Today, we embarked on a three-hour journey to El Chaltén, the hiking capital of Argentina. The landscapes along the way were breathtaking, as if we were driving straight into a slice of earthly paradise.
After a delightful lunch and settling into our hotel, we ventured out for another hour to Lago del Desierto to explore the Huemul Glacier. The road was rugged, pockmarked with potholes, and the relentless rain from the previous week had left many stretches submerged in water and mud. Along the way, we spotted a pair of backpackers—a man and a woman—standing by the roadside, hitchhiking. We pulled over and welcomed them into our car, striking up a lively conversation.
The woman, a German, was fluent in English and Spanish, while her companion, a Chilean, only spoke Spanish. As a result, when we conversed with the German girl, the Chilean man could only offer a shy smile. However, as we passed a riverbank, he suddenly perked up and gestured for the German girl to translate. She turned to us and asked, “Would you like to see some salmon?”
Naturally, we were intrigued! Following the Chilean man’s directions, we reversed to the shallow rapids. Sure enough, several two- to three-foot-long salmon were leaping through the water, battling their way upstream. Interestingly, these salmon were a striking silver-white, quite different from the dark gray or black ones found in Alaska…
Upon reaching the Huemul Glacier, we were greeted by the lake’s water, a mesmerizing shade of jade green. It was just as the sun began to set, and fearing we might miss this fleeting moment of beauty, we hurried to capture it in photos. In the midst of our photo session, an elderly man appeared behind us, seemingly in need of assistance.
He spoke in a language we couldn’t decipher, and our attempts to communicate were equally futile. After much gesturing, I finally understood—he was lost.
“Wait just a moment, let us finish taking our photos, and then we’ll help you down,” I assured him.
When we turned back, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, and the lake’s vibrant blue had faded, as if everything that had just transpired was nothing more than a fleeting dream.
