The Travel Chica

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Photo Essay: Defeated by the Winds of Patagonia at Pliegue Tumbado

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Our final day of trekking was a tough one.

Not because of the terrain or the distance or even that it was all ascending.

I got a taste of that infamous Patagonian wind.

And it kicked my ass.

The day started out much cooler and a bit windier than the first two days of trekking.  I even brought my hat and gloves.

We had that not-so-pleasant hiking situation where it is cold enough to wear a fleece, yet you’re sweating underneath because you’re climbing at a good pace.

It was all good. There were cool things to see like this ginormous granite boulder precariously resting on top of a hill.

Then we left the coverage of the forest.

Our tour guide David pointed to a hill in the distance where I could see a thin line of a trail and said, “That’s where we are going.”

Ha!  That’s funny.

That’s really far and really high.

Although David has a good sense of humor, I started to worry that he was not joking.

He wasn’t.

As soon as we left the forest, we were completely exposed to the wind.  It was brutal.

We were climbing on rocks.  The wind was cutting right through my layers of clothing.

We kept pushing forward.

We got to the top of the main hill.  We hid behind some large boulders for protection against the wind.

Great views.

This is a view of Laguna Torre with a massive wind-storm cloud sitting on top of Cerro Torre.

I managed to snap those photos before my fingers went numb.

And then I was miserable.

There was yet another hill to climb, and I knew I could not go any further.

(Yes, this is where I stopped.)

I was happy I got as far as I did and saw the beautiful lake.  But it was time to throw in the towel.

The guys pushed on.  (I swear men have some extra layer of insulation.)

Robbie and I headed back.

I took a hot shower.  I bought a bottle of wine.

I used the word defeated in the title, but really I feel that I have accomplished a lot over the last few days.  And it was fun!

Have you ever decided to throw in the towel on a tough climb?

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This post is part of a series about my experience on the Patagonian Trails Tour with Adventure Center.  I was very impressed by their range of tour options from light to extreme adventure all over Latin America and the rest of the world.  There really is something for everyone.  Adventure Center handles all bookings with Peregrine for North American clients.  

 

Comments

  1. “Have you ever decided to throw in the towel on a tough climb?”

    Yes!

    I threw in the towel about a third up the way up Uluru / Ayers Rock.

    The people going up to the top of that thing are insane.

    I turned around and climbed down like a scared crab.
    Cal recently posted..January’s Top 5 Travel Articles

  4. Amazing Photography! I appreciate your strength in going to these mountains and getting the clicks for us and special thanks for sharing them here. I loved all the images but the view of Laguna Torre left me stunned. I wonder how my excitement would I have been if I was there.
    Bayard Coulombe recently posted..Home trainer occasion

  6. I *should* have turned back on the 3rd day of the Nahuel Huapi traverse in Bariloche, where you basically go on an unmarked (or badly marked, if you’re lucky) route, that involves boulder scrambling up to a height of 150 meters from where you start… I realized it when I was with my huge mochila on my back, holding on to a rock, a 90 meter fall beneath me, and I couldn’t reach the next hand hold to keep going up. And to top it all, my shoe was falling apart and I felt like I couldn’t rely on it. I was never as scared in my entire fucking life – I was sure I was going to die. Eventually I just lunged to get the hand hold and I guess got lucky.. I felt scared as all hell of ledges and depths, even things that would not scare most people, for that entire day. And then we got lost for several hours, had to go down two patches of snow, a freaking waterfall (where I slipped) and finally a swamp. And we didn’t reach the next camp on time.

    But in the end – it was GLORIOUS.

    They have a saying in Hebrew: “experiences” are “suffering” in past tense. :)

    Hope you got up to Lago del los Tres. It’s one of the most beautiful things in Patagonia, in my humble opinion.. you’re so lucky to be there. I miss it :)

  11. I give you props, girl – that looks both tough and really cold. I probably would have thrown in the towel, too. No shame in that, though – no use making yourself miserable for a few more photos. Plus, the ones you got are great!
    Amanda recently posted..Rotorua: Smelly, But Awesome

  17. I am cold just looking at this. I’ve never been defeated on a hike, but that’s largely because I’ve never gone on a hike that exposed me to elements like that! I would have turned around, too. It’s hard enough to get me to go on a strenuous hike, let alone a cold, miserable AND strenuous one!

  18. These photos are amazing! I’ve been defeated once on a hike here in Santiago (Cerro Pochoco). The up was hurting my back, and the down I could already tell was going to be scary since it was so steep. Yeah, I felt a little lame waiting half-way up for Rodolfo to come back as all sorts of people passed me with no problems, but I would have felt lamer living the rest of my life on top of a hill because I was too scared to climb down!
    Emily in Chile recently posted..Housekeeping

  20. Yep, a few years ago I was climbing Mt. Dana, 2nd highest peak in Yosemite and over 14,000 ft. After the last 90 minutes scrambling up scree (2 steps up and 1 step slide down), cold and exhausted and with the top in view, my friend and I turned back. It was disappointing in the moment, but what I really remember was the views. You done good girl; and your photos are mouth-wateringly good.
    Philip recently posted..My 2011 Travel Review from A to Z

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