Hiking Patagonia

6 January. Long, sweeping curves lead us down into the valley leading to the striking Cerro Castillo.

We camped together with Sara & Huw in a windy, dusty carpark, everything slowly coated in fine grit each time a vehicle passed — which was far too often. The next morning we set out early-ish, tackling the 17 km out-and-back trail that climbs 1,200 metres to the lagoon viewpoint of Cerro Castillo.

The trail was a relentless but beautiful climb over rock, scrambling across exposed narrow traverses, against strong winds offering 180′ sweeping views of magnificent vast Patagonian valleys. Then the final push over the crest to see the dramatic spires of Cerro Castillo rising above the cloudy turquoise blue lagoon below. Strong wind forced us quickly out of sweaty layers and into dry tops, puffies, and toques. Finding a flat rock hidden from the wind, we sat for a half hour enjoying the views and achievement.

Three hours up, two down — and we could feel it. Our legs are getting stronger.

With the 135 km O-trek looming in March, we need more trails like this for conditioning, and some overnight hikes with full packs.