Having arrived at Ushuaia after a very long journey I needed to adjust for a night. It was quite exciting to finally be at the place dubbed to be ‘the End of the World’ (Fin del Mundo) and it felt like that too. Ushuaia is said to be the southernmost city in the world but one can hardly call it a town, let alone a city. However, being here meant one thing, getting a cruise to Antarctica! So first thing next morning it was time to go cruise shopping and was shocked to see how the prices were much higher than I anticipated. This meant that for now the cruises were out of my budget, but with some patience I’m sure the perfect opportunity will present itself soon.
This meant that, for now, I could enjoy the town and it’s surroundings and I soon found a fellow hiker, Asaf from Israel, that was in need of a tent and I had just that. The plan was to do an ‘easy’ hike to Laguna del Caminante, stay there for a night and then take the Paso de la Oveja (sheep’s pass) back to town.
Starting the hike was indeed quite easy with lots of ranunculi (boterbloemen) welcoming us to the track. And after a nice walk in the forest the route rapidly turned steeper and the valley finally opened up to give us a glimpse of Laguna del Caminante.
After a short stroll to the lake’s shore we put my tent up and went cooking. Using my new cooking kit we made a lovely pasta with steak and after enjoying the meal Asaf and I went back to the tent which is when nature started to transform into a new landscape altogether. During the night we experienced a lot of wind and ‘rain’, though that ‘rain’ appeared to be snow heaping up on my tent and by the time the sun came up we were witnesses to the metamorphose of our surroundings as in a single night, and in the middle of Ushuaia’s ‘summer’, the lake’s surroundings received approximately 20 cm of snow.
Though early in the morning there seemed to be no escaping the laguna due to the low visibility, later in the morning it cleared up a bit and Asaf and I decided to go for it. Initially walking back the way we came showed us how a night at ‘the End of the World’ can be full of wonders.
Unfortunately, the wind started to pick up again and getting to the ‘Paso de la Oveja’ became a tough job as not only the wind was a struggle to overcome but also the amount of snow that had fallen, at some places as much as 50+ cm, proved a hassle at times. Additionally, the conditions all but worsened after the pass and we still had 10+ km ahead of us! However after an arduous hike through snow and scree we finally made it to the cover of the forest and soon afterward the end of our trail where it seemed like nothing remotely winterlike happened last evening, which, once again, shows how the magic ‘the End of the World’ has on an island like this.
Start of the hike. 
Lots of wildlife around us during the hike. First glimpse of Laguna del Caminante. 
Luguna del Caminante in full glory. 
Our tent right next to lovely lake. 
Our tent after a night of ‘End of the World’ magic. 
Our tent covered in snow. 
Asaf and Pongo ready to take on the day. 
Pongo and I posing in front of the lake. Looking down from Paso de la Oveja 
Asaf and I on top of Paso de la Oveja.
Ziet er goed uit Timo, wat gaaf meteen kamperen! Heel herkenbaar die weersomstandigheden Haha.
Ik krijg gelijk heimwee! Veel plezier!
Was erg leuk idd al had het van mij een wandeling later mogen zijn. De eerste wandeling gelijk in winterwonderland terecht komen was wel wat zwaar ?