I wake up and its 8.30 on my clock but I´ve forgotten to change the time since I arrived from Buenos Aires. Bariloche is 1hr behind B.A. I get up to have breakfast and as I sit munching into a bowl of cereal I glance at a clock on the wall and see that its 7.40..... earlier than I´d hoped but no matter I´m out of bed now.
I intend to climb Cerro Catedral today. A mountain that about 2,000m high and host to the largest ski resort in the southern hemisphere. I take a bus which drops us off at the ski resort. To get to the top of the mountain you can either hike or take a cable car. I´m hiking to the top and looking forward to the climb. Its a tough enough hike to the top, steep in places. I zig zag up the first section, following dirt tracks which provide access for maintenance crews to the cable pylons. Soon I pass the snowline. There follows a good deal of hiking through shallow, compacted snow. The views are fantastic over the large expanse of Lago nahuel Huapi and the long line of mountain peaks which stretch away on the horizon. I hit a steep section and followed a line of footprints that had been made yesterday, perhaps. This line of steps took me to a long, sloping ridge free of snow. A couple of hundred feet above was a refugio.
Three quarters of the way to the top is Refugio Antonio Lynch. The refugio marks the end of the line for those taking the cable car. An overpriced restaurant draws the more wealthy inside. I get a small bottle of water which costs 8 pesos (2 euro), normally a 1.5 litre is 2 pesos. There´s a lot of people milling about outside. Some school groups running around screeching and throwing snowballs at each other. Other smaller groups take photos of the scenery and one another by an Argentinian flag. Its warm up here. Every now and then the wind gusts up chilling you slightly, putting you in two minds whether or not to put a jacket on.
I head on up for the top which takes another 30 mins. By now I´m wearing my jacket on my head as I´ve forgotten to bring a hat and the top of my head was beginning to feel hot. Not a good sign. Two other lads followed me to the top along snow paths which sat on top of a shoulder of snow which ran along the crest of the ridge all the way up. The top was marked by a disused ski station. I linger briefly at the top to take in the views and then retrace my way back down the slope. The sun is strong. The jacket will have to stay on my head. It was cool this morning but not now at 2pm. Even up here at over 2,000m its warm.
I get down from the top around 4pm. I didn´t put cream on my neck or arms and I´m regretting that now. By 5pm I´m back in the hostel. In the dorm I chat with Kevin the American guy who´s a bit of a character. He´s an american army vet who, in a nutshell, is into conspiracy theories. He says he´s on the run from the American government. He hasn´t been home in 12yrs and now spends his time travelling around trying to expose secretive controversial Government projects to a wider public. After dinner a wave of tiredness hits me. I got a lot of sun on the mountain. I go to bed around 10.30.
I intend to climb Cerro Catedral today. A mountain that about 2,000m high and host to the largest ski resort in the southern hemisphere. I take a bus which drops us off at the ski resort. To get to the top of the mountain you can either hike or take a cable car. I´m hiking to the top and looking forward to the climb. Its a tough enough hike to the top, steep in places. I zig zag up the first section, following dirt tracks which provide access for maintenance crews to the cable pylons. Soon I pass the snowline. There follows a good deal of hiking through shallow, compacted snow. The views are fantastic over the large expanse of Lago nahuel Huapi and the long line of mountain peaks which stretch away on the horizon. I hit a steep section and followed a line of footprints that had been made yesterday, perhaps. This line of steps took me to a long, sloping ridge free of snow. A couple of hundred feet above was a refugio.
Three quarters of the way to the top is Refugio Antonio Lynch. The refugio marks the end of the line for those taking the cable car. An overpriced restaurant draws the more wealthy inside. I get a small bottle of water which costs 8 pesos (2 euro), normally a 1.5 litre is 2 pesos. There´s a lot of people milling about outside. Some school groups running around screeching and throwing snowballs at each other. Other smaller groups take photos of the scenery and one another by an Argentinian flag. Its warm up here. Every now and then the wind gusts up chilling you slightly, putting you in two minds whether or not to put a jacket on.
I head on up for the top which takes another 30 mins. By now I´m wearing my jacket on my head as I´ve forgotten to bring a hat and the top of my head was beginning to feel hot. Not a good sign. Two other lads followed me to the top along snow paths which sat on top of a shoulder of snow which ran along the crest of the ridge all the way up. The top was marked by a disused ski station. I linger briefly at the top to take in the views and then retrace my way back down the slope. The sun is strong. The jacket will have to stay on my head. It was cool this morning but not now at 2pm. Even up here at over 2,000m its warm.
I get down from the top around 4pm. I didn´t put cream on my neck or arms and I´m regretting that now. By 5pm I´m back in the hostel. In the dorm I chat with Kevin the American guy who´s a bit of a character. He´s an american army vet who, in a nutshell, is into conspiracy theories. He says he´s on the run from the American government. He hasn´t been home in 12yrs and now spends his time travelling around trying to expose secretive controversial Government projects to a wider public. After dinner a wave of tiredness hits me. I got a lot of sun on the mountain. I go to bed around 10.30.
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