Indi-Nella Jones and the trail of hell

We arrived in El Chalten at about 9 in the morning, to the sight of our first glacier.

We found a hostel, a trek and snacks all in record time. Then set off for one of the most beautiful walks I have ever been on.

The sceneray was just fantastic.

We headed for Lago Torre, which is a glacial lake with Glacier Torre streaming into it. The walk there is estimated to be 3hrs, which is pretty much exactly the time it took us. With a few breaks and photo stops.

We couldn´t make it to the glacier because you need a guide, a permit and the right equipment...

We refilled our water bottles with fresh glacier river water. (All the water in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is drinkable.)

Then we walked back. Aftter an hour, the trail headed off to the west and I decided, in my ?????? induced hystaria, that I would take this extra 2 hour trail. I said goodbye to Tara, who still had two hours of her own to finish, and headed off jauntily.

There are no pictures of the first hour of my detour because it was all, yes ALL, uphill.

Most of the second hour back to the main trail was stunning.

Then I was back on the main trail and I was still 2 hours away from town.

I nearly died.

My left hip was really sore and my feet were killing me (I don´t have the right shoes for this kind of walk.) I only managed to get back to town by jogging - yes you heard me jogging - the last half hour downhill. It was the only thing my hip could take.
Then I realised I still had a 15 minute walk through town to our hostel.

I limped into the hostel 20 minutes later feeling like I could lie down for a century.
So I did.
For an hour.

I have to say that I did not get much sympathy from Tara. She was, according to her, in almost as much pain as I was.
She was not, according to me in the same city, let alone ballpark.
But we were both limping slightly for a few days.

It was a kind of hell at the end, but everything before the pain was so worth it.
And funny enough, I now have a taste for trekking.