Good-Bye Bariloche and the Lakes District
Whenever I meet another traveller and tell them that I spent two weeks in Bariloche, they seem totally surprised. In truth, I never planned on spending so long there, but somehow the days kept slipping by, and there were still more hikes that I wanted to do. (The abundance of delicious chocolate and ice cream in town certainly didn´t hurt either...) Nature is endless. There is always more. I can spend hours just staring at a beautiful view and listening to the sounds of a forest. I was worried that I would be lonely hiking by myself, but I´ve hiked many kilometers alone since this trip started, yet have never felt lonely or wanting for company.
My last day in Bariloche, I toyed with the idea of resting, but as always find myself in motion. It was raining again, but this time, I correctly predicted that it wouldn´t rain nonstop. The 8 km hike to Refugio Lopez was supposed to be to an incredible view of the lakes, but when I got to the top, I saw absolutely nothing but a fog bank. It was kind of like being in my apartment in San Francisco! I berated myself for not checking the weather forecast and doing this hike the day before, but as always with the weather here (and life!), change is constant. On the way down, the fog cleared and I saw the most gorgeous view of the necklace of inlets and arms of Lake Nahuel Huapi.
I think I finally figured out the Argentinian estimates and ratings of hikes, which is very different from ratings in the States. Here, they figure if they give you more time to do a hike on difficult terrain, it can be classified as easy. I´m not sure if that concept really works, but the idea that anything is possible given enough time is so charming and optimistic.
My last day in Bariloche, I toyed with the idea of resting, but as always find myself in motion. It was raining again, but this time, I correctly predicted that it wouldn´t rain nonstop. The 8 km hike to Refugio Lopez was supposed to be to an incredible view of the lakes, but when I got to the top, I saw absolutely nothing but a fog bank. It was kind of like being in my apartment in San Francisco! I berated myself for not checking the weather forecast and doing this hike the day before, but as always with the weather here (and life!), change is constant. On the way down, the fog cleared and I saw the most gorgeous view of the necklace of inlets and arms of Lake Nahuel Huapi.
I think I finally figured out the Argentinian estimates and ratings of hikes, which is very different from ratings in the States. Here, they figure if they give you more time to do a hike on difficult terrain, it can be classified as easy. I´m not sure if that concept really works, but the idea that anything is possible given enough time is so charming and optimistic.
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