Pampa Linda & Mount Tronador

After a bumpy two hour bus ride on dirt roads, we reached the epicenter of Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, Pampa Linda. Little more than two campgrounds, a small restaurant and a hosteria, Pampa Linda is the main starting point for the backcountry, and climbing Mount Tronador from the Argentine side (there are three peaks, the Argentine, the Chilean, and a dual International peak on the extinct volcano). I loved the area immensely and now want to return to do the trek to summit Mt. Tronador, three days, crampons, ice axes, glaciers galore. The coolest thing about staying in the Valley was you could hear the thunder of glacial ice falling every so often, which gives Mount Tronador it's namesake.

The refugios are what make Nahuel Huapi really special. We spent three nights camping and one night in the refugio. Small, and built in beautiful locations, these mountain huts can fit up to 60 people a night, and feed even more. I had delicious gnocci, pizza, and even a small dulce dessert at the newest refugio on the block, Refugio Agostino Rocca, which overlooks a beautiful glacier with icy waterfalls, and am amazing Patagonian peaked landscape. We also day hiked up to Refugio Otto Meiling, the basecamp for the trekkers attempting to summit Mt Tronador.

The only downside to our trip were the tabanos. I would recommend going to Pampa Linda, but not until before or after the tabanos (aka BLOOD SUCKING HORSEFLIES) season. Highly unpleasant, 30% deet doesn't help, only swatting with fronds (aka tree branches) is a useful deterrent. Lesson learned the hard way!

Here are a ton of photos from the trip.

Rainbow on our bus ride to Pampa Linda

Mirador del Valle -Jon's favorite windy lookout

Our campsite for three nights

Starting our day hike to the Salta Gargante del Diablo

Black Glacier

Jump into the Throat of the Devil Waterfall

This view doesn't show the crazy intense hike it took to get here

Pampa Linda

Cooking pasta over the fire

At the base of Mount Tronador

View from the interior of Refugio Otto Meiling

So happy!

Andean wildflowers

This tiny refugio can fit 60 people at night

Ecstatic to be walking through an alpine meadow, even though there is a horsefly attacking my left cheek

Enjoying pizza in Refugio Agostino Rocca

Mmm Pizza

Glaciers, waterfalls oh my

Refugio Agostino Rocca

View of Lago Frias

I'm on cloud 9

Happiness

I stopped counting at 30 waterfalls

There were a few bridges like these on our hike

Pristine wilderness

Imagine hiking through miles of flower filled logs and trees

Caution

Or take a picture!

Made it!

After jumping in

Bariloche

After a 20 hour bus ride (surprisingly comfortable with semi-reclining seats), we made it to Bariloche, capital of Argentine skiing, prime summer mountain spot for Argentines, and full of chocolate. Our first few days we stayed in a cabin, ate some delicious home cooked meals as well as some delicious meals out on the town. We also did several beautiful lazy day-hikes, almost all involving chairlifts up to an amazing 360 view.

Acres of sunflower farms as we cross the Pampas on our bus ride

Our Bariloche cabin, table set for fresh pasta

A view from the first of several chair lifts

3 cheers in a 360 rotating cafe

Bariloche is called the Lakes Region for a reason

Many consider Jauja to be the best ice cream in the country. I'm not one to disagree.

Mmm, about a dozen flavors of dulce de leche...

Giant chocolate logs!

The Patagonian Range is incredible

So happy to have a beautiful view of our destination, Mt. Tronadar

Views to remember!

Mini Blockie Reunion!

With an awesome picnic and walk in Edgewood Park!

Post wedding brunch at Marcy's Diner

Love and miss the track posse! Congratulations Alana!

Goodbye Boston

These last five days have been such a blast. Having the chance to catch up with such amazing friends in such an amazing city is such a blessing. I am inspired, happy, and rejuvenated! I spent this afternoon exploring the city with Alana, and here we are enjoying the Boston Harbor...On to DC for me!

Track posse reunion!

Back at Harvard!

Weddings

Weddings can be such beautiful events. This weekend I had the delightful pleasure of attending the wedding of my friends Vivian and Charles.  Understated elegance, simple, pure, and full of love. It was so much fun to celebrate their love and lives with so many of my friends and classmates. It's so beautiful to see two people looking together in the same direction, with the best of intentions and highest of hopes, surrounded by all their friends and family rooting and cheering them on.  It's wonderful to be part of so much love and celebration! So many emotions are wrapped into weddings. The parents and family beam with pride and disbelief at how old and mature their cherished son/daughter has become. Siblings take a reality check, that brother they used to fight with is now a husband... Friends see another side of a friend's life that too often is overlooked or not discussed. A young single woman feels the hope of a similar romance in the future, a seasoned married woman reminisces about her wedding, and the good and bad of her marriage. A gentleman in a budding relationship that is long distance mourns the days without his girl, secretly can't wait until they can be together for good. The older widowed man sheds a tear at the recent loss of his wife, and realizes that he lost the only dance partner who can dance the charleston with him... There are so many emotions running at weddings, no wonder they are so memorable and hold such meanings in all of our lives.

Lilly!!!'

Fungi oh my!

In Health and Human Disease we learned about fungi last week. I think I was the only student in the lecture hall actually excited to learn about fungi. Why? Because on all the hikes around here you see so many different types of fungi! After a long week of class and huge rains, I got away to the woods on Saturday with three of my classmates, Clark, Aria, and Joe. It was great fun, there was snow, fungi, and raging rivers! What more could we ask for? Below is one of the coolest fungus I've seen yet, it was growing a fallen redwood tree.

lkjlkj

1/30/2010 Update: Dr. Bob Siegel told me that fungus is called "Witch's Butter". Pretty awesome! It was very squishy

Study buddies

Me, Felipe, Danny, and Skeleton Man...

SketchyMed.com: A Cartoon Guide to USMLE Step 1

This is a shout out to one of my dearest friends, Lilly Zhang, who recently created a website to help medical students prepare for the USMLE Step 1 Exam (giant standardized exam taken at the end of 2nd year). Check it out!!! Let me know what you think!

SketchyMed.com

Fresh produce rocks

One of my favorite things about living in Northern California is the fact that every weekend there are Farmer's Markets, overflowing with a variety of fresh cheap produce from the Central Valley. It is so much fun to go, try the samples (I had a pluot for the first time today!), and then come home and make some deliciously fresh and tasty lunch. Sarah and I pulled together a really tasty grilled chicken salad today with fresh lettuce, carrots, and heirloom tomatoes, we topped it off with strawberries for dessert. YUM!

For those who have never seen or heard of a pluot before, it's a cross between a plum and an apricot and is really tasty!