Nahuel Huapi: the final post

We dedicated a lot of posts to Nahuel Huapi, I know. But there was a lot to it. And at least for me, it was the highlight of my trip and one of the more difficult treks I've ever done.

After finishing day three, we arrived at Refugio Italia/Segre/Laguna Negra. All of the huts or refugios are pretty awesome. For 30 pesos we could sleep in the refugio and use all of their pots, pans etc. Some huts such as Refugio Italia had a little extra to offer - homebrewed beer.


Day four ended up being much more difficult than I thought. On day four, we made our way around Laguna Negra, up the scree that you can see in the background of the first photo and then up the ridge to the right. After traversing, we reached the top only to see what was in store for us: a steep descent, a valley and then a huge scree field straight up. In the photo below you can see our intended path - down and straight up the mountains on the other side.

After reaching the top of this seemingly impossible section we were rewarded with some amazing views.


An hour or two from the top we reached Refugio Lopez. We intended on cowboy camping that night, but the weather had other plans. Around midnight we found ourselves shoving our sleeping bags in our packs and running into the hut.

On day five, we had a quick and muddy descent to the road where we caught a bus back to Bariloche.

Almost at the End of Day 3

The beauty of these mountains is the first thing that hits you. It is similar to the Swiss Alps, but not spoiled by all the lifts, gondolas and people.

The second thing that hits you is the difficulty of the trails. There are few climbing aids such as fixed ropes or handrails as found in Torres Del Paine and Europe.

Route-finding skills are an assest too. On several occasions we had to pull out the map AND compass....unbelieveable I know!!! :)

Here´s a small collection to round out day 3, the hardest day of the 5-day route.

Your Typical Day

This is a half day of hiking in these parts. Down into the valley below and back up the switch backs.
Can you say, "Buns of steel"?

The first photo shows our intended path down steep scree, across several small snow fields, across a swampy grass area and then finally up 36 switchbacks (yup we counted them) until we reached Refugio Italia, also known as Laguna Negra or Segre.

If you look closely you can see the swtichbacks on the grassy steep section in the background of the photo.

Here is a photo of me sliding down a nicely pitched snow field. This was one of the more enjoyable ways down. Other sections of our descent offered a mix of downclimbing small waterfalls and gullies as well as tromping through grassy swampland.

Yours Truly Above Navidad

After finally completing the scree traverse on day three, we stopped to enjoy the new views.

The lake below is Lago Navidad. The scree trail can be seen (faintly) behind us. The trail runs from me (in the picture) off to the right.

This photo is taken on a small col, which offers the first views of Monte Tronador, a volcano that would dominate the view for large parts of day three and four.

The Traverse above Lago Navidad

As we made our way across the trail on day three, we encountered a number of scree sections, which are more annoying than difficult.

The loose choss was an invitation for a sprained ankle and it was on this section that Adrian and I wished we had a boot with a bit more support.

Except for these scree areas we were happy we stuck with our trailrunners.

Did I mention the Alaskans?

Later on the morning of day three, our group was joined by two guys from Alaska.

The Alaskans from Anchorage were a very capable team.

We enjoyed their company, even if it was brief.

A first time for everything

On day three Team Norway said they were a bit nervous of the climbing section.

But it was hard to tell. They quickly adjusted to climbing up the exposed areas (with heavy packs on) and had no problems.

The trail was relatively easy to follow at this point, in large part because a few wands or sticks that marked the trail were still standing from an adventure race that was held on the traverse earlier this season.