Post #20
Then it was time to leave. With a mixture of gratitude and some sadness, we boarded the bus for our return to El Calafate.
Tag Archives: #Argentina
Beautiful Street Art in El Chaltén
Post #20
Mirador Fitz Roy Hike Overlook
Post #19
We gasped when we turned the final corner and saw Mt. Fitz Roy in so much glory…
Lower Portion of Mirador Fitz Roy Hike
Post #18
The trees along this hike could inspire fairy tales.
We reached a beautiful overlook on our way to the lower portion of the Mirador Fitz Roy Hike.
Stunning Day 2 Hike from El Chaltén
Post #17
We took a slightly more challenging hike on day 2. Stunning views.
Perito goes everywhere with us, getting a bird’s-eye view from the side pouch of my waist pack. He comes out to pose.
First Hike in El Chaltén
Post #16
We took our first hike that evening, up the hill east of town, known for its condors. We saw a pair circling overhead.
When we got to the top, the scenery was simply surreal.
El Chaltén Restaurants
Post #15
El Chaltén is the base camp for many hikers. They tend to arrive back in town by mid-afternoon and head to restaurants.
We headed to a restaurant at the same time. I enjoyed lamb ravioli, and Jason tried the local steak and fries.
Peak of Fire
Post #14
The local Tehuelche people of the Andes called the mountain “peak of fire” (Chaltén).
Well played.
Catching it on a clear morning around sunrise is a real treat.
Perito Moreno and his company of explorers encountered the mountain on March 4, 1877, and named it Mount Fitzroy.
The town that grew near its base, however, kept the local name.
Bus to El Chaltén
Post #13
The next day, Jason, Perito, and I boarded a bus for El Chaltén, the base for hikers heading up to the famous Mt. Fitz Roy. The ride took three hours, during which we saw wild guanaco and passed a turquoise lake backed by towering snow-capped peaks. It was the most beautiful bus ride we’ve ever been on. (The photo is from the opposite side of the bus and through a window so it only gives a vague idea of the beauty we witnessed.)
How Tristan’s Penguin Got its Name
Post #12
After going to the glacier, I reminded Jason that we did not know if Tristan ever gave his penguin a name. “Would you like to give him one?”
Jason thought for a moment and then said, “Perito, after the glacier.”
I liked that. Perito Penguin.
I wondered how the glacier got its name, and found this website: https://www.swoop-patagonia.com/blog/perito-moreno-the-father-of-modern-patagonia/
I learned that Patagonia was explored by Francisco Pascaio Moreno, who was born in Buenos Aires in 1852. In 1897, the Argentinian government gave Moreno the honorific title ‘Perito’, that roughly translates as ‘expert’.
Moreno and his party gave the name of Lago Argentino to a huge lake at the base of the Andes and raised the Argentinian flag at a place they called Punta Banderas. This docking area is now where boat trips depart to visit the huge glacier, which is just around the bend, south and west of Punta Banderas. Ironically, despite all Moreno’s years of exploring Patagonia, he never even saw the glacier that now bears his name.
Fittingly, while Tristan never got to visit Patagonia, his penguin now bears the name of the glacier, a beautiful gift from his brother Jason.