Higher in the Chacabuco Range

Date: November 17, 2022

After the first night in camp, we went on a day-hike up the mountains. Again, it was hard work but at least we did not have to carry the camping gear.

Felicie at the tree line:

Looking up the steep hill from there:

November is still spring in Patagonia, so there was some snow to deal with:

Here is a view back toward the lake we were camped at:

Notice the wind on the water surface. Higher on the mountain where we were, the wind was even stronger.

Not all the water was frozen up here:

We got to about 850 meters of altitude before turning around. We wanted to make sure we could get back to camp before too late in the day and we were going to have strong winds against us going back. The wind was so strong that it was difficult to walk in the gusts at times. Unfortunately, those times were not when digging out the camera seemed most sensible and it is hard to photograph wind anyway.

Here are a couple of pictures from near our turning point:

Felicie on the way back:

The wind made it cold going back, so we were glad we brought our winter clothes.

Felicie crossing a stream:

You can also see the blue stakes that marked most of our trail. The are used for the Ultrafiord race which is a very long run held once a year in this region. In 2023, the easiest route in the race is 16 km with 900 meters of elevation gain while the hardest is 55 km with 3,600 meter of elevation gain, all to be done in a single day.

Another view back toward camp, a couple of hours hiking away:

Some interesting lichens growing on the rocks above the tree line:

We got back to the trees, which are very gnarly at high altitude:

We found a stash for the Ultrafiord race on the way down:

It looks like a food and water station will be set up around here during the race.

Bjarne crossing a stream just before getting back to camp: