Where to even begin. Pata-freaking-gonia. It has been a bucket list destination for me ever since I saw pictures of pure beauty of the glacier lakes and rugged mountains that surround this region. Now, let’s just say I’m not an avid hiker. I can hold my own on a day hike and enjoy being out in the mountains and nature, but I knew that Patagonia would be one another level. So it made perfect sense that I got a fever the day before I left. I knew that I would get on that airplane no matter what and take the trip day by day. I managed to make it through, but one day in the next 10 years (the length that my reciprocity fee is valid for) I will be back for you Patagonia.

The Itinerary:

• Day 1: We flew from the smaller airport in Buenos Aires, Jorge Newbery (AEP) which was a direct 3 hour flight to El Calafate (FTE).
• Day 2: Hike the Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate.
• Day 3: We took a three hour bus ride to El Chalten known for the National Parks, making it the trekking capital of Argentina.
• Day 4: Hike the Laguna De Los Tres trail to Mount Fitzroy.
• Day 5: Bus back to El Calafate and fly home to BA.

The Group:

1. Jono – Travel Dad. Jono organized the trip for us from start to finish, complete with dinner reservations for us each night.
2. Garrett – Silent but Mighty. Garrett was the caboose on our final part of the trek up, making sure that I made it to the top.
3. Dustin – Veteran Hiker. Dustin hikes part of the PCT trail in the U.S. for fun and was the perfect guy to have around when you needed a boost!
4. Curtis – Ball is Life. Curtis loves sports and this trip was a dream come true for him. Always had high energy and pushed us to do and see more.
5. Cait – Down for Whatever. Cait is a brave and outdoorsy women who is always down for any adventure.
6. TJ – Short Girl 1. TJ is a YouTuber (follow her!) and was my short girl companion throughout the trip.
7. Me – Short Girl 2. Enough said.

The Treks:

1. Perito Moreno Glacier, Los Glaciares National Park – El Calafate

We booked a trek called Big Ice with company called Hielo Y Aventura. This consisted of a 12 hour day out. They picked us up at our hotel at 7AM where we were bused to a lookout of the glacier.

From there we entered the national park and met our guide Diego. We went on a 1.5 easy hike around the base of the glacier and up one of the mountains next to the glacier. We stopped to put our crampons on which would help our traction while on the glacier. See this fashion here:

We spent about three hours actually on the glacier, enjoying the incredible beauty from the top of the world (or so it felt). The glacier has been there for thousands of years and is by far one of the coolest things I have done in my life. View montage of glacier pictures below. (Yes, this is real life.)

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2. Laguna De Los Tres, Monte FitzRoy – El Chalten

No one expected this day to be easy, especially me. We read that the hike takes about 8-11 hours to complete. Me and TJ decided to call this day… ‘Short girls hike long trail’ – be on the lookout for her VLOG up on youtube soon. We laced up our hiking shoes and hopped to it, knowing that what was waiting on the other end was going to be more than worth it.

We took our time on the way up, stopping for a picture at every beautiful lookout (and to catch our breath.)

Then we came to the last hour of the hike which was straight uphill rock climbing. This took us about an hour and I legitimately thought I may not make it to the top. I was informed by Garrett that I got a hall pass since I couldn’t breath out of my nose (who knew this would make it harder?!) After three FAKE OUT tops we made it to the top where this beauty was waiting for us.

WADDUP PATAGONIA – I SEE YOU. The sun was shining, Monte Fitzroy was gleaming in the background and I honestly felt like I made it to heaven. We devoured our box lunches and took in the glacier lake in all it’s natural beauty. I can’t get over how pretty this lake was so here are more pictures.

Short girl 1 & 2 trekked down the mountain alone as the rest of our group opted to camp overnight on the trail. Our little legs bounded back down the mountain in a record 3 hours, making our total hike time 10 hours and 20 mins for just about 20k. I mean, not too shabby! WE GO SHORT GIRLS!

Thoughts on Patagonia:

• The most beautiful place I’ve ever been
• I definitely thought my life was over a few different times
• How many blisters am I going to get?
• Glacier lakes rock my socks
• Thank god for Travel Dad
• My hiking shoes were surprisingly comfortable
• How many pounds did I loose?
• I have a love/hate relationship with hiking
• When can I come back?

I will be back for you Patagonia, you can count on that. ♥♥♥