I woke up at 6:00am this morning to do final packing for my 6 day backpacking trip through the Torres del Paine national park.

I ate a quick breakfast at Erratic Rock Hostel, and hopped on the 7:30am bus with several other trekkers.  We arrived at the park around 11:00am, and boarded a catamaran the would take us to the recommended starting point for the ¨W¨hike (the W is the name of the most frequently used, and best, path through the park to see the major sites - on the map, the trail takes the shape of a W, up and down the valleys in the park).

So the catamaran dropped us off at the Refugio Paine Grande.  From here, most of the people immediately headed up the valley to Glacier Grey.  But me, I wanted to go slowly through the park and enjoy my time - so I planned to just stay at Paine Grande for the night.  Since it was only noon upon arrival, though, I checked in, dropped my stuff off in my bunk room, and then actually headed out south AWAY from the park.  I heard that doing this, and then turning around and hiking back into the park, gives you some great views of the massive rock formations and high peaks.  Wow, very true.  I´ll post pics as soon as I can.

Already, though, my shoes are killing my feet.  Not good.  The heel of the shoe is for some reason digging into the back of my heel, causing a bruising type sensation...not a blister though.

After my hike, I showered, ate a sandwich, and lounged in the pub upstairs which had an open air view of the peaks, and some good music.

I was joined a bit later by Jann, an Australian who´s one of my bunkmates.  We had a couple pisco sours and then headed downstairs for a cafeteria style dinner.

I was tired so hit the sack early.

Despite going to bed last night with a sore throat and high fever, today began at 2am - when me and 4 friends set out on a two hour hike in the darkness up to the Mirador Las Torres.  We´d sit there and watch the sun rise, and photograph the sunlight hitting the towers creating magnificent orange and red colors.

We made the hike up safely with our headlamps.  Then sat in the cold for a couple hours watching the sunrise.

Then back down to Refugio Chileno to pack up, and then down another 2 hours to the park Exit.  We bussed back to Puerto Natales.

A good trip but I am wiped out.

Watch for photos and videos coming to these journal entries and my facebook page.

Another big day - hiking from Refugio Cuernos up the final valley to Refugio Chileno.  (Refugio Chileno was the launching pad for the push up to Las Torres. )

I chose to skip breakfast this morning - maybe not a smart move given the distance and strain of the hike.  But I had a box lunch and snacks.

This hike was a lot of up and down, and then up.  It had a couple difficult river crossings that included holding onto a cable while crossing.

After I did the crossing (with someone helping me by holding the cable tight), I decided to use the opportunity to rinse off my clothes.  So I hiked up stream a bit and stripped down and scrubbed down my clothes in a small pool.  I´m not sure this is allowed by the park, but I did it anyway.  I hung my clothes out to dry and just sat against a rock in my hiking pants.

Then I heard another group of people approaching the crossing.  I put back on my clothes and decided to go down and help them cross the river, just like someone had helped me.  I was in sandals so it was easy for me to stand in river and help guide people through, and also hold cable tight.

Finally got to Refugio Chileno that evening.  Funny - they didn´t have a Daniel Givens, they had a Danny Boy.

This was it - the big stretch.  Going from Paine Grande, up the Valle Frances and back down again, and then over to Refugio Cuernos.  This trip would be about 10 hours of hiking and something like 15 miles (I´ll get exact mileage in here at some point). 

The weather again was PERFECT - so it was going to be a great day - other than my stupid ass boots that are still killing my feet - so sandals again.

The first stretch of my route was from Paine Grande to Campamiento Italiano...a flatish stretch that I did in my sandals no problem.

The next stretch was from Campamiento Italiano to Campamiento Britannico.  This was mostly up hill, but I was aided by the fact that I met David and Eileen from Ireland.  So we had a nice chat up half the distance.  We stopped about midway to break for lunch and look across the valley at a steep rock face with snow drifts hanging perilously close to the edge.  Every few minutes, an avalanche would occur - a roar would fill the air and we could see the snow fall like a waterfall down into the valley below.  It was cool.

My new friends headed back down, but I decided to push on not only to Campamiento Britannico, but to the Mirador about 45 minutes beyond.   The Mirador was amazing - situated on top of a few big boulders, in the middle of the end of the valley.   So there was a rock wall on 3 sides, with the valley extending below us on the 4th side.  I took a short video I´ll try to post, but it surely won´t do it justice.

I met another group of Stanford students at the Mirador, so I walked partway down with them - headin back down to Campamiento Italiano, and then over to Refugio Cuernos...finally getting there around 7:00pm.  A long day, having started at 8:00am that morning. 

