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I caught an early bus from Bariloche to Villa Cerro Catedral, but when I tried to buy a lift ticket up to Refugio Lynch (the chairlift to Piedra del Condor was not running) the attendant would not sell me one. After a little confusion I found someone that spoke English and learned that the top was too windy and dangerous for a hike today — ergo no ticket for me. I was going to concede and take the alternate trail up Arroyo van Titter, when I figured I could just try walking up. That option was listed in the guidebook anyway. So with a full pack I scaled the service roads up the ski slopes. The route was steep and a lot of work but at least the day was cool, and in a little under two hours I arrived at Refugio Lynch — a restaurant and snack shop atop the mountain. I used some of the money saved from not buying a ticket on a refreshing Gatorade and ate my own lunch at the refugio before starting along the ridgeline.
The first section was not that bad. A fair amount of wind assaulted the mountain, but the trail mostly stayed on the leeward side. After Punta Nevada though the hike became intense. The tread was now on the windward side of the mountain and traversed some very steep slopes, where a misstep would send me hundreds of meters down. The route also crossed large rock fields, where the use of my hands was necessary to balance myself going through the maze of boulders.
With what I endured, I do not fault the attendants for not selling me a lift ticket. The route was very exposed and not something for the uninitiated or faint hearted. Without any Spanish language skills I could not explain that I was an experienced hiker that knew what he was doing.
Valle del arroyo Rucaco
Rain started to fall during the traverse making the rocks even more slippery. A superb view of the arroyo Rucaco was to be had though, with beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges from the trees beginning to change color. The route then fell directly off the mountain down loose scree before continuing in the valley floor through a lovely forest. The rain persisted as I again climbed, this time to Paso Brecha Negra, which unfortunately had few views due to the clouds and precipitation. After the pass it was again back down a steep mountainside to finally reach Refugio San Martin.
Despite the ongoing rain I camped for free nearby instead of paying a few pesos for a large, dry, warm room with other people inside. For the first time I cooked dinner mostly inside my tent, while trying to stay warm and dry. Hopefully the weather would improve tomorrow so I could hike the high level route to Refugio Italia.
Laguna Jakob
Unfortunately the weather did not improve overnight, with the rain continuing. In fact at the higher elevations snow had even fallen. This would have made the route to Refugio Italia at best a miserable time, at worst suicidal. So instead I headed out of the national park towards Colonia Suiza. The weather was predicted bad for a couple of days, and I did not have the time or desire to wait for fairer skies. I walked out with a group of three other Americans in the same predicament. The route through the woods was easy and gentle, and the weather improved as we descended. Things were still socked in at the tops though, so I made the right decision to bail from the Nahuel Huapi Traverse.
