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I rented harness and carabiniers for the tyrollean traverse at Viento Oeste. The traverse was fun to use and I was happy that I didn’t need to ford the cold rivers. Recommended!
* 2023-Mar-06 to 2023-Mar-07 / 2 days / Laguna Toro out and back / Will
This is a tough one, I didn't make it. I waited out a few rainy days in town until the park office told me we had a good two day window.
I spent the first night at Laguna Toro. Be careful of mice there. Quite a bit of rain and snow, but still too warm for the snow to stay on the ground. The next day we (25 or so tourists) set out to attempt the pass.
I crossed the river on foot right by the zip line, the water was below my knees at noon. Painfully cold though. I climbed up until I got a view of the first glacier at which point the wind was too strong for me to trust my footing. I went back to the first camp planning to wait and try again the next day.
Just after setting up the wind tore down a big green tree branch, which crushed and ripped my tent. Thankfully I wasn't inside. Walked back to El Chaltén in defeat.
I guess that's the end of my GPT hike. It's been amazing, other than the miserable weather down here in the south!
* 2023-Feb-21 to 2023-Feb-24 / 4 days / GPT40 RR counter clockwise / Véronica & Zach
Route: Centro de Visitantes - Laguna Toro - Paso del Viento - Paso Huemul - Bahía de los Témpanos - Centro de Visitantes
We hiked the Huemul Circuit in 4 days as recommended by the Park officials. You could do it in less, but it is so beautiful and it was nice not to rush and to take it all in. The park staff also informed us of the expected weather conditions. You only really need favourable weather on the 2d and 3d day, going over the two passes. It was extremely windy when we went, knocking me off my feet at times.
I enjoyed having my microspikes for the crossing of Glaciar Túnel, allowing me to explore a bit further up on the ice, but they are not necessary. From the top of Paso Del Viento, the view of the Southern Patagonian Icefield is awe-inspiring, but there are no good sheltered spots at or near the top to pause and admire the view for very long before the descent.
The Paso del Viento Camp (second night) is the most exposed of the camps, the tent sites are semi-protected by low rock walls, and some are better than others. The trail is easy to follow and is well-marked.
We rented harnesses and cord for the Tyrolean traverses from the gear shop Viento Oeste, at 1,400 pesos per person per day. The cord was 250 extra pesos per day. It was fairly straightforward to figure out how the cable crossings worked. The first crossing of Río Túnel on day 2 seemed fordable, but not the second one on day 4. That Tyrolean traverse also did not have a rope to pull the pulley back, so we were glad to have one.
This is the link to register for the trek online: