March 1 - Cerro Catedral Ski Area

Some of the best hiking locally starts off at one of the local ski areas - Cerro Catedral.  It's easy to get to via local bus and there are trails and refugios developed by the Club Andino de Bariloche (whom I told you about yesterday - remember them, they will be on the test).

We do our morning thing and get to the hill on the bus.  This is a soso shot of the centre of the ski area.  It extends quite a bit beyond the photo, to the right.  

We are heading for the saddle to the right of the round hump in the centre.  We'll cross the saddle and head south (left) on the slope behind.

We arrived before the lifts were open.  I'm not sure why, but we climbed up the ski hill instead of taking the gondola up.   That's about 700 meters vertically to about the treeline in the photo above.  If you ask Laura she'll blame me, but I thought it was her decision.  Actually, that was the most exercise we got during the day, so it was a good excuse to chow down on a huge meal later.

We are above the gondola, and snuck onto a short chairlift above that.  Now we are climbing toward the saddle.  The right side of the ski hill is visible in the corner.

Looking back toward the valley.  Bariloche is in the distance at the centre of the photo.

Note the cloudless sky.  I checked the Parksville weather - sorry to hear about the snowfall warning.

We've crossed the saddle.  This is looking northwest.  The long lake (Nahuel Huapi) in the distance is the one we traveled down when we came across from Chile.

The slope is quite smooth and easy to walk on at this point.

Now its getting rougher.  We are following the red or yellow dots that are the trail markers.  You can pick one out in the distance.

A bit further along we get a view of our old(?) friend Tronador, in the distance on the right side of the photo.

And a closer shot.  This is probably thelast time we see him.

Some of the slope above us....

... and below.  The trail is pretty much gone and we are scrambling, although the route markers are still there.  And we did meet people coming the other way.

This route is part of a circular route to Refugio Frey.  You continue in this direction more or less at this height for another 2 - 3 km, then drop down into the valley on easier trail to the Refugio, where you can camp or stay in the refugio and get some food and meals.  From the Refugio you continue downhill and around the main mountain chain (Cerro Catedral) and wind up back at the ski hill (left side of the first photo).

Apparently, the most popular hike is south from the ski hill, stay a night at the refugio and return either by the trail in or complete the circuit via our route.

We continued along for a bit, had lunch and turned back as we wouldn't complete the circuit in a day.  Before turning back I climbed to the ridge and took this shot of the valley on the other side.  I believe the refugio is in the valley but hidden by the rock on the right and somewhere down there is a trail.

 We took the easy way down on the chair and the gondola.  Here's a (bad) selfie.  I need to work on my aim.

And a view from the chair of the lake below the ski hill.

Last shot - some more of the cliff areas in the ski area.

We rewarded all our hard work with a shower and great meal at "Alberto's," recommended as one of the best beef restaurants in Bariloche.  It was great. They have a great big open barbecue inside and watching them cook is part of the experience.  And another confirmation that food is not expensive in Argentina.

Tomorrow we pack up, and grab the overnight bus to Mendoza.  On the bus at 3:30 p.m. and off sometime after 8 a.m. the next morning.  It will be an experience.