Cristina Calvillo Tovar, 37, and Julian Garcia Pimentel, 36 — Nadine Lichey, 45, and Andreas von Pein, 52 — and Victoria Bond, 40.
Could these deaths have been avoided?
… On November 16, the weather was mild, and the usual number of hikers, 40 or 50, crossed the pass without incident. By that evening, those who would suffer the worst of the storm had converged at Los Perros campsite, the last sheltered refuge before the exposed John Garner Pass. …
On November 17 between 5 to 7 am, about 30 hikers left Los Perros for John Garner Pass.
Conditions started drizzly, but deteriorated rapidly after 10 am. Winds reached 193kph, and visibility dropped to less than three meters. The temperature fell to −5 °C, but the wind chill was far below -20°C. …
Those who turned back barely made it down safely. …
A distress post appeared on the Torres del Paine Facebook group around 2 to 3 pm. Initial response by CONAF was slow, and bad weather grounded the helicopters. …
Twenty-seven hikers required medical attention, according to the final tally released by the Regional Government of Magallanes on November 20. …
I spent a couple of weeks hiking out of the mountain town in 2009, astonished at how down to earth and welcoming it is for outdoor sportsmen from around the world.
All hikers plan, one day, to travel to southern Patagonia. Towers of Paine photos entice.
And anyone who hikes Paine, should also hike Fitz Roy, Argentina.
Hikers have a choice to base themselves out of Puerto Natales, Chile or El Calafate, Argentina. Though you may find yourself stopping in both, El Calafate is the better choice.
El Calafate is a small town in Patagonia, Argentina. …
… an important tourist destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier (one of the most visited in the world) and the Cerro Chaltén and Cerro Torre.
… In the last census 6,143 permanent residents were counted
You could argue that El Chaltén, Argentina’s “national trekking capital“, about 220km from El Calafate, is an even better base town.
On the other hand, there are large grocery stores like Diarco in El Calafate. The shops in Chaltén in 2019 were still very limited. We couldn’t get instant mashed potatoes in Chaltén, for example. Pick up your provisions in Calafate.
And Calafate is about half way between Paine and Fitz Roy.
These are the most famous, but there are many more “best hikes” in the Patagonian Andes. Ground transportation is the biggest challenge in this part of the world.
These lists are far from definitive. They are more conversation starters to get you thinking where you might want to go next.
For example, the Tonquin Trail is a 4.0-km out-and-back trail near Tofino on Vancouver Island. I’m on the island right now and can name easily a dozen better hikes close by. 😀
El Calafate is a small town in Patagonia, Argentina. …
besthike.com 