Now that I visited El Chaltén I, for the first time in my travels, did not have a single clue what to do next. People told me to go to Bariloche so I decided to go with an open mind and have a look at the possibilities there. After arriving though, the first thing on my mind was working on my resume that I would be sending to Sono Motors, a solar powered car company that I would love to working. In all honesty I have the feeling that I’ve done everything in South America that I planned of doing this trip and somehow it feels a bit empty. So me writing my application to Sono would be a way to have a reason of leaving here early. For the first time in my life I have the feeling that I’m needed elsewhere and I’m really looking forward of contributing towards a more sustainable future.
However, even though I have a feeling to head back home it is paralleled by exploring just a bit longer as I know this longing home is just a temporary phase.
Having sent my resume it was time to let go of all things I have no influence on (like the selection process at Sono) and be in the present once more and in this beautiful country named “the present” did I find a girl that would end up being my next travel companion. Viki and I stayed at the same hostel and we both wanted to hike in the area a bit, however she too had some work to do first as she was trying to get approved for a master study in Groningen so we decided to delay our hike by two days. During that time I unfortunately had to switch hostels twice, but it did end up being for the better as I met another girl, Anastasia, who was also interested in trekking and I invited her along too.
After some chilling days in Bariloche we started our hike to Refugio Frey & Refugio Jakob. Oddly enough whilst in the bus we met another guy from my hostel and decided to hike together. Silvio would sleep in the huts and the ladies and I would cramp together in my tent. It was an amazing hike where the first day consisted of climbing up to Refugio Frey where we were greeted by stunning views of the mountain peaks and alpine lake residing there. Since the sun was still out we decided to go for a swim and put up the tent later. We had to figure out how to fit in this tent of mine, but it was surprisingly spacious. Somehow it felt more roomy than during my night with Uta and Jinghan and we ended up having a good sleep here.
The next day was a considerable amount tougher than the easy stroll up to Frey. We had to cross 2 passes both of which consisted of scree slopes making it hard to climb and especially descent as we kept slipping. However we had some amazing views during the hike, especially on our side trip, a viewpoint looking out at Cerro Cathedral. We were impressed by the view and silence of this place and sat here watching in silence before heading back to the main route. With us having left Frey quite late we had to hurry up to be at Jakob before it would get dark and somehow we managed. However, by the time we got there we were all exhausted and we had to cook in the dark and cold. However, we had a lovely meal that filled us right up and a good night too.
On the third day we hiked almost to the end of the trail, but with us enjoying camping so much the ladies and I decided to stay one more night in the park. This meant saying goodbye to Silvio as he was staying in the refugios and we had a tent. We started off the day by having a dip in the lake at Refugio Jakob and with that we started our hike. It was an easy stroll again past the river and after having walked 75% of today’s trail we decided to set up camp and call it a day. We said goodbye to Silvio who we would meet in Bariloche again and cooked our last outdoor meal and we were surprised how well we cooked and ate during this hike.
The following day we took our time and headed towards Bariloche again where Silvio was waiting for us. During our hike Silvio and I were discussing how to reward ourselves for the hike we did and decided it would be with a big Argentinian steak and Silvio knew just the place. The steak was enormous and delicious and it was honestly the biggest steak I’ve ever seen.
The days after our hike were mostly spent roaming around Bariloche, eating ice cream and relaxing. We somehow were a bit tired and took the opportunity to take it easy, but after our resting days the ladies and I decided to head to the south and head to El Bolson, a hippie town nearby Bariloche. The plan was to make another big hike there but due to our laziness we eventually only did two day hikes. The latter one was beautiful with our hike being parallel to a gorge with a roaring river and with an awesome little bridge and an amazing refugio I would’ve loved to stay at a night. Unfortunately we did not pack for that opportunity and headed back again and the next day we said our goodbyes. By now we had spend around two weeks together and we all had different plans for the coming weeks.
I would head north to San Martin de los Andes and they would head south. However, though we split up I have the feeling we would meet again in the not too distant future.