Reunite 2022 – veho ergo sum

Day 0 | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 (back to Reunites)

Day 8: 2022.12.11

1 + 1 = 3

Go on a trip with Charu = awesome
Go on a trip with siblings = awesome
Go on a trip with Charu & siblings = three times as awesome

Sitting on a plane midway between JFK and SEA, with a little over 2 hours left in this 36-hour journey back from Patagonia, I am wrapping up this trip report with a “TL;DR” (“Too Long; Didn’t Read”) executive summary.

In summary, this Patagonia trip (Backroads: Argentina’s Patagonia Tour) was a true “opportunity seized.” Charu and I have enjoyed Backroads trips in the past, but making this one a private tour where some of my siblings and spouses could join was absolutely incredible. On the first day of our trip, at dinner we went around the table sharing what we were most looking forward to in this trip. On the last day, at dinner we again went around the table, but this time sharing our single biggest highlight of the trip. Those two conversations were very deep and touching, and I will remember them long into the future.

For me, the biggest highlight was yet another chance to “be that boy again.” The time spent with any of my siblings is a time machine. We all get to be a little less adult and a little more kid. And what a treat that is. It is so incredibly fitting that the last quarter mile of our 50miles of total hiking for the week was running side-by-side with my sister, giggling at the stupidity of us breaking into a run after 6 hours of hiking.

To my high school friend Buddy who wrote the poem in senior year that ended with, “be that boy again,” thank you so much for that vivid image you painted so many years ago. It has given me something to strive for, and I celebrate the opportunity that we all just got to live it. Carpe Diem, indeed!

My “one photo per day” summary of the week (missing day 4 … will update after I get photos from sibs):

p.s. A note to Backroads: you continue to impress me with the trips you offer and the guides that take us on these wonderful journeys. The most used adjective this week when talking about our experience was “authentic.” Over the 4 Backroads trips I have taken, I have yet to have a bad experience, and every Backroads guide has been truly authentic! Thank you … for trips that go way beyond just vacations!

Day 0: 2022.12.03

The Start of a New Tradition

Fast forward another 18-24 months from the originally planned start date (see Reunites), and 50% of our sibling+spouse group has just touched down in El Calafate, Argentina. This was definitely a big trek to get here, so it’s understandable that we didn’t get closer to 100% participation. But we got Bogdan quorum, so we pulled the trigger.

We had spent two days in Buenos Aires to break up the trip from the states. So today’s flight was a straightforward 3hr direct domestic flight.

Our highlight for today was watching Argentina play in the World Cup. We are not huge soccer fans, but we are huge fans of watching soccer fans. And, in that capacity, Argentina soccer fans did not disappoint. Every bar and restaurant in the small town of El Calafate was packed, with patrons spilling out onto the sidewalk. There were many chants in unison, and both goals were welcomed with huge scream/hug-fests! After their win against Argentina, the party moved out into the street, where the two main blocks of main street became an impromptu parade! So glad to have witnessed this! We were just sorry that US had lost earlier that day to Netherlands, because that removed the chance of witnessing Argentina vs. US later this week.

Gathering that fed into impromptu parade

The day ended with a glorious birthday dinner for sister Beth, and then we headed to bed early in preparation for our first day of traveling and biking. Crazy to be going to bed after 10pm and still having the sun be up.

Here’s the “out of office” message I set at work before I left on this trip (keep in mind that this is when I thought the town was pronounced with an “ate” ending):

Me and three sibs, with our spouses,

Are each flying out from our houses.

Then all meeting in Argentina’s capital,

Where it’s late in Spring, not deep in Fall.

We’ll start things off at a slightly fast pace,

With some touristy time in Buenos Aires.

Then we’ll switch to a more mellow state,

In the “quaint” southern town of El Calafate.

Six days of hiking beautiful Patagonia,

Where Backroads does everything for ya!

337: Further South than Seattle is North| Walk | Strava

Day 1: 2022.12.04

Glacier Watching

We got introduced to Argentinian glaciers with a long bus ride and a short hike. The glaciers we’ll be seeing on this trip are some of the 48 glaciers that come off of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. 16 of those glaciers are in Argentina, and the other 32 are in Chile.

