MARCONI PASS GLACIER 4 DAY TREK
Itinerary
Day 0
Welcome from the mountain guide who will join you on the expedition. Equipment check and a brief informational talk about the characteristics of the region, the Patagonian Ice Field, and the program for the coming days.
Day 1
We take a private bus to Puente del Río Eléctrico, the head of the trek. We hike for 2 hours through lenga and ñires forest. We hike along Piedra del Fraile hut and camping ground; our last contact with civilization for a few days.
Leaving the camping and forest behind, we keep hiking in a U-shaped glacier-created valley, most of the time on a moraine terrain.
After an hour’s hike, we arrive at Valle Pollone where we have to wade the Río Pollone; sometimes this is an adventure in itself. We follow Río Electrico until its first beginnings: “La Playita” camp, a river bed that Río Electrico has left for us to camp on.
We’ll find rock protection for our tents. After a rest or, even better, a meal, we hike to Marconi’s snout to check the next day’s route.
Altitude gained: 100 meters.
Distance of 14 km.
Hiking time: 6 hours.
Day 2
Today is the key day of the trek. Glacier Marconi is one of the accesses to the Ice Cap. Most winds and weather come from west/north and funnel through passes like this one. Therefore, if the weather/wind allows us to, we get up early, have breakfast and start our hike. Depending on glacier conditions, the guide will decide which route to take either Laguna de los 14 with a Tyrolean traverse, or through Marconi.
We get on Marconi Glacier, a combination of bare ice and rock at first. We make our way to the base of “Cambio de Pendiente”.We rope up, put our harnesses and crampons on. After a section of approximately 40 degrees and 1 hour on the ice, we reach Paso Marconi. A breath-taking view of the third largest fresh-water ice mass in the world just in front of us!
We will be honoured to appreciate the Koliker Range, Lautaro Range, Gaea Range and Mariano Moreno Range.
We set up camp on the Ice Cap or we may go by Refugio Gorra Blanca, depending on the weather and physical condition of the group.
Altitude gain of 900-meters.
Distance of 10 km.
Hiking time of 8 to 10 hours.
Day 3
After an energizing breakfast, we break camp as we prepare for the descent. On our way down we will see all the west faces of Cerro Fitz Roy and its surrounding needles. We will camp for the night in La Playita.
Day 4
We return to El Chaltén. Depending on group desires, we can pass by Valle Pollone, where the most beautiful granite needle will show up.
Then we will pass by Piedra del Fraile and after 2 more hours a land-transfer will be waiting for us at Río Electrico bridge to take us back to El Chaltén.
Check in Hosteria/hostel and a well-deserved dinner, maybe some asado and vino tinto.