On the way to Cuernos, there was a tricky river crossing due to the extent of the water levels.  I basically threw my backpack across first, and then lept over boulders crossing the river.  Then I helped Peter and Claire across.  They threw their backpacks to me - one knocked me flat on my butt and I cut my shin.  Then he through her camera to me!  That was a bit scary - but I caught it!  Phew.  Don´t even want to imagine me dropping it.  =)

Along the way, there was also a nice stroll along the lake - except instead of sand the beach was made up of golf ball sized rocks.  I met a few germans there - Nikki, Hannah, and Jorg.  (I probably just brutalized the spelling of their names).

The Refugio Cuernos was pretty nice.  A welcome relief after a long day of walking.

I was lucky yesterday to see a few bits of the glacier fall off into the water.  But over the nightime, apparently, a WHOLE BUNCH of the glacier broke off.  We woke up in the Refugio only to find many, many icebergs floating by us in the lake!  Some were as big as one or two school buses, at least!  Others were smaller - I even picked one up - see picture.

After breakfast, I packed up and walked with Jann north again to the Glacier Mirador.  This was a different spot than where I was yesterday.  Yesterday I was above and parallel to the glacier.  Today, Jann and I hiked out to a rocky point directly in front of the glacier!  It was pretty cool.  We sat there for an hour waiting for more pieces to break off.  But nothing.  Damn.

Jann and I parted ways, agreeing to try to meet up a week later in Ushuaia.

I then hiked south back to Refugio Paine Grande where I would spend the night.   On the way down, I met some stanford students who were studying in Santiago but taking a long-weekend trip to TDP.  We walked for a while together, me in my sandals.  Of course, I tripped right in front of them and looked like a complete fool....and cut my left hand pretty badly.  A small but deepish puncture wound.  I cleaned it later that night and dressed it like a good boy scout.  Ah, that first aid kit DID come in handy!

By the way, the day today was absolutely PERFECT weather wise.  Clear, sunny skies, and warm.  Awesome.  When I got to Paine Grande, I dropped my stuff off, and did the walk south again, just so I could walk back into the park (north) and see the rocky peaks in the pure sunlight against the blue sky. 

Back at Paine Grande, Carla the receptionist helped me confirm whether or not I had reservations at the next two Refugios Cuernos and Chileno.  After several back and forth via radio - the only means of communication - it was confirmed that I didn´t have reservations, then that I did have reservations but for the wrong night, and then finally that they would somehow find a bed for me.  Let´s hope so.  My sleeping bag is not warm enough for camping.

A bit nervous but going with the flow, I just headed back up to the pub with the marvelous view and had a pisco sour.  That seemed to cure everything.

I had a final breakfast this morning with Matt, David, Shin, and Will - and listened to their story of their LONG hike yesterday.  Most of which I am going to do today.  Then we bid our farewells.  Fun guys.

I packed up and set out on the 3 hour hike up Lago Grey to Refugio Grey where I would spend the night.  Today the weather was not so good.  Partly cloudy with intermittent showers.   On the lake I could see small ice bergs that had broken off from Glacier Grey which is at the north end of the lake.

My feet hurt too - damn shoes.

When I got to Refugio Grey, there was some confusion about me not having a voucher confirming my reservation.  For a minute I thought I was going to be out of room.  But finally the guy said, ¨no problema¨and he showed me to my room.  Phew.

I then took a lighter load and headed up another couple hours to Campamiento Guardas, a campsite which is directly in line (but above) the Glacier Grey.  From the campsite, I took a small walk out to the cliff where I could sit and overlook the glacier, watching and listening to it.  I could hear it creak and groan as it moved ever so slowly through the valley.  And every now and then CRACK and SPLASH a piece would break off. 

After sitting there a while, I decided it was time to head back to Refugio Grey.

At the Refugio, I really screwed up - I struggled through a cold shower at the camp showers, only to find that Refugio guest had access to the indoor and HOT showers (key work = hot) inside the Regugio.  So I took another shower, and enjoyed it a bit more than the first one.

I had dinner with Jann at the Refugio, and we also met Steve and Jane from Australia as well.  I will realize throughout the trek that one of the greatest things is how you keep running into the same people throughout the hike and you can share stories and experiences...both of TDP and of travelling in South America in general.

I also realized today that hiking through the park solo is a bit risky.  One misstep and I could twist an ankle, fall off a cliff, get swept down a river.  I´ll have to be careful.  Especially since i´m now wearing my sandals for most of the hiking, not my stupid boots that spontaneously have started killing my feet!

13 November

Naar Chili
We reizen met onze eigen bus verder en steken de grens over met Chili. Het einddoel is Torres del Pain. Het park ligt aan de andere zijde van het Andes gebergte tegenover Glacier NP in Argentinië. Doordat er geen begaanbare weg door de Andes loopt moeten wij met een grote boog naar Chili rijden. De eerste twee uur gaan prima en we stoppen bij een soort wegrestaurant voor een sanitaire stop en een kop koffie. We staan in de ochtendzon en de tempratuur is aangenaam als je uit de wind blijft. Het uit de wind blijven is soms een probleem soms lukt het zoals vandaag en dan is het echt lekker. We hebben niet veel proviand meegenomen aangezien het verboden is etenswaren te importeren in Chili. Maar de reis is dan ook niet zo lang.

