Definitely a good idea to bring a harness for this hike. I walked it in two days and covered the water crossings by foot, and man, the water was sooo cold and the one closer to El Chalten was a little dangerous. Be safe out there, folks.
Two days! That's incredible! That's a lot of distance for two days. I hope you enjoyed the landscape and flora and fauna still 😁 Yeah I had heard the river crossings were an option that way but wanted to try with the other experience. I imagine it must have been SO cold! The crossing closer to town seems dangerous for sure, I'm glad you made it across safely!
OF course! Thank you for taking the time to watch my video and to comment. If you ever make it out that way and decide to do the trail please let me know if you have any questions that this video didn't answer. 😁
(ps, sorry for the delayed response, I have been away from RU-vid for quite a while after an unexpected a surgery and prolonged recovery time. I'm hoping to start posting again this upcoming month and I'll catch everyone up on where I've been 😊)
Que lindo video sin lugar a dudas este es el mejor de todos los que e visto hermoso paisaje y tuviste muy buena compañía se te vio feliz y eso es genial eres una de las aventureras que mejor asé su trabajo es un lujo poder ver tus videos 👏👏👏☕
I'm glad to hear this! That's kind of what I'm thinking too. I pretty much always split the videos up because it allowed me to post every week and make the videos a length that felt more manageable for people to take a quick break to watch. Having a longer video feels like more of a commitment, but hopefully people will be okay with that.
Thank you so much! I'm really glad to hear that you enjoy my videos. They always take so much work and it really helps having kind comments like yours to keep me inspired 😅 I do use my phone, but no selfie stick. I can't seem to bring myself to be a selfie stick person 😂 I also occasionally use a GoPro depending on the trail and the amount of water/rain I expect on trail.
Why Argentinian Swithback? ... we prefer "distance" over "slope" because it requires less effort. Ask your knees. On March 19 I will do the Huemul Circuit for the "fifth" time. It is the best trek in the world
That makes sense :) I think sometimes switchbacks can be a bit too long if the incline is too simple. I'd love a combination of the two. A fifth time! That's incredible! I'm glad you have a trail that you love this much!
@@KathrynJones I think it is possibly the best because: You start the journey walking from the town, the logistics are very very simple You have forests, lakes, glaciers, the incredible ice field, ice floes In addition to the flora, if you are lucky you can see many animals: from a shy puma to a Huemul and even condors. You can see the source of the river in the glacier and its end in Lake Viedma You have the adrenaline of the zip lines You walk on a glacier You can feel the extreme Patagonian wind and experience the four seasons in just days It has the view of the impressive "southern ice field" which is the closest thing to Antarctica that can be seen You meet people from all over the world even though it's not very crowded ALL THIS THAT YOU NEED FOR WEEKS IN OTHER PLACES OF THE WORLD HERE YOU HAVE IN FOUR DAYS OF TREKKING and also ... it's totally free
A friend of mine told me that another reason why the "Swithback" is used also to prevent the paths from becoming "canyons" by slowing down the fall of water
Pretty cool video, and experience, never seen tent like jauns were poles were inside, holiday's coming, r u out an about or going for holiday's, well be careful n enjoy life ✌👋
Oh thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to watch it and comment 😁 I am always hoping for and expecting more views and upvotes, but I may be biased because I know how much time and work went into making the videos 😂
(ps, sorry for the delayed response, I have been away from RU-vid for quite a while after an unexpected a surgery and prolonged recovery time. I'm hoping to start posting again this upcoming month and I'll catch everyone up on where I've been 😊)
Thank you for this great video! I'm going to Patagonia in November and really wanted to do this trek but wasn't sure since I'm travelling on my own but it looks like a trek one can do solo, just a little bit worried about the zipline crossings :D
Hey! I hope you did the hike solo and had an incredible time! The river crossing may be a bit scary but I hope that you saw while you were there that a lot of people pile up at the crossing and there is always someone there willing to give you a hand if you have questions. (ps, sorry for the delayed response, I have been away from RU-vid for quite a while after an unexpected a surgery and prolonged recovery time. I'm hoping to start posting again this upcoming month and I'll catch everyone up on where I've been 😊)
Awesome video Kathryn. I am planning to hike solo. Looks like there was not much wind during your hike except when it started to rain. Any advise for the solo hiker? Planning to hike mid Feb. '23
Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to watch it! Yeah I really lucked out with weather. I was in El Chalten for about a month scheduling all of my treks around the weather which was a logistical nightmare 😂 This was the first 4 days in a row with clear weather so I jumped on it. Except for that little storm on day 3 I was really lucky by how little wind there was. It was of course windy making it over both of the passes, but that's to be expected. Yeah pretty much just the stuff I mentioned in the video, download the map for offline use just to be sure you don't lose the trail, and don't bother to carry to much water on your hikes because you pass water often and can filter water every day. Also make sure you wake up early on day two and get to the river crossing as early as possible so you don't have to wait in a line (unless you'd rather watch other people go first or cross with another group) And then if it wasn't extremely clear from my video, make sure on day three when you're on the downhill take it really slow and try to plan on having good weather during that segment 😂 It's so steep. I hope you have a wonderful time! If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask
Hi Kathryn, loved your video. We are planning to do the hike in 4 days if the weather permits. Can you please explain in which shop did you rent the harness? I understood you didn't start very early on day one, which seemed to be OK. :) What time did you get back to El Chalten on last day? I am a bit worried about the river crossings, if you could please describe that into more detail for me I'd appreciate! Many thanks!
