Patagonian Mountain Gods are Unhappy With Me

I must have made the mountains gods angry for some reason. I was booted out of Fitz Roy faster than Morrissey at a Metallica concert. It was as if I had cheated on my girlfriend and she was now getting back at me, but in the most cruelest of fashion.

Mountain God: So...You came to Patagonia for a girl eh? So...um what about me. Am I not reason enough for you to return to South America?

Sam: No. You have it all wrong. I really wanted to come back to see you. I´ve been thinking about you for the last two years. You are so beautiful. I really wanted to spend time with you.

Mountain God: Shut up! I see right through you. You little piece of shit. I know you came back to see that girl. One day when you least expect it, I´m going to make you pay for your cheating ways.

Sam: I´m sorry baby! I really am. I´ll take you some place nice to eat. How does Red Lobster sound?

And so the story continues.
One day in El Calafate was enough for me. My next trekking adventure would be three hours away in the small town on El Chalten. I would be heading into the Fitz Roy sector of the park. The Swiss couple in my hostel decided to join me since I had the cooking supplies (stove, pots, gas, etc). As we closed in on El Chalten, the weather became worse and it was raining fairly hard when we finally arrived. We decided to get a room at a hospedaje for the first night to wait and see how the weather shaped up for the remaining two days. At noon, we thought about heading up to the first mirador on the way to Laguna Torre. The rain stopped as soon as we left the room. There was a ton of water and mud on the path, but we managed to make it all the way to the lake that afternoon. The skies cleared as the afternoon progressed. However, the peaks were like a magnet for the clouds and we were unable to see Cerro Torre and the surrounding peaks. I saw just enough of the mountains to want to come back again. This daily weather sequence would be the norm for the next day as well. The next day we went to the campsite Poincenot. The skies cleared again in the afternoon and you could see the routes to Laguna Sucia and Laguna de los Tres. The Swiss couple were leaving the next day, so I decided that tomorrow I camp here and see Monte Fitz Roy. The mountain god had set her trap. She gave me enough to see to make me want to come back for more.

The weather had showed enough promise over the last two days that I though it would clear any day. However, this is Patagonia and nothing (especially the weather) is a guarantee. I said my goodbyes to Beatrice and Michael the next morning. As I headed for the trail head, the rain started to trickle just slightly. I made the ascent towards Laguna Capri loaded down with all my gear. I was only wearing a long sleeved dryfit shirt with a windstopper vest. This was enought to keep me warm ,but it was not water proof. By the time I reached the first mirador (1 hours) the rain and wind picked up their intensity. I was starting to get cold, but was in cruise control all the way to the campsite. At some point, I saw little pieces of ice falling down on me. With the high winds, it felt as if my face was getting bead blasted. I played out the scenario of what to do once I reached the camp. Don´t waste any time and get that friggin´ tent set up I thought to myself. Once I reached Poincenot, I was soaked. My pack was waterlogged and my boots soggy. I immediately started setting up the tent. My fingers were numb and not functioning properly due to my gloves being soaked through. After fumbling about for a few minutes, I finally managed to get everything set up. I was really cold at that point and stripped off my clothes to put on something dry. The extra clothes I brought were buried deep in the pack inside a plastic garbage bag, so I was able change into dry clothes. Even with my down sleeping bag wrapped around me, it took about an hour for my body to feel warm. The rain didn´t let up this afternoon as it had the previous two days. More campers started to arrive with the same thoughts of seeing Fitz Roy. We would all be dissapointed. To my horror, I soon discovered that my rainfly was starting to leak slightly. I had strung the rain cover as tight as a trampoline to keep the wind out, but it was not keeping all the water out. My only hope would be that it stop raining overnight and maybe my gear and I would stay dry. The mountain god made sure she would get the best of me. It rained even harder and the wind was even stronger during the evening. I slept well considering my circumstances. The next morning, I woke up to see dirt all over the things I had kept in the vestibule and all over the sides of the tent. Apparently, it rained so hard that the droplets kicked up dirt under the rain fly and all over the tent. The leaking rain cover created a small puddle in one corner of the tent. Nearly everything was wet. The temperature never rose above 7 deg C all day and all night. It was decision time. Sit to wait it out, or pack your shit and head back to town. I opted for the later and dreamed of a hot shower and meal back at the hostel. I quickly pack all of my soggy gear, slid my feet into the cold wet boots and started home. My pack was significantly heavier due to everything being saturated. The rain continued to pelt me as I slowly trudged back to El Chalten. On occasion, I would turn to look back towards Fitz Roy to see if the skies cleared. Nope. It still looks like shit up there. I arrived in El Chalten looking like a drowned rat. As soon as I stepped into the Hostel, the rain stopped and the sun came out! It had rained for 26 straight hours and it decided to stop as soon as I reutrned to the city! I could picture the mountain god laughing at me saying Ï told you I´d get you.¨ One good thing about the rain stopping was that I could set out all of my crap on the front porch to dry out. The area in the direction of Fitz Roy still looked like crap so I made the correct decision. Tomorrow I leave for Bariloche for promises of better weather. I hope mother mountain god was satified with her revenge and would let me go on my way without further issue. I would leave Fitz Roy for another day and hopefully the next time the gods will smile upon me.