Bariloche Argentina

Hola Buenas Dias,
Here are some photos from what we have been up to lately.

Cerro Campanario Bariloche

We spent two wonderful weeks in Bariloche Argentina.  It is normally a very beautiful place but right now the area is suffering from the ash (ceniza in Spanish) that is still spewing from a volcano in Chile about 40 kms from here.  We have been very selective in our photos because as long as the wind was blowing the right way we were able to see and breathe.  The ash dust is very fine and it gets into absolutely everything making it difficult to see and breathe when the wind picks up.  Since Bariloche is  considered the official northern beginning of Patagonia there is most definitely wind around and it certainly is a challenge for the folks living here.

Refugio Frey 

As you can see in this photo we did get clear skies at a place called Refugio Frey which is well away from any volcano ash and in a very beautiful spot right behind the Catedral skiing area.  We rented sleeping bags and hiked up for 4 hours to get to the refugio where we stayed overnight.  Since it is Spring here we did hit some snow for the last half hour of our hike.  Our super duper running shoes got a bit of a workout and I did manage to fall through some snow that came all the way up to my thigh at one point but we made it and had a great time staying overnight. Gary looks very much like a mountain man here and he has the stubble to match.

Refugio Frey Patagonia Argentina

Juan and Sebastian are the two caretakers that work at the refugio and they both worked at Whistler as ski instructors two years ago. Juan made the best pizza we have had in Argentina and we just had a hoot chatting with these guys who are living the dream in an Alpine hut in Argentina.  The altitude here is 1811 metres but what was really amazing was the famous Patagonia wind which we felt for the first time.  It certainly is a force to be reckoned with especially at 3:00 am when you have to go outside to the bathroom.  

Volcano Osorno Chile

We left Bariloche via the Cruce de Lagos trip which takes you by bus and boat and bus and boat and yet another bus and boat combo into Puerto Varas Chile. We saw beautiful lakes and mountains on the way but the highlight was this volcano which is the Osorno Volcano in Chile.  It is a perfect cone and we were very lucky to see it.  You can ski here in the winter but now all you can do is gaze upon its loveliness. 

We are looking forward to getting onto a cargo freighter in Puerto Montt Chile that will take us all the way down to Puerto Natales in the south.  We are getting ready to see glaciers and penguins in the next little bit as we move to the southern degrees of latitude.

Much more to come! 

Pat and Gary