Today we met the Perito Moreno Glacier. A fascinating feature of this particular glacier is that the geography creates a balanced cycle, with as much ice dropping into the water as is collecting up top.

This was a short hike that started nearest to the lake. This meant that with every turn of the trail, the view got better. I took photos of Perito Moreno from as many different angles as possible to try to convey the size of this, but as I look back at them, they all pale in comparison to being there. it’s a long ways to get down here, but I’d highly recommend it.

Just as with every other Backroads trip, our tour guides (Oscar and Sylvja) have been outstanding. And the dinner that they took us to was an authentic Asado from a local of El Calafate.

The first backroads dinner is typically the meet and greet dinner, but given we all knew each other, they changed the script and had us talk about what we were most looking forward to on this trip. This turned into a very deep conversation where we celebrated the fact that we were all finally able to get together, despite the various hardships we had been individually facing.

With every story shared as we went around the circle, I was reminded of how lucky I am to be a part of this amazing family. I mis the 8 that didn’t make this trip, but am incredibly thankful for the 8 that did make it.

We spent most of our time standing and watching this particular section of the glacier that was actively “calving”. My brother-in-law has a video of us cheering one particularly large section falling. My other brother-in-law Joe narrated: “the only thing louder than a falling glacier is the Bogdan family.”

The 50% of sibs that made it all this way

338: BRD1: Glacier Watching | Walk | Strava

Day 2: 2022.12.05

Upsala Glacier

Today was a boat ride to Upsala Glacier, seeing its shed icebergs along the way. This wasn’t as magnificent of a view of the glacier itself as yesterday, because we were much further from the glacier. But we instead turned our attention the valley carving done by glaciers, walking down from the summit and seeing all the landscape shaped by the slow-moving ice over thousands of years.

I lasted in shorts until the midway point of today’s hike. Our slogan for this trip was “layers are the key.” Indeed!

Leaving the boat, and finishing the jeep ride to the top, this was our first look at Upsala.

With the glacier in the backdrop, this is a good look at the scarring on the rocks from the earlier glacial movement.

At this point, three glaciers converge. Upsala is the larger field on the right and Cono is on the left third.

Here you can see all three. From left to right: Bertachi, Cono, and Upsala.

“Be that boy again.” I was taking selfies with these clowns long before the word “selfie” was ever uttered.

Hat & jacket have been employed at this point.

Much warmer when we finally reached the valley.

339: BRD2: The Long Way Home | Walk | Strava

Day 3: 2022.12.06

Fitz Roy in all its Glory

This morning we said goodbye to El Calafate and Lago Argentino and headed North.

When we reached the southern bank of Lago Viedma, we stopped at La Estela Estancia to play in the sand dunes, where the sand was the dust from glacial movement. It was wild to see the dunes, and they had the same texture as the East Coast dunes of Nags Head (etc.). The color was just a bit darker.

Most of the crew did horseback riding, but Beth, Charu, and I opted to stay out of the saddle and walk it. Oscar stayed on foot with us and gave us the tour.

When we reached the beach (any fans of The Fixx out there? 🙂), Oscar walked us through the landscape on the opposite shore of Lago Viedma. This skyline is what is represented in the logo for the Patagonia company.

This is when we saw our third glacier: Viedma Glacier.

La Estela is located at the mouth of the La Leona River, which is where Lago Viedma’s waters flow all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

After an amazing lunch of meats, cheeses, and many delicious vegetables (in beef-rich Argentina, we’ve been OD’ing on the carne and not giving enough love to the veggies), we continued North.

Along the way, we spotted three long-distance bikers in a roadside shelter. Their bikes were loaded to the max. As much as I loved the thought of riding the beautifully open roads here with amazing views everywhere you turn, I can’t imagine fighting this incessant wind day after day. So I’m actually thankful this backroads trip was all hiking and no biking (that said, if I can find an MTB for an hour or two, I’d be really happy 🚲🙂).

