December 28, 2025
Linking Fitzroy Trail to Rio Electrico
Did not sleep well. My own falt because tried to finish a whole pizza at Bandidos. Note: best to avoid pizza in Argentina. They come with thick layer of cheese and not a lot else. The excessive lactos combined with late hour of dinning led to terrible acid taste in the mouth.
Though lack of sleep didn't keep me bivouaced a moment after 06. Another big overlander truck arrived yesterday like the Australians on Christmas morning they make huge saucepan of poridge then wonder why so much is left over. I have my own so couldn't help scrap it out.
After picking up a few lunch items, bare essentials such as 2 oranges, onion, can of tuna and yogurt at the supermarket opposite the campsite for almost 12,000 (£6) and yesterday's bread from the bakery for free, set off up the old Laguna Torres trail then go sharp right upon a trail linking the Fitzroy trail, which I discovered on the way down Christmas day bypasses the official entrance and need to pay. Young couple just ahead were doing the same; she with distinct Irish accent.
Join Fitzroy trail a few hundred metres up from the start and going left the way twists steeply uphill through the trees with many wind blown trees and deadwood upon the forest floor alive with vivid purple and yellow wildflowers visited by white butterflies. The way eventually crests the hill and dips down to Lago Capri with a view of Fitzroy. Many pause here including the Irish woman who hands me her phone and asks me to take a picture of her and the boyfriend with the mountains in the background.
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Visable from Lago Capri a low ridge separates the lake from the Madre y Hja trail I was on the other day which I soon pass on the way onwards, crossing the wet area and continuing close to base camp where a trail splits off on the right, which I take going north parallel to the mountains. The way winds close to a river bank around big round stones and through dwarf forest before ascending a hill to where there's a great vista of a huge circular moraine clad with dwarf trees on the outside: on the inside is a turquoise lagoon below a blue glacier hanging off the mountainside called Glacier Piedra Blanco.
The forest thickens up as the way descends for a few kilometres, eventually coming to a split with the right turn to a place called El Pilar where I go left, following the arrows for Rio Electrico and Piedra Fraile.
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https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/712404/browse_photos?place_id=7182
4 weeks ago
The way drops into the valley and across a suspension bridge over a powerful glacier stream and then twists its way around a chaos of large round river-stones and into dwarf forest on the other side coming to yet another split where I go left for Piedra Fraile.
The trail onwards is fairly faint but followable. Besides, looking at my phone the time is 14.37 and its a long way back, so I decide to turn around, doubling back to the El Pilar right turn whereupon I sit on a hollowed out deadwood log on a well flatten patch of grass signifying previous use for picnics and boil water for mate while making up a tuna and onion sandwich. Above the wind blowing through the trees I could hear the constant hammer of a Woodpecker. Many of the tree trunks show the holes they burrow into the wood.
I follow the El Pilar trail downhill through a narrow glen which soon opens out with a drop on the left to the stream below. Soon there is a good view up the Rio Electrico valley toward Piedra Fraile. It strike me that a hike onwards from Piedra Fraile to a good viewpoint would be necessary to make it worthwhile, probably needing a window of 2 or 3 fair weather days.
Continue downhill to El Pilar, an old hotel in sheet metal with cream walls, red roof and a white picket fence matching the white window frames with a garden of blue, pink and purple lupins. A drive takes me down to the 41 road where I open and pass through double gates which has a Private Property No Access sign on the outside. I think this only applies for leaving the road at this point, as there was no sign back at the trail split.
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I thought I'd time myself walking back to the village, but at almost 20 kms it was clear after an hour that it would be extremely late by the time I'd get back. However, by a stroke of luck a passing car stops and offers me a lift which I heartly accept. The driver a young man called Fernando. ln making conversation I talked about the climate in Ireland and in response he told me the winter is long here and sometimes the snow can come up to the car's windowsill.
Fernando drops me off at the campsite at 18.30. I count up 48 photos taken today which will involve a labour intensive evening sorting them out. Thats the equivalent of two rolls of film in olden days. I only want 15 with 8 or 9 for the journal, so the lesser ones get deleted. Then after a warm shower that has a great effect of alleviating the strain of a day's walking, I head to the cafe where I stick to steak and chips this evening: the promotion, 38,000 (£21) with glass of wine. Write paper journal while waiting for plate to come out and afterwards I'm ready for the bivouac.
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Yeah, I can relate! Still have my old Canon Ftb from the mid-70s. All the tripod, light meter, lenses, rolls of film, etc. costing at least 50 cents US per shot, just for the film...
Now, I have a 10 or so year old Canon 160 P&S that has taken more photos per year than the Ftb did in its entire lifetime! (or maybe more per month) and a tiny SD card holds thousands of photos instead of cartons full of slide boxes or envelopes of photos and negatives that stick together and fade. So convenient, reliable, portable and cheap!
4 weeks ago
Steve would tell them "you owe me 50 cents". They still use that line on their own kids, who just roll their eyes in complete nonunderstanding.
4 weeks ago
3 weeks ago
Thank for the message.
3 weeks ago