Four Itchy Feet

January 25, 2025. Sendero Extremo Encantado, Bariloche, Argentina.

This was our first tough hike of the year. Sendero Extremo Encantado is not for the faint of heart and it certainly tested our cardio endurance. The trail was easy enough at the beginning, simply a walk on a gravel road with horses grazing and resting in the meadows. Then we took a hard right, and the climb began—and it never seemed to end. From that turn, we ascended a total of 2,736 feet in just 2.5 miles. There were often grades of up to 40 degrees on slippery, dry dust.

The hike rewarded us in many ways. The views were incredible, and the forest offered fields of various wildflowers and centennial trees. We met an older local couple on their way up. They were older than us, but it appeared they were in better shape and had hiked this particular trail many times. They even said they had done it once in snowshoes! They were lovely, and we spoke for almost half an hour. They shared their best hiking recommendations in Bariloche, recommended books by Argentinian writers and contemporary Argentinian movies, and gave us tips on where to buy the best food and how to avoid speeding tickets.

The final reward was the refugio. It is customary for hikers here to spend the night at a refugio. These refugios offer a bed and a communal bathroom to be shared with other hikers. They have a well-appointed restaurant and offer hot and cold drinks; we opted for a cold beer. But the trek was not over, and we had to continue down from the refugio. We opted for the road on the way down, hoping it would have a gentler grade. It was still uneven and dusty. In total, we hiked seven miles, including a couple of wrong turns. It was a difficult hike, but looking back on it now, 48 hours later and after several doses of Advil, we enjoyed it.