Fitz Roy is the predominant peak to our North that was hidden behind clouds when we started the day. The closer we got to it, the lesser the cloud cover. By the time we reached the base of this in the town of El Chalten, it had completely revealed itself, backed by a beautiful blue sky. Our local guides told us how rare it was to be able to see both Fitz Roy and his neighbor Cerro Torre. The hike here was short but rewarding, with a nice climb to keep us warm and huge vistas at every stop.

After ice cream at Domo Blanco (what’s better than Dulce de Leche? Super Dulce de Leche! What’s better than Super Dulce de Leche? Super Dulce de Leche with caramel topping!!), our bus drove us along the Rio de las Vueltas (river of the curves) to the Patagonia Eco Domes to start our two days of “glamping”.

These domes are a wonderful change of pace from the town of El Calafate, and it’s amazing to be looking directly at Fitz Roy from our own personal dome.

A bird’s eye view of our morning stretching routine

It reminded me of NC’s Outer Banks … just darker sand.

Laying on the beach, catching some rays. Unfortunately, forgot my beach towel.

Estancia La Estela, the ranch at the mouth of La Leona River where we had a spectacular lunch.

An attempt at the “southern-most vineyard in the world”. Crossing fingers this takes!

Our first look at Fitz Roy on the trail. Our guides kept repeating how lucky we were to have such a clear view of this skyline.

A look down at El Chalten, and the Rio de Las Vueltas that we drove along after this hike to reach the Eco Domes, our home for the next 2 days.

The sharp peak on the left is Cerro Torre (“Tower Mountain”). It is the shyer peak that spent most of the time hidden in the clouds.

Finished dinner at the Eco Domes, this was our last look at Fitz Roy for the day. This gives new meaning to the phrase “a room with a view”

Sand Dunes in Patagonia | Walk | Strava

340: BRD3: Fitz Roy in all its Glory | Walk | Strava

Day 4: 2022.12.08

An Ending and a Beginning

Another day, another glacier. I can get used to this!

Today was a forest stroll up to Puesto Cagliero, an outpost at the base of the Cagliero Glacier. The outpost is operated by a couple that had an adventurous way of getting down to El Chalten. They biked 2000km (788 miles) from El Bolson to El Chalten last year. I told our guide Oscar that he needs to get them on Strava :).

We had lunch in this outpost, and then got a lesson in the South American drink Mate. Interesting, but I’ll stick with coffee.

My sister Beth spotted a deer on the trail, which is a rare enough event that when we reached the ranger station at the park entrance, she stopped to show them the picture. That helps them track the wild life. Apparently, there are only 500 deer (Huemul) in all of Argentina and 1500 in all of Chile.

On the family side, these last two days have come with mixed emotions. Yesterday, my brother-in-law Joe lost his aunt. Amazingly, this is the aunt that he had just seen in Buenos Aires a few days earlier … on his first trip back down here in 30 years. So there was the mixture of grief at her loss and celebration that he had the opportunity to see her one last time.

And then, today, in true “circle of life” form, our guide Oscar walked into our dinner and announced, “she’s here!” His wife had just delivered their first baby, a daughter named Zoe. We all hugged him and shared our short bits of wisdom. Then we all circled him in a Bogdan group hug. It is amazing how quickly Oscar and Sylvja have become part of the family, but with this quality time together, it’s not all that surprising.

One more hill between us and the Cagliero Glacier. You can “just” see the field in the valley to the right.

341: BRD4: An Ending and a Beginning | Walk | Strava

Day 5: 2022.12.09

Hola Streak: 217

So many people on this trail, that we ran an “Hola Streak” that put my current cycling “Wave Streak” to shame (I will confess that 217 is a best estimate … we lost count because there were so many interactions over the 4 hours of hiking).

This was the first day that weather was the limiting factor. Enough rain in the morning bouncing off the roofs of our Eco Domes that we saw a high likelihood of getting rained on significantly.

But as exit hour approached, the rain lightened up. Everyone ended up deciding to start on the short option and then make the decision to continue on 2mi in at “the point of no return”.

It was definitely fun to walk from our previous hotel to our next hotel. That felt more like the backroads trips of the past.

