, though it wasn’t without some trepidation after we received this translation of a message for the local National Parks Service.
National Parks message:
There is snow, ice, water and mud on the trails
If you go out for a walk, always carry
Flashlight
Shoes with sticky soles and adjustment at the ankles
Gloves, buff, hat
Hot water, sweet and salty foods
Canes and crampons prevent falls.
It is important to remember that there are no shops or cell phone signals on the paths.
#If we go out with a group, we come back as a team
Be prepared
When we received the message, we went to a local rental store on Av San Martin and hired walking sticks and attempted to hire crampon, which were all already on hire. Despite not having the crampons or the hot water listed on the NPS message we thought were relatively well prepared. We each were wearing the following:
- Good quality, lightweight hiking pants
- Thermal underwear top and bottom
- Hiking shirts
- Mountain Design zip up fleece jacket
- Windproof, but not waterproof Kathmandu down jacket
- Thick, soft, moisture wicking bamboo socks
- Ankle high Gore-Tex hiking boots
- Quality beanies
- In addition I carried a 25L backpack with small essentials like sunglasses, hats, snacks, a Swiss army knife and a battery bank
At this time for year Sunrise is not until 9:30am so we couldn’t comply with the recommended time of departure of 7 or 8am, but though it was a little dark, there was enough light for us to leave at 9am.
Early challenges
The first Km was slippery due to the cold temperatures icing up the partly melted track overnight, at this point I was wishing we had crampons. Beyond that the track got easier, it was less of a climb and the fresh snow had been nicely tamped down by hikers that had left under flashlight, leaving a far easier surface to walk on.
A few KMs in we had a fork in the road, according to the sign, both tracks would later meet up again so we could either head to the Mirador or the Laguna Capri. We chose the latter and headed off. Arriving at the lake we got our first glimpses of the gorgeous Mt Fitzroy out across the lake. Until this point 90% of the trail was covered in either ice or snow, past this point it was almost 100%.
Beyond the lake the trail varied from wide open expanses to narrow snow covered surrounded by trees which had shed most of their leaves for winter.
One tricky exception was when the trail was actually a shallow, narrow, but running stream. Various techniques were used to traverse these points but there was one that required hoping across a series of short, broken tree branches, some not more than 3 inches in diameter.
Combine all that with the snow or ice on each branch and people crossing in sneakers and the result was a couple of people with shoes filled with water that’s on the verge of freezing. No thank you
Almost there
Perhaps a kilometer from the Laguna De Los Tres sat a small refuge called Rio Blanco which had toilet facilities (only if you’re desperate!) and the refuge for if you’re lost in the snow, I guess. Camping was not allowed.
At this point there were warnings about the terrain ahead and pointing out that you need a good level of fitness to go beyond that point. If I’m honest, I’m not that fit.
This final Kilometer was all well covered in snow and entirely uphill. Probably the last 400m is the toughest part with relatively steep slopes, by no means treacherous. As strange as it sounds, this was all made easier by the deep snow.
The slippery and somewhat dangerous sections were mostly avoidable if you stuck to the soft snow. Of course, this was not possible if you were ascending in a pair of sneakers, they would fill with snow in your first steps.
We made it!
Despite the slog we made it to the top around 2pm and the view did not disappoint. The usually aquamarine blue of the lake which sits in front of Mt Fitzroy is usually blue but was slightly less so as it was beginning to free over.
What surprised us upon reaching the top was the number of people already there. We’d seen perhaps 15 people on the trail on route but there would have been 60-80 when we arrived. Many were Argentines drinking their conspicuous Mate and enjoying their time in the sun. We stuck around for half an hour or so before heading back down.
Getting back was far more challenging than ascending. Sure, the climb is tough, but on the way down fatigue begins to set in. This posed several challenges apart from the obvious. Especially so when it came to choosing the safest path down the steep and slippery 1st Km from the top. I had plenty of falls and I saw others have plenty more than me.
Astonishingly, there were a 20-30 people still heading for the top along the final km. I’d estimate that by the time they got there they’d be up to 90 minutes behind us. Too late for my risk tolerance.
Anyway, challenges were many on the way down but for me that’s half the fun. In the end, despite the narrow streams or icy ground, we made it down to the entrance at 6:15pm as it was getting dark. That added up to around 9 ¼ hours in total. Not bad considering what we had to work with