Hiking LAGUNA DE LOS TRES in Argentina on Thanksgiving Day in Patagonia

One of the coolest and most unforgettable hikes I’ve ever been on, Laguna de Los Tres just outside of El Chalten, Argentina in Los Glaciares national park, a 15.5 mile journey, reaching elevations of 3,268ft, took about 11 hours to complete and we did it on Thanksgiving. The hike wasn’t too steep until the last section, where you find yourself walking up an, almost, wall of rocks, and even when you think you’re near the top, there is always more terrain to greet you. Eventually though, the hike leads you to a magnificent site – right there, in front of you, is Mt. Fitz Roy, the mountain you had been seeing in the distance the entire time, almost teasing you with its presence and making you constantly wonder when you’d finally reach it. But now you have and it’s everything you ever wanted it to be and more.

We left at roughly 6am and arrived around 11am, when it was still pretty cloudy, without any sun at all. The cloudiness gave off a particular energy though – one that felt like the mountain itself was just waking up and still needed time to unleash it’s true potential. These initial moments, coincided with that feeling one gets when they walk into a new room or location for the very first time – when the brain attempts to interpret its surroundings but does so abstractly because little is known yet of the area. So anytime I think about the cloudy, grey, and, fogginess of the mountains, it brings me back to that unique initial feeling – when we had just reached the top and still had a bunch of exploring to do.

After about an hour or so, the sun finally came out and right away the energy shifted as it felt like the mountain had gone from just waking up to fully awake. You could see the entire rock formation – it looked marvelous as both lakes glowed blue. The snow also began to shine and what once felt like a winter white out with fog, now looked like a summer vacation spot at a lagoon. At this point, we had made our way to the left side of the rock formation that overlooked yet another giant blue lake/lagoon, where we spent some time taking in the sites, talking about life, and about open relationships – although, let the record show, I did not partake in the last discussion.

Before long, at around 1:30pm, we all made our way down, returning at roughly 5pm. From here, we went to a local bar and all had beers to celebrate. I believe my fitbit said 70,000 steps when I returned, but I think it was more like 50,000. We were exhausted but it was a great exhaustion. You know that famous picture of Kobe Bryant holding the championship trophy after winning the finals, staring into complete space, in a look of exhaustion mixed with satisfaction? That was all of us after.

In the end though, I will never forget this experience. One of the coolest things I ever did. And I hope it serves as inspiration for others to get outside and see the world.

#travel #hikinglagunadelostres #patagonia #elchalten

Song: Pienso Viento by Casa Rosa

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