Not much in the way of views with the cloud cover, but we did get a glimpse of the Piedras Blancas (White Stone) Glacier. And the lush forest made for beautiful canopy and walking environment.

We saw a family of parakeets near Lake Capri.

Reaching town, it was nice to rediscover cellular, wifi, and bars 🙂

Note: I left my phone on the bus the previous day, so I have no photos to share on this day. Awaiting the sharing from my family to update this day.

342: BRD5: Hola Streak: 217 | Hike | Strava

Day 6: 2022.12.10

Leave it ALL on the Field

We hiked together, and then near the very top, Frederico guided me on a quick additional .5mi ascent to the Maestri Overlook. This gave me a chance to burst a little extra energy, which I always love doing on the last day of a trip, celebrating the fact that I don’t have to leave anything in the tank for tomorrow.

The hike was spectacular, and is my new longest distance ever hiked: 14.42 mi

John with a “running man” pose. All other running man poses are on my siblings’ cameras … for obvious reasons (because I’m participating in all the others :)).

We called this the “missing man formation”. Ann posed like this, with the plan that we would later photoshop Joe into them. He had opted to enjoy a stroll through El Chalten on this final day.

First glacier sighting today. This is Grande Glacier.

The remains of a wildfire from 20 years ago.

A fuller look at Grande. Torre Glacier is further up the valley on the right. We couldn’t see that.

The remains of a military outpost adjacent to Maestri camp.

This trail felt like we were walking off a ledge into the lake.

We were watching the two condors flying below over the lake (look just off the right shore of the lake) …

… when a third condor swooped overhead. As with pretty much every other photo taken, this picture does not do justice to (a) how close it was and (b) how beautiful it was.

Frederico, our wonderful Italian guide that in many ways reminded us of our eldest brother Joey.

As we began our descent/return, a look back at the ridgeline we’d be returning on and the valley below that we had hiked to get here.

I couldn’t stop laughing at the images used here!

The final descent for the day … the final descent for the week.

343: BRD6: Leave it ALL on the field | Hike | Strava

Day 7: 2022.12.11

All Good Things …

“All good things must come to an end.”

This morning I totaled up our hikes:

Day	Ride	Distance	Time	Elevation	Tiles
0	337: Further South than Seattle is North \| Walk \| Strava	2.01	0:35:37	136	2
0	Argentina wins again \| Walk \| Strava	1.25	0:32:23	138	0
1	338: BRD1: Glacier Watching \| Walk \| Strava	1.74	1:07:36	502	1
2	339: BRD2: The Long Way Home \| Walk \| Strava	8.7	3:56:19	533	8
2	Finito \| Walk \| Strava	0.52	0:09:46	0	1
3	Sand Dunes in Patagonia \| Walk \| Strava	2.23	0:55:45	96	2
3	340: BRD3: Fitz Roy in all its Glory \| Walk \| Strava	4.51	1:53:47	595	4
4	341: BRD4: An Ending and a Beginning \| Walk \| Strava	8.98	3:46:10	1388	5
5	342: BRD5: Hola Streak: 217 \| Hike \| Strava	9.76	3:51:19	1294	11
6	343: BRD6: Leave it ALL on the field \| Hike \| Strava	14.42	6:03:54	2380	6
Totals		54.12	22:52:36	7062	40

It has been an incredible week in the remote Southern tip of South America. There was another group arriving at the hotel that we were leaving, and they had come from Antarctica. Charu and I agreed that Patagonia is as far South as either of us is interested in venturing. This was so beautiful, but with as far as it was to get here, I think we have to be happy with a “one and done” in this part of the world.

Now we begin our 5 legs to get back to Seattle:

3hr drive from El Chalten to El Calafate
3hr flight from El Calafate to AEP
45min transit from AEP to EZE in Buenos Aires
11hr flight from EZE to JFK
5hr flight from JFK to SEA

In the bus on leg 1, it occurred to me that unless I found a 30min window between these legs, I would blow my “30min of outdoor activity” daily habit. My siblings joined me for a stroll around the El Calafate airport area to keep the streak alive. 🙂