Paso de la Oveja

We decided to spend Chrismas camping in the mountains behind Ushuaia and did what is known as the Paso de la Oveja trek, also sometimes known as the Paso Caminante trek.  This blog post is a little more detailed on the off chance that some trekkers might be interested - we found the 2007 Lonely Planet Patagonia guide to be pretty wrong in places. 

Our entire trek was really two different treks back to back, as is common.  We began with the Lago Encantada trek.  To do this trek take a cab to the ´gate´ that any cab driver or hostel owner will know about.  Once there walk along the path until you start seeing red topped trail markers.  This trail is really well marked along the river side and throughout.  Cross the river on a rickety bridge and then make your way through swampy forest until a sign on a tree indicating the trail up the mountain side.  Then get ready for about an hour to two (depending on your pace, ours is slow) of uphill climbing at times steep and muddy, but entirely doable and enjoyable.  About half way up you will see a fork to Lago de Los Tempanos - don´t go there if you´re planning on camping.  You can get there from Lago Encantada regardless, pretty easily. 

Once at the top you´ll make your way around a beautiful glacier lake with forest on the left - several good campsites are found in there and the water is good to drink.  It can be muddy on the lake edge.  If you´re up for it after setting up camp you can continue on either to the ´right´, up a scree pass and to the top of the mountain facing the campsites.  An Aussie couple we walked with did this and said the views were phenomenal and worth the slog.  Bring wind proof clothes.  Elise and I decided to tackle the steep rise directly behind the forest to get a glimpse of the glacier on the other side.  This we did slowly because, well, it is very steep and at the top gets a bit scrambly in places - don´t fall!  Once over the top it is all loose rock, some of it pretty sharp so watch your step, but eventually you get a great view of the glacier and Lago de Los Tempanos but can´t get to it unless you decend into the valley below.   We decided not to walk back the way we´d come and pretty quickly we crossed a trail leading back to Lago Encantada, roughly marked with small cairns every now and then.  To find the trail to Lago de Los Tempanos from Lago Encantada go up the hill through the forest behind the campsites and keep heading left along the forest edge.  Eventually you will find a path heading up the ridge that should take you right to the lake, probably a couple of hours there and back.  That night we ate steak and potatoes by a fire (not supposed to have fires but all the firepits indicated the rules are frequently broken).  It was a gorgeous place to camp. 

Looking at the glacier over Lago de Los Tempanos

Next day we got off to a lazy start and headed back down the well marked trail to begin the second hike, which is the Paso de la Oveja trail.  Here we had some difficulty finding the start of the trail, which is really a four wheeler trail that ends at the border to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park.  Our suggestion to find the trail head is to head back to the red sign you´ll have passed indicating ´Paso de la Oveja´ and ´Lago Encantada´ with an arrow.  Here start walking along trails that head up the left side of the valley - we didn´t do this and wound up slogging through mud for a half an hour until we found the obvious trail, higher up the valley side than we anticipated.  Once on the trail it is clear which way to go and you´ll have a pleasant walk through the forest for about an hour or so until you meet up with the National Park.  Here the 4 wheeler trail ends and a proper hiking trail begins, marked every now and then with yellow trail markers.  Our LP guide suggested there was camping spots a full day´s walk away but before the trail to Lago Caminante.  We found out later that these spots had been either abandoned or were not considered part of the trek any longer.  From the park boundary the trail winds its way through forest and meadows, sometimes muddy and sometimes not so well marked.  It happened a number of times that we went down what looked like a well trodden path only to find it end, then we would double back and find the fork and eventually a trail marker.  It was obvious others had frequently made the same mistakes as us.  After a bit of confusion as to where to cross the river at the end of the day (we eventually straddled across some fallen logs) we decided to just camp next to a river in the middle of the forest in a fairly flat, soft spot.  It was a fine campsite and that night, Christmas eve in fact, we had a sausage and soup supper.  For all we know where we camped was in fact the old camp sites, but we figure we´d already passed them by that point.

Christmas eve campsite

Christmas morning we woke up, ate our porridge breakfast and set off to get to Lago Caminante.  We were happy we had camped where we did because about 20 minutes after setting off we climbed a rather steep switchback, past a waterfall, through forest until not more than an hour later (I think) we reached the trail marker for Lago Caminante.  It would have been a tough climb at the end of the previous day.  The Caminante trail is not so hard, but looks hard because of its steepness.  Once up we walked along a flat to eventually see the lake - what a beautiful place to camp and spend Christmas!  Walking down the slippery path towards the lake we could hardly wait to set up camp and relax.  It was early in the day by the time we got there and we had the place to ourselves, at first.  We pitched the tent, gathered some firewood and Elise had a nap on the grass under beautiful sun while I skipped stones (am I alone in having a stone magnet in my hand?  I throw them at everything).  That night we ate a delicious Christmas supper of macaroni and cheese with hotdogs, accompanied by red wine and a little bottle of champagne (I was carrying them, very happy to lighten the load!).  It was certainly a memorable Christmas.  We shared the site with about 12 others that night. 

We stayed there on Boxing day, lazing around in the morning while the clouds rolled in.  I decided in the afternoon to head for a hike on my own up the mountainside at the lake´s edge to see Lago Superior.  Again it was a steep, this time wet, climb for an hour or so.  Once up it the view is spectacular towards Lago Caminante and also further north to some other, larger lakes.  I eventually climbed down the other side, over snow patches, to get to Lago Superior where I found a well worn trail back to Lago Caminante - I was gone for about three hours.  We would totally suggest spending a day exploring around Lago Caminante if you can afford the time.  It is GORGEOUS.

Elise having a Christmas nap at Lago Caminante.

Our decorated tent.  The Ocelot has held up well so far, totally worth the investment.

Mike with Christmas dessert - mushed up chocolate.

Lago Caminante from the mountainside - our campsite was in the trees near the river on the right of the lake.

On December 27 we left, sadly, rejoined the main trail and were planning on camping in the valley once past the pass.  Getting to the pass is an uphill slog over loose rock and was WINDY, wow.  After the pass the scree trail hangs on the left side of the valley and is marked every now and then with the familar yellow trail markers.  We again were dissapointed with the guide as it said the trail would head closer to the valley floor and now it either doesn´t or isn´t marked very well.  We walked, and walked, and walked being pushed by enormous gusts of wind until a rock fall trail marked the way down along a switchback.  Once at the bottom we met with some german fellas who were planning on heading up and told us we might as well go back to Ushuaia because it was only about another 2 hours along the trail with no good campsites along the way.  These guys were hilarious as we gave them our extra food ¨we love Canadian people!¨  I wonder if they´re still alive.  The trail turned out to be awful - past fallen trees that made the going really really tough.  We´ve also found out we didn´t need to do it - once at the bottom of the rock fall switchback trail head to the right instead of to the left and apparently you´ll come across a better trail that follows the valley floor, much nicer.  Eventually we made it back to Ushuaia, thoroughly exhausted by our trip but really happy to have seen such a nice piece of Tierra del Fuego and spent such a cool Christmas.

Elise barely holding on to the cairn marking the top of the Paso.

Mike following the trail along the edge of the valley - Beagle Channel is in the distance

The next week we celebrated New Years at the hostel (really fun night, what we can remember anyways) and essentially waited for our trip further south...