A Honeymoon Hike Through Patagonia
“Adventure is in all the things that you do which require no coaxing to engage in. They are the journeys you can barely wait too start yet they are also the ones you are never really sure of their outcome. Uncertainty is the signature of an adventure.” - Unknown
Our honeymoon adventure began in the small, buzzing town of El Calafate in the vast wilderness of Patagonia, a region shared by both Argentina and Chile. Here the vibrancy of other young explorers merged with our own keen sense of exploration. The town was packed with travellers and restaurants hummed into the early hours of the morning.
Not far from El Calafate one can marvel at the incredible Perito Moreno glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. It is believed that the glacier began to form during the last Ice Age, which started approximately 2.6 million years ago and ended around 11,700 years ago.
The Perito Moreno glacier is one of the largest of the 48 glaciers emanating from Patagonia’s Southern Ice Field.
A few hours’ drive from El Calefate is another small town called El Chalten. We swapped our tracksuits for hiking clothes and geared up to tackle the famous hike to the base of Mount Fitz Roy. I loved knowing that everyone in this town had come here for one purpose - to hike! The streets were filled with backpackers, and like El Calefate, the restaurants were crowded with happy hikers. We rang in the new year in a little wooden cabin drinking sweet white wine and nursing our weary legs.
One of the viewpoints during the first section of our hike to the base of Fitz Roy. I loved being able to capture these wide-angle shots testing out the Olympus OM-D-E-M1 Mark II, 7-14 mm lens.
On our third day in El Chalten we explored a few of the lesser-known hiking routes - seeing beautiful streams, lakes, forests and mountains.
The glacial water is a rich turquoise - a stark contrast to the brown hues of the landscape.
The hike to the base of Fitz Roy is almost as rewarding as its final viewpoint. Along the way beautiful rivers meander through the valley below while the dagger-like peaks of Fitz Roy loom large in the distance, a prize sight for any hiker, willing us to keep walking. In the final two kilometres our legs started to burn as we began the final ascent.
At the top of the ridge, any discomfort was soon forgotten as we looked over at the deep blue lake and snow-capped mountains. The most impressive peak of Fitz Roy was covered in cloud, stubbornly ignoring our desperate pleas for it to clear!
The final ascent before reaching the base of Fitz Roy.
Fitz Roy covered in cloud!
The view of the impressive Cerro Torre mountain range - our second full-day hike in El Chalten.
A few car and bus trips later, we pulled into Torres del Paine National Park for the start of the W Trek. This was our final hike - a five day backpacking trail in Chile’s most famous national park. I had been hoping that by some luck we would see a puma during our trip, even though I knew that this would be unlikely with so many other hikers around. That said, I kept optimistic as you just never know when you’re going to be lucky.
Puma country.
Guanacos perfectly camouflaged against the golden grasses of Torres del Paine National Park.
At this stage I had not quite appreciated just how challenging the hike would be. Setting out on our first day, the wind ( it’s always windy), stung my cheeks, while I carried my heavy backpack, fighting to put each foot forward against the powerful gale. It was hard to appreciate the beautiful landscape when my thoughts were only on making it back in one piece! But as the days went on I began to look forward to the challenge and the unpredictable weather. There is something incredibly satisfying about testing your limits and finding out just how much you are physically capable of!
Torres del Paine is renowned for its spectacular landscapes, and there a few places as impressive as this. We would savour our lunch breaks in awe of the turquoise lakes, feeling small against the tall mountains ranges, each a masterpiece to behold.
One of the views from our lunch spot while hiking on the W Trek in Torres del Paine.
This photograph could be a painting! I love the different colours and layers, there is so much to see.
On the final morning, my husband and I, decided to brave the cold, leaving the comfort of our tent at 2 am to see if we could watch the sunrise over the famous Torres peaks.
We made our way with our headlights, hoping to get a good, cloud-free view of the peaks. Scrambling up the final section we approached the big lake below the Torres. I remember being so cold and wishing I could be back in our tent, snuggled beneath my warm sleeping bag. Instead, I was sitting in the freezing wind, waiting for the sun to appear. Being one of five other small groups who’d been crazy enough to walk up, we watched as everyone slowly filtered off the mountain, too cold to stay even a minute longer. I had to dig deep within to find the willpower to stay, watching closely and hoping the clouds would be kinder to us on this day.
A few minutes later, the clouds gave way and the sun lit up and revealed the splendour we had been anticipating. While I had not seen the puma I had secretly hoped would appear for us, we had been rewarded with this view, seldom seen like this. I believe this was a mixture of being lucky and having the determination to brave the cold a little longer!
The clouds finally parted, and, for a few short minutes, we enjoyed this beautiful sunlit view of the Torres.
My husband looks up at the Torres. A bucket list adventure and a moment we will always remember.
My favourite photograph of our honeymoon - you don’t often get to see the Torres like this.
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