In January, my cousin and I took an easy 4 hour hike to the Frey mountain shelter. It was a beautiful day, the horseflies kept to themselves for the most part, and we were rewarded with stunning views of lake Gutierrez, condors circling gracefully, effortlessly high above, the many peaks of Cerro Catedral, and, at the top, the majestic spires surronding scenic lake Toncek.
We hiked this in an afternoon, but you can spend the night at the shelter and take side trips from there. For more information on this and other shelters, visit Club Andino Bariloche
and go to the Refugios y Campings page. There you will find information in Spanish and English.
Born in Argentina, Paula Crerar moved to the United States as a child. She continued to visit Argentinean relatives every year in Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Córdoba and Salta. With the seasons reversed in the Southern Hemisphere, most of her stints in Argentina were spent in Patagonia skiing, and soon her shelf space was filled with ski racing trophies.
She has also lived and traveled extensively in the Caribbean and Latin American countries. Paula is currently a marketing executive in the technology industry and lives in Boston.