Andrew Chapman
So far it feels like Dave and I have been really busy. This is the quite opposite of what I expected considering all the time not being able to climb. In Rio Blanco there is always writing to be done, books to be read, cooking, or playing on the slack lines at Steph and Dean's.
After our last big romp up to high camp last week, we decided it was time for another "in town" day. Weather was typical. The steady rain that had tattered against my tent all night was replaced by partly sunny skies and a steady breeze by morning. We had a big day planned. Hike to town, shower, eat, boulder, eat some more, buy food and fuel, hike back up to Rio Blanco. This had started to become our simple routine.
The hike down in to town couldn't have been more splendid. I stopped to do yoga for an hour at my favorite spot overlooking the Fitz Roy range. Nothing had changed along the massif from what I could tell. Frosty white clung to the steep granite walls and lenticular clouds slowly began to form over head. "Hmmmm. Maybe Fitz will melt out today and we'll get a week of stable weather." This is something I say to myself periodically, knowing the prognosis isn't looking good. "It could though."
"Dave, I'm sorry I'm late my friend. How was your shower?" I asked, completely knowing the answer. Dave looked up at me from the sofa he was comfortably burrowed into and just smiled. I had run late and pulled into town at about 2pm. "I could still use a shower, Dave. Are you still good to hang out for a while?" The answer was self-explanatory and just as I was about to head to the shower, who should walk in through the hostel doors but our friends Brady and Jimmy. We had been trying, with no luck, to connect with them since we arrived in Patagonia. Jimmy and Brady were here to attempt Cerro Torre and had set up camp two hours away from us at the Bridwell Camp.
After a long round of hugs and high fives, we opted to take our commotion out of the hostel and off to the local bouldering spot just outside Chaltén. The old crew was back together and none of us missed a beat as we slipped into our rock shoes and paired off to peruse boulder problems.
None of us had really pulled down on rock for a while. While our legs were fit for a marathon, our arms definitely needed some lube. It didn't matter though. We were like kids in a candy store, jumping on the first problem we saw. Everyone was amped to climb. The touch of the rock felt so familiar and, quickly, I found myself completely absorbed on a two-move dyno fest. I was bouldering! Not only was I bouldering, but I was bouldering with good friends—in Patagonia! It's crazy, the last thing I thought I'd be psyched about in Patagonia was the boulder problems.
If anything, the experience reinforced two important elements in my life. One being, the power of friendship and secondly, the reward I get from movement on rock, no matter if it's only a two-move boulder problem.
With all our arms feeling flamed we decided this crew needed a big dinner and good night's sleep at the hostel in town. It was just what the doctor ordered. First we started with liter beers. It didn't matter what kind it was or the fact that it was really cheap beer. Today it went down just as smooth. Next we ordered big slabs of beef which came out on wooden cutting boards along with serrated knifes that you might expect a Navy Seal to be carrying. Yep, my body was craving protein. But of course, we couldn't forget a pizza and four slices of pie to end the night off.
I was very happy and now an actual bed summoned me. Eleven o'clock at night was way past my bedtime and I was ready to max out the fact that I got to sleep in a bed tonight. Of course, that's not the way it works when you're hanging out with buddies you haven't seen for a while and our fandango lasted way into the night.
Weather check? Yeah, we all made a lot of those that day. The fact we decided to stay in town definitely felt risky. None of us wanted to miss a potential weather window but we also were having a great time. When all was said and done, it was one of the highlights of the trip so far.
Well, it's 11pm now. Dave and I are off in a half an hour to try a new route on Poincenot. There is a moderate breeze and the sky is filled with stars. Maybe we'll get lucky!
—
Andrew Chapman, MountainZone.com Correspondent