Argentijnse douane
Grens Argentinië - Chili. Hier begint de ellende! De Argentijnse douane begint te klootzakken. We missen een stempel voor de bus. Om de stempel te bemachtigen moet er een fax worden verzonden vanuit Buenos Aires, anders mogen we Argentinië niet verlaten. Het bewuste douanekantoor heeft geen fax we worden verwezen naar een andere grenspost 40 KM verderop. Weer in de bus naar de andere grenspost. Hier aangekomen is de benodigde fax ontvangen, maar om de grens te passeren worden we terug verwezen naar de eerste grenspost. Nicoliene staat op springen, verzamelt de paspoorten en heeft een onderonsje van anderhalf uur! We mogen uiteindelijk Argentinië verlaten. De groep vermaakt zich tussentijds met spelletjes als aapje, aapje, aapje olifantje, moppen en nog meer van dit soort onzin. Maar de tijd wordt gedood.

Chileense douane
Chili betekent de hele bus uitpakken en vooral geen etenswaren meenemen! Alles wordt gecontroleerd. In dit land kent men geen verschil tussen reisleidster en gids en Nicoliene heeft ons gewaarschuwd haar niet als gids aan te wijzen. De Chilenen zien dat als broodroof, zij vinden dat je een gids uit het land moet nemen. En die gids is ook besteld maar die staat bij de Chileense grenspost veertig kilometer verder op tegenover de Argentijnse grenspost die over het stempeltje begonnen! Iemand heeft het verhaal niet goed meegekregen, waardoor de volgende ellende begint. Na hoog spel en een aantekening op het visum van Nicoliene mogen we Chili in. We rijden aan de Chileense zijde naar de grenspost waar we in eerste instantie over zouden gaan, en pikken daar Humberto op. Humberto is onze gids voor Torres del Paine.

Torres del Paine
Nationaal park Torres del Paine is een nationaal park in het zuiden van Chili. Het bestaat uit bergen, gletsjers, meren en rivieren. Het park ligt 112 km ten noorden van Puerto Natales. In het noorden ligt het Nationaal park Los Glaciares in Argentinië. Het park werd opgericht in 1959 als Parque Nacional de Turismo Lago Grey. Het park is in 1978 door UNESCO aangewezen als World Biosphere Reserve. Lady Florence Dixie gaf in haar boek in 1880 een beschrijving van de omgeving en verwijst naar de drie torens (Torres) als Cleopatra's naalden.

In de Chileense taal is Paine de kleur blauw die het samengeperste ijs vertoond dat de gletsjers vormt. De drie granieten torens (Torres) en de kleur blauw van de gletsjers (Paine) vormen samen de huidige naam van het nationaal park. De huidige naam Torres del Paine kreeg het park in 1970

Het landschap van het park wordt gedomineerd door het Paine massief met aan de oostkant de Greygletsjer die sterk stijgt boven de Patagonische steppe. Er zijn kleine valleien zoals de Valle del Frances, Valle Bader en Valle del Silencio. Een groot deel van het Paine massief bestaat uit het Krijt gesedimenteerde rotsen. Diverse erosieprocessen zorgden voor de huidige vorm in de afgelopen tienduizend jaar. Bij de ingang van het park moeten we wisselen van bus. De hangbrug waar we overheen moeten om onze refugio (soort herberg) te bereiken is te smal voor onze brede bus. Bagage overladen in kleine busjes en we gaan weer verder.

De Refugio

In de loop van de avond, had de middag moeten zijn, komen we aan in onze refugio, die midden in het park ligt. Ze hebben het diner voor ons warm gehouden wat we zeer op prijs stellen. Een hapje en borreltje en dan kan het schoolreisjes festijn beginnen. Een refugio is een soort "jeugdherberg" waar we met zessen een kamer delen. De kamers hebben stapelbedden en je kunt over de wanden die niet doorlopen tot aan het dak, van de ene in de andere kamer kijken of er zelfs overheen klimmen.

Hector onze chauffeur bezorgt ons een verrassing en wel in een snurkserenade die de gehele refugio wakker houdt. Mijn gesnurk klinkt als het spinnen van een poes bij deze walrus. Meity had op eigen wijze de groep wakker, probeert in de gehele herberg lampen uit te doen. Vindt een paard voor het raam, en vermaant vooral Joep dat hij rustig moet zijn. Joep schrikt zich het apenzuur als ik over de wand heen zijn deken wegtrekt, Meity vindt dat hij zich aanstelt en vermaant hem weer.

14 November

Huub ziek
De dag begint niet zo goed voor Huub, ziek koorts en niet lekker. Ik besluit eten en drinken neer te zetten en Nicoliene in te lichