Above: Sunrise on Mt. Fitzroy
Disaster. The afternoon that we arrived in El Chalten, base for exploring Mt. Fitzroy, I started to feel queasy. As I lay in my hotel room waiting for the inevitable, I summoned all my will to make the virus pass as quickly as possible, since our first hike of the trip was the following day. I also willed the weather to clear as it was pouring rain, combined with fierce winds - if it didn't clear, the hike wasn't going to happen. I drifted in and out of sleep for the next 14 hours, but woke in the morning feeling okay, able to eat a little, and happy to see clear skies! A total of 5 of 7 in our group caught the virus, but I only missed one dinner (whereas most people were out for 2 days), which I attribute to my very fast metabolism. Out out damn virus!
The hike split into 2 groups, with me, Jenny and one of the retirees taking the long route with the local guide. This turned into a marathon, 15 mile hike, up and down in the glacial valley below Fitzroy. Somehow I willed myself to finish, but wasn't feeling my strongest, to say the least!
The hike was beautiful though, and we had fun spotting all the different birds, including the Magellenic woodpecker, a foot-tall, redheaded joker who had eluded us until then.
Below: Sunrise over El Chalten. Sunrises in this part of the world are amazing!
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