Torres del Paine

Tuesday 22nd March 2011

Welcome indeed.

Today was the first of four days walking, but first we had to get to the Parque Nacional Torres del Paine on the Chilean side of Patagonia. We got picked up at 7:30 and after some confusion (both with the driver of the car and the two other tourists with us who didn't seem to care about the schedule) we made it to the bus. On the bus we saw a fox looking for breakfast. Probably not easy to find since they moved most of the sheep out a few years ago because they were destroying the landscape. 2hrs or so later we were at the jetty on lake Pehoe and after a frustrating wait for an hour, we set off on the catameran for our first stop.

Our plan is to do the W trek from west to east. We're lucky that Emma's sister did this a few weeks ago so again the route has been scouted and tips welcomed.

The first useful tip was being first off the boat and first to check in. This definitely saved at least 30 minutes of idle time, with people still on the boat some time later.


Due to sunlight hours closing in and our plan to do the trek in 4 days, we had resigned ourselves early to not having enough time to walk to the Grey Refuge and back, but with viewing points on the way of the impressive Grey Glacier, we set off to walk as far as we could.


Having started around 1pm, we walked for around 3hrs before turing round. We were close to the ideal turning point, but conscious of the light and not wanting to kill ourselves on day 1 we took the sensible, if disappointing, option and headed back.


On the walk itself we experienced what seemed like most possible weather conditions.

Parts of the Grey Glacier.

It's near impossible to go wrong on the route, with both markings and tourists in abundance. The highlight of the walk was the glacier. Our first sight was a series of blue chunks of ice floating in the lake. These looked more like washing machine tablets than ice. Perhaps someone can explain the vivid blue colour to us?


Back at our base, mountain lodge Paine Grande, we had a canteen-style dinner and had an early night.

Distance covered ~20km


Wednesday 23rd March 2011
With a hearty breakfast in our stomachs, we set off at 8:15 to cover the middle section of the 'W'. 

The first 2 hours was a really pleasant walk along to Camp Italiano in the middle. This was to be the easy part of the day. Early on we were overtaken at speed by a park ranger who made us feel very slow.

Avalanche!

Once at the camp, the fun part of the day started. The next 4.5hrs was the toughest yet, over rocks, windy ridges and through woodland, all generally up hill. The highlight was without doubt witnessing an avalanche, from a safe distance of course. We had heard several rumbles of avalanches throughout the morning, so we were thrilled to see one in action. It was really spectacular and it was also fun to be suddenly surrounded by some snowflakes. With the avalanches pushing moisture into the air and the sun shining, we saw a fair few rainbows during the day.

Amazing views.

At Camp Britanico we ate our lunch and decided not to carry on to the viewpoint. It was really misty and we'd been told not to bother if this was the case.

On the way back down, we experienced some of the stronger winds yet, nearly blowing us off the ridge as we struggled across.

Back at Bamp Italiano, we headed off along the lake. A lovely pebble beach along the way reminded us of the Galapagos, although it looked a little cold for snorkelling.

Cosy cabin.

About 9hrs after setting off we limped into our stop for the night and into our wonderful cabin. James had a blister on a blister, whilst Emma's leg was hurting. No pain no gain! We'd been told there was a hot tub for the use of the residents of the 7 cabins. When we eventually climbed in after dinner, and in the dark, we found that whilst warmish at the top, it was freezing at the bottom. After about 30 seconds we gave up without Emma having properly making it in. This was the followed by 10 minutes of flip flop hunting in the dark and a shower. Eventually, we settled in for a well deserved sleep, peering through the window in the roof at the stars above as we drifted off.

CENSORED

Distance covered ~24.1km, 15miles

Thursday 24th March 2011

The day's walk.

Today's walk was only around 4hrs, so with breakfast until 9 and checkout at 10, we were able to rest our weary legs a little.

The walk took us between mountains and lakes with the first 2 hrs in glorious sunshine. This was in total contrast to anything we'd exerienced before and to the last 2 hrs, where the normal wind and rain returned. It really is amazing how quickly the weather changes and we were happy to be prepared for all conditions.

We reached our next hostel around 2pm and settled in for a relaxing afternoon, conscious of the big walk awaiting us tomorrow.

The refugio is really nice, well run and set in lovely surroundings with a great view from every window. It felt less chaotic than yesterday's refugio but each place has had its own charm.

Distance covered 11km

Friday 25th March 2011
Today was the big one; the walk up to the mirador Torres to look at the central wonders of this park. Whilst not as long as day 2 in distance, this was certain to be the most uphill waking yet. We just hoped that our previous three day's walking and the altitude training in Ecuador would stand us in good stead.

It would have been ideal to get a good night's sleep in and by heading to bed at 9:30 for a 6:45 getup, we were hopeful. Between the noise of other people, a chap slipping over in the bathroom and some world- beating snoring, possibly by the same man who slipped, an early night was not possible. Luckily earplugs and the  iPod came to the rescue.

We got breakfast at the earliest point and set off up the hill at 7.50. The moon was in the sky and some foxes were still foraging for food. 

According to the map, the walk up to the viewpoint should take 4.5hrs, but we covered it in 3.5hrs taking plenty of breaks. We don't think we were fast and so we put it down to more erratic estimations of time, few of which can be trusted.

Refugio closed for winter.

On the way up we passed through Camp Chileno, now boarded up for winter with only a few tents in the campsite. We imagine it was a vibrant busy place just a few weeks ago. 

The misty Torres.

The walk took us alongside a river, through a valley, through woodland and eventually out onto rocks to the viewpoint. We were lucky to get to the viewpoint when we did. The scenery was amazing and after 10 minutes a huge snow shower set in, blocking all views around us. Definitely not sunbathing weather!

Us at the Torres.

Snow storm.

We took a leisurely stroll back down, the harsh ground taking its toll on our weary limbs. 7hr 10 mins after setting off we were back at the refugio for a shower and a celebratory Austral Patagonia Pale Ale before catching the late bus back to Puerto Natales.

Celebratory drinks.

We've thoroughly enjoyed the trek. For us it been challenging both mentally and physically, but we'd love to do something similar again soon. 

We arrived back in Puerto Natales just before 10 and had a bit of a result. We managed to get the last two seats on the bus to El Calafate the the next day at 7am. We checked in, grabbed our bags and found some accommodation for the next night. We headed off to sleep slightly apprehensive about our early start tomorrow.

Distance covered ~22km 

General thoughts:
Camping vs Refugios: there are definitely pros and cons to both. If you want to do the 'W' trek, camping gives you far cheaper options for accommodation whilst also allowing you to split your days more evenly. On the other hand, you do have to carry your kit around and there's something nice about climbing into a bed at the end of a long day's walk. There's something for everyone here.

For us, lugging the amount of kit we've seen on people's backs would be a distraction from the views and beauty of the park. Car camping is still the way to go!