Adventures by Alan and Melanie
Our ferry arrived back in Athens, and we spent the day in the city before heading north to the mountains of Bulgaria. We did two fabulous day hikes and explored more ancient cities, the capital Sofia, and walked through a sweet cave!
After landing in Sarajevo, we set off for Montenegro, retracing our path through the beautiful Bosnian countryside. (This time with a well-traveled English hitchhiker for company!) As we crossed into Montenegro, the river valley transformed into a stunning canyon with tall limestone cliffs lining the river, and mountains peeking behind. This unreal first impression had us eager to discover what more the country had to offer.
Frey was one of the first destinations we had decided on for our trip to Argentina. The mountain destination came highly recommended from a climbing friend, and is easily accessible from the town of Bariloche. After a 3 hour hike from the Cerro Catedral ski resort, we arrived to Refugio Frey. Within the hour, before even setting up our tent, we were off to climb “El Diedro de Jim” (Jim’s dihedral). Our introductory climb in the area was a perfect dihedral followed by a perfect crack in the granite face of “Aguja Frey,” the nearest spire to the hut. A perfect start to the week…
After a few days trapped inside recovering from a stomach bug, setting off on the road of Seven Lakes (the span of Route 40 between Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes) felt like a grand adventure. We rented a car (trusty Chevy Joy) and headed north with high spirits and lots of snacks. Just as we were leaving town, we picked up two Spanish hitchhikers who were headed to Chile – we were low on hitchhiking karma and always enjoy meeting other travelers. They had already explored the seven lakes area, and laughed knowingly when I insisted that we pull over to take in the view at the first mirador.