Hey Barbora! Okay so I don't remember the name of the shop we rented our harness, but it is right near Hostel Mistico, on the same side of the street only a few buildings down towards the start of the trek. Almost any outdoor gear place in town should be able to rent a harness for you though! Are you trekking alone? If not make sure you get a recovery line and then you can simply share a harness (cheaper that way). As for the river crossing, I am worried it might be dangerous to try to walk you through the steps in a message. I would suggest checking youtube videos or google for "tyrolean traverse" info. Either a step by step guide or something similar. You can also get to the river crossing early and then let other groups go ahead of you so you can watch closely what they are doing. I would also suggest that if you're unsure perhaps ask one of the guides there with another group to check your lines before you cross. If you choose this option I would also suggest having a small amount of cash to tip that guide since they make a living by guiding these trails. I just looked back at the timestamps on my videos from that final day and it looks like I left my campsite at 8:50am, arrived at the second river crossing at 11:30am, made it to the paved road at 3:20pm, and back into town by 3:50pm. We maintained a fairly brisk pace, but I did wait for about an hour at the river crossing before my hiking buddy arrived (we were sharing a harness). So depending on how quickly you hike and if there is a line at the river crossing your end time will vary. There can be some larger groups hiking the trail and if you end up behind them at a river crossing it can be a long wait so be prepared. I hope I answered all of your questions! Please let me know if there's anything I can help with. I hope you have wonderful weather for your trek and have an amazing time!
Hello, good video, thanks for sharing, we want to do this walk in October, I haven't found much information about whether there are bathrooms or places to shower, if you could tell me about your experience on this topic
Hello! I hope my response to this comment isn't too late. I know you said October so it likely is, but at the offset chance that you postponed your hike I'd love to respond and help out as best as I can. There are outhouse style bathrooms at each of the main campsites, but there are not any places to shower. You could swim in nearby water but remember that it is all glacier fed water and will be extremely cold. Also you will want to avoid swimming in any of the water that directly feeds into the water people drink from (common courtesy while back country). But the trail is only 4 days so going a few days without a shower should be manageable. I would gather some water and warm in slightly with my jetboil and use that water to rinse my face in the evenings and that helped me to feel clean and refreshed enough. Let me know if you have any other questions! I'd be happy to help. (ps, sorry for the delayed response, I have been away from RU-vid for quite a while after an unexpected a surgery and prolonged recovery time. I'm hoping to start posting again this upcoming month and I'll catch everyone up on where I've been 😊)
Hey! So I did this hike sometime mid to late March (so the end of their Summer/beginning of Fall) (ps, sorry for the delayed response, I have been away from RU-vid for quite a while after an unexpected a surgery and prolonged recovery time. I'm hoping to start posting again this upcoming month and I'll catch everyone up on where I've been 😊)
Hi! I am planning to do this trek in Feb and am wondering how technical the walk is next to the glacier (I am a seasoned hiker but never touched a glacier before - it spooks me)
Hey! I would strongly suggest not walking too far out on the glacier, as you know that can be extremely dangerous. When we walked out on it it was only a few dozen feet off the trail. The trail walks directly along the glacier for a short while so you’ll have the perfect opportunity to jump on briefly if you’d like. Be careful and cautious but enjoy!! Have a great time 😁
Hey! There are a lot of little outdoor gear shops in town (it's a very small town and you will easily find these places) and you can rent a harness from any of them (ps, sorry for the delayed response, I have been away from RU-vid for quite a while after an unexpected a surgery and prolonged recovery time. I'm hoping to start posting again this upcoming month and I'll catch everyone up on where I've been 😊)
Hey! That's a great question, and unfortunately I can't remember, but even if I could I know the prices would be different now than they were then. I was back in Chaltén again last month and prices are all so different! I'm sure I was given a slightly higher price than maybe a local would get, but luckily the person I shared the harness with was there when we rented it and he is from Argentina so maybe he was given a good price.
@@KathrynJones im glad i hear that! Are you living here or hollidays again? Haha, im flying to bariloche in april to do the 5 lagunas trail and some of pampa linda, hoping to see the same autumn colors from your video!
Hey, I'm pretty sure no Argentinian is drinking their Mate with Coca Cola... you probably tried Fernet with Coke, which is another bitter drink some locals enjoy down here 😉
I think you are absolutely correct 😂 I was confused by what they were drinking in Ushuaia because they kept showing me the mate bag, but once I made it further north someone clarified that for me. Thanks for the comment! I hope others see it so they know the truth 😅
@@KathrynJones Thanks for the reply! I am hoping to head to Chile/Argentina in March of 2023 and would like to do the Huemul, O Trek, and spend some time in Ushuaia. Luckily, it looks like you've been to a number of places in the region. I'll be checking out the rest of your SA content and thanks in advance for taking the time to RU-vid it for us!
Oh that's so exciting! March is the perfect time! I'm glad you've found my channel and that you're getting some use out of my videos! A few months ago I started making my videos longer format so they release every other week rather than every week (since they take so much longer to edit) but I think the entire series should be released before you get there in March. Some of my favorite treks in Argentina will be coming up soon! Also I did the O trek back in 2015 long before I started RU-vid so I don't have any videos on it but i imagine since it's so popular now you should be able to find everything you need to know pretty easily online. If you have any questions or want recommendations for hostels, hitchhiking routes, or whatever else in Argentina please don't hesitate to reach out!
