Laguna de los Tres

Wednesday, November 2nd: El Chalten, Argentina

• We left home seven weeks ago and have since lugged around our backpack and camping gear… the moment has finally arrived and we’re able to put it to use. We originally planned to use it at Mount Olympus in Greece, but we stayed on the islands instead. We then planned to camp once or twice at the Ibera marsh, but instead stayed at the all-inclusive lodges. 

• We started our hike in the morning, blessed with perfect weather. The first 2 KM felt more like 2 miles, entirely uphill from the parking lot into the mountains. The trail flattened out a bit with beautiful views and different vantage points of Fitz Roy the entire time. We arrived at the backcountry campground (Poincenot) and set up by the old river bed at the border of the forest (a tip from our AirB&B host). We had a glorious nap and then mustered up the energy to make the final climb. It was only 2 KM up, but the ascent gained 400 meters. At the top, the lake was frozen over and completely covered with snow. We enjoyed the view and climbed down as the sun was setting. We made two Mountain House meals and a pack of Raman for dinner. 

• The night quickly became cold, dropping 20 degrees. Neither of us slept well, waking up every hour to adjust our sleeping bags and cover our faces as the moisture from our breath collected. 

• Accomodations: Campamento Poincenot