A Hiking Tale

El Chalten, Argentina

It was a windy night, but fortunately the trees in the camp took the brunt of it. When we awoke, there were clouds swirling around the granite spires and a strong wind, so I didn't envy the small figures just visible on the switchbacks up to the lake. In preparation for the steep, exposed trail, we put on tights, donned our jackets and packed the rest of our warm weather gear in one pack.

Fortunately, the wind died down and it ended up being another gloriously sunny and calm day from the time we started hiking until the end of the day. The kilometer and a half trudge up the hillside was steep, but nothing we hadn't seen before in Nepal. Here, however, we had the advantage of oxygen! Being so far south, we were above the red-tinged tree line despite our lowly elevation of only 3000 ft.

The lake, Laguna de los Tres, was just under the snow field that dropped down from the mountain. Understandably, the water was icy cold. Dex braved walking through the water to a small rock a little ways out into the greenish grey water. This from the boy that refused to swim in cold water through most of Europe and Asia.

Meg waving hello

The kids at Laguna de los Tres

By noon, we were on our way back down to our camp where we took down the tent and picked up the rest of our stuff for the trek back to town. We certainly lucked out with the weather. To pass the time on the way back, we made up stories. The last time I made one up, in Nepal, Kylie gave me an F, so this time I tried to redeem myself.

There once were two brothers, Sunny and Moony. After their parents suddenly passed away and with no money, they had no choice but to travel to their uncle’s farm in a far off village.

Sunny, who often woke early, left at sunrise for the long journey. Moony woke hours later in a bad mood and set off after him. After many hours, Moony was hungry and stopped at a rundown shack on the side of the road. When a young peasant girl answered the door, he declared, “I am hungry. Do you have something to eat?” The girl did not speak his dialect, but eventually seemed to understand. A minute later, she came back and handed him three fresh eggs. Moony left with a scowl. “I am hungry. What good are raw eggs?” he demanded and threw them into the forest.

Later in the day, with the sun high overhead, Moony became very thirsty. He soon came upon a small farm and again knocked on the door. When a farm boy answered the door, he announced, “I am thirsty. Do you have something to drink?” The boy looked confused, but went away and came back with a rusty pail, which he handed to Moony. Moony turned in disgust mumbling to himself. “I am thirsty. What use is a rusty pail?” As he continued on his way, he kicked the pail off the side of the road.

Later that afternoon, the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up. Moony started to get very cold. When he saw smoke rising from a small cabin, he once again walked up to the door and knocked. “I am very cold and need something to keep me warm,” he declared. The frail women who had answered cocked her head to one side after he spoke, then turned around and returned a few minutes later with two small rocks. Moony reluctantly accepted the rocks with a frown, complaining to himself as he walked away.  “I am cold. What would I want with a couple of dumb rocks?”  In anger, he hurled the them into a field and continued down the path.

As the sun started to set, Moony became very tired. A large mansion loomed ahead down a long drive way. He rang the bell beside the large double doors, and a finely dressed butler answered. “I am very tired. Give me a horse to complete my journey,” he demanded. The butler said nothing, but retreated into the large house. He came back a few minutes later handing Moony an average sized chicken. Moony left enraged at the stupidity of the servant. “I am tired and and my feet hurt. How can I ride a chicken?” he yelled as he tossed the chicken into the grass beside the now dark trail.

Finally, Moony could walk no more. Up ahead, he spied the flickering light of fire beside a small stream. In complete exhaustion, he approached a man sitting in front of a boiling pot with meat roasting over the fire. The man stood up as he approaches and Moony was shocked to see that the man was in fact his older brother, Sunny. Sunny smiled warmly and invited his exhausted brother to join him for dinner.

“I have had a very lucky day,” Sunny announced. When I was hungry, I was given these eggs, which I am now boiling, When I was thirsty, I was handed this pail, which I cleaned and used to carry water. When I was cold, I received two flint rocks, which I’ve used to make this warm fire, and when I was tired, I was given this chicken, which I am roasting so I can sleep with a full belly and complete the journey to our uncles house tomorrow.”  With that, the two brothers sat down to eat, drink and rest as the moon rose and the crickets began to chirp. And how was your day, my brother?” Sunny asked.

We debated alternative endings, like, perhaps Moony would decide to roast his brother over the fire!

With our feet sore and food supplies exhausted, we were happy to walk back into town at 5:00. Yippee. It was surprising how nice it felt to sit in a chair after only one night away. A warm dinner, a game of pool, and some reading brought an end to a couple amazingly beautiful days here in Patagonia.