Bariloche, Argentina
There’s not much to report from today because we did almost nothing today. After a leisurely breakfast, reading, lunch, massages, and more reading, it was time for cocktails and dinner. Steve did manage to listen to the Husker game on the internet and they won, so life is good.

It was a good day to stay in, as it rained and was cold all day. When the clouds cleared in the evening, the mountains around us were dusted in fresh snow. While most of the guests here still enjoyed the activities of the estancia, it was a bit chilly for us desert dwellers.

In the morning we head to the airport for our 24 hour plus journey home. Bariloche to Buenos Aires, change airports, layover, Dallas, layover, Phoenix. We hope to be back in the desert by noon on Friday.

What a fantastic adventure we’ve had in Argentina. We are already thinking about our next visit, probably to the southern part of Patagonia and Chile.

Thanks for reading the blog and for following along on our adventure!

Bariloche, Argentina
Happy New Year!

We finished off 2013 in a big way by taking on The Ridge Walk here in Bariloche. We are staying in the middle of a magnificent national park called Nahuel Huapi, which includes some of Argentina’s most popular and spectacular trekking and rock climbing sites. We joined nine other travelers from the estancia and were accompanied by two guides. Together we tackled a difficult trek called The Ridge Walk.

Leaving the estancia at 8:45, we drove about 30 minutes north to the popular ski resort of Cerro Catedral. In the winter this place is pure white. Today it was bare, with a few lingering patches of snow. It’s the height of summer here, so the primary activities are hiking, not skiing.

After taking the gondola high above Bariloche, followed by another long chair lift to the summit, we began our descent.

The trek kept us above the tree line for most of the day where the winds were strong and it was quite chilly. We traversed across massive rock fields on a trail marked only by spray painted dots on the rocks. Each step took concentration to move through the terrain. The massive canyon below us only added to the intensity and fun.

After going across the high rocks we entered a saddle which held a large piece of ice and was like a wind tunnel.

We held on to each other as we went through this small area as it began to snow. We weren’t really prepared for this kind of weather with our shorts and yoga pants but we made it. From there we went straight down through large and small boulders for another hour until we reached an alpine lagoon.

Several of us fell during this excursion and luckily no one got hurt. My fall was at the lagoon while crossing the wet rocks around the water. One step, slip, and my butt was on the rock and feet were in the freezing water. Others slipped and fell in the mud later in the day, so my cold, wet fall was at least clean.

After about three hours of the rocks we reached Refugio Emilio Frey. The refuge is part of a circuit of huts built throughout the region which allows trekkers to get warm, get a bite to eat, and sleep between long treks. We stopped for lunch and participated in the “hanging out with the trekkers” in the warmth. It is an interesting culture up in the mountains with some pretty interesting people up there.

Our three hour walk down was through mostly forest, which means we were protected from the wind.

The forest is lush and different from any we’ve seen other places. In this part of of the hike we encountered rain and then more rain. Instead of jumping on rocks we were avoiding mud. It sounds awful, but our group was so much fun and so positive that we enjoyed every minute. At the end, we were met at the lake, offered beer and coffee, and then transported by boat back to the estancia.

The entire trip took about seven hours of hiking and almost ten hours in total. We were filthy, cold, exhausted and very happy with ourselves. We’d do this adventure again in a heartbeat!

After a warm shower and a little rest we began the New Years celebration which included cocktails, a classical music concert with local musicians, followed by steak dinner and champagne toast at midnight with all of our new friends.

Tomorrow we’ll rest, get a massage, and enjoy our final full day at the estancia.

May your New Year be filled with health, happiness, and many adventures!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Bariloche, Argentina

This place puts out a huge spread for breakfast and we took advantage. Eggs, ham, croissants, fresh fruit…it seemed to go on and on. It’s really fun to chat with the other guests during meals. Last night we dined with an very interesting couple from Raleigh, NC and shared breakfast with two large families from New York. In these families, between them they have six kids aged 10 to 15 and the kids are having a blast. There are more Americans here at the Estancia than we met in Mendoza. In fact, we were the only Americans at Club Tapiz. The international connections are what we truly love about these trips. We learn so much.

We’re getting plenty of opportunity to speak Spanish too. The staff here at the Estancia speak both English and Spanish and don’t seem to mind when we butcher a request or question.

Today, despite the threat of rain and some strong winds, we headed out on the trails behind the Estancia. Serving as our trail guides were Gandhi, Alpha, and Cocoa, three of the resident canines. The trails are marked with colored ribbons and we had a map in hand. Still, there were times when the dogs helped us find our way or showed us something we might otherwise have missed along the way. Since Mia and Nica are not real hiking dogs, today was a special experience.

We still love our little poodles but these big dogs were incredible companions.

In all we covered about 6.5 miles and walked every trail on the map in less than four hours. There are several options for longer, more strenuous hikes that we may do in coming days. For our first day back to physical activity in about two weeks, today’s distance was good. It felt so great to be exercising again. It makes the fantastic picnic lunch that we enjoyed on the trail that much sweeter. The chef here prepared a lunch of vegetable quiche/tart, grilled vegetable sandwich and ham and cheese. We also had fruit, homemade trail mix and cookies. You can see the photo of Steve eating while Alpha looked on drooling.

Our afternoon was was spent napping and reading. I’m almost done with the first two Hunger Games books and hope to finish all three before we get home. Steve is reading some kind of philosophical book. He thinks a lot on these trips.

We’re not sure what we are doing to do tomorrow but it will likely involve something outside and fun! Stay tuned!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.