While Sam and I were at the sun gates at Machu Pichu, we met an Argentinian girl. We talked about our trip, about what we were looking forward to ahead of us and especially how we could not wait to get to Patagonia. She told us when we got to the lake district in Argentina that we HAD to take the hike to Refugio Otto Meiling. We put it on our bucket list and waited for Anna and Cody to arrive before we did this hike.
So excited to do this hike!!!! Now the rain just needs to stop =).
To get to the trail head we needed to drive to Pampa Linda in the park. The small dirt road was really beautiful and only allows one way traffic, so you have to look ahead of time and make sure that the direction you need to go and then time your arrival. I am pretty sure until two in the afternoon you can drive into the park, then traffic reverses and people are then allowed to drive out after 2PM. It was funny, with these rules we thought it was going to be a super tiny road, but after driving in Peru we laughed at what was perceived as a single track road. It felt very spacious to us!
On a side note, my Mom asked in our last post where Anna and Cody sat for the two weeks they were here because she knows we don’t have a back seat. We tore out our back seats in Utah and replaced them with a giant lock box and an ARB fridge. To make space for two more we had to remove the lock box, put a thick piece of ply wood over the hole and then cover the wood with cushions. This is where Anna and I sat. It was not the most comfortable seat, but it worked. The biggest pain was moving the heavy lock box into the XP up the stairs and down again when we set up camp. But honestly, it was such a little thing to deal with considering how much fun we were having with Anna and Cody it did not bother us for a second. And Cody and Sam did most of the heavy lifting.
Not the most comfortable set up, but with good tunes blaring and stunning scenery we barley noticed our numb legs and bums =).
We arrived to Pampa Linda the day before New Years eve and it was freezing! We even got a bit of snow!!!! I think it was the coldest it has been for us in Patagonia. Not to be deterred, we all bundled up and hiked to a waterfall in cold rain and literally were all soaked to the bone. However, we just used that as an excuse to get hot chocolate in the old fashion lodge near the camping area.
Because it was so cold there was heavy snow in the mountains, it did not feel like summer that is for sure! This is the mountain we would be hiking up in a few days.
Anna and I on our hike to the waterfall. There is something really fun about getting soaking wet on a hike to me (well until we began to freeze…).
When the rain stopped and the sun came out everything began steaming, it made it look so beautiful and mysterious.
Our camp spot next to a creamy glacial river. They get milky white when they are close to the glacier source.
One New Years Eve it was still super cold. I decided to make a huge batch of butternut squash chicken soup for our long hike the next day. For our New Years celebration we turned the dining area into a huge couch, cranked on the heater and the four of us sat and watched a movie (Guardians of the Galaxy) eating huge bowls of buttery popcorn and drinking champagne. It was such a fun New Years and I remember so much laughter and smiles. We just love Anna and Cody, and spending time with them felt so natural and fun.
Cody told me that if I made soup for our hike, it would guarantee good weather and he was right! We woke up New Years day and the sun was shining and it was warm. People say that if you don’t like the weather in Patagonia just wait around five minutes. That is such a true statement, the weather changes quickly and dramatically. We went from snow to balmy sunshine in a day. We packed up the soup, snacks and plenty of water and headed out to what was the best New Years day ever.
The hike to Refugio Otto Meiling was our favorite hike of the trip. We had perfect weather, even better company and the conditions were perfect. The snow we had to hike on was firm and not too slushy and the sky was pristine after all the rain. We loved this hike and maybe it was the company or the magic of the day, but it was one of those days I will remember for the rest of my life.
Getting started fairly early, we had a long way to go.
There are some pretty evil switchbacks on this trail, but as we gained altitude we started to see the first glacier.
As we got higher up the tree line we saw that the glacier has a waterfall plunging out of it!
On our hike up the sky was full of condors. I have never seen so many. I told Anna and Cody they were super lucky to see so many at once. They look tiny in the picture, but were huge in person.
The higher we got we started getting views like these!
Anna and I taking a break before we climbed even higher.
The higher we got, the more snow capped peaks we could see.
And then we started getting close to the snow line.
There were a few steep areas where those afraid of heights might not have liked it, but it passes quickly.
Anna and Cody taking a break to watch the glacier. We heard some huge cracks and explosions while we were hiking. The glacier was calving down the cliff face.
Anna and Cody hiking up to the refugio. We had to keep stopping to look around us, it was SPECTACULAR!
I will not lie, I was getting exhausted by this point, it was not easy hiking.
Then we arrived at the snow line and had to hike part of the hike in the snow.
The moment when I wished I had the waterproof version of my shoes.
This was my first hike in this much snow, I am glad it was so warm, it would not have been fun in the cold or rain.
This is a hike where conditions change daily and you have to check with park rangers or locals to make sure the trail is passable. If it had much more snow we would not have been able to get to the refugio, so check before you spend 4 hours hiking straight up!
When we got to the top, it was worth all the effort. There is a 360 view of the Andes. The pictures don’t even begin to capture the beauty of it.
There are no words.
Sam taking it all in alone for a while. He told me later that this was one of the best days of his life. I think it was one of mine also.
Anna and I in our matching Patagonia gear. So glad I got to do this with her. What a New Years day!
A rare picture of Sam and I.
After lunch of our delicious soup (which was awesome because even with all the sun, we were in the middle of a snow field and it was cold) Anna, Cody and Sam hiked across the snow to view the second glacier. The refugio is actually between two glaciers, one on each side. I was tired, and instead chilled on a rock and took in the view.
A close up of the glacier.
The one good thing about hiking up a mountain, going down is so much faster. Anna and Cody ski down the mountain at an alarming pace while I tried not to fall on my ass behind them. Those frisky Utah kids =).
This was the best New Years I have ever had. And maybe others will do this hike and think it is just ok, but for us, it was one of the best days of our trip. I am so, so happy that Anna and Cody got to share one of our best days of this epic journey.
The last day we had Anna and Cody we wanted Cody to get in some fishing. As we were driving over a bridge on the road back from Pampa Linda we could actually see large trout swimming in the water! There were a lot of men trying to catch fish here, seeing all those trout was more than tempting, but none of them had caught anything. We got out to relax and watched Cody cast, adjust his flies, adjust his position and try to catch one of the elusive trout. Within an hour he had hooked his first trout and the look of defeat in all the other fisherman was kind of awesome, especially when he released it back into the river. Cody caught another trout that was so big it bent his hook and got away. It was fun standing on the bridge watching him fish, the water was so clear we could see if the fish were going for the fly or not.
The time we spent with Anna and Cody was too short, but I guess I would rather have two short weeks in Patagonia than no weeks at all with them. I see us all traveling to South America again spending half a year in Patagonia alone with Cody and Anna (in their own rig). A girls got to dream =).
The trout swimming in the river.
Cody showing us how it is done landing his final trout of the trip.
Hero putting up with all the horses just hanging around.
While Cody fished Sam took pictures. I just walked around, took a deep breath and felt so thankful for this time. What a beautiful world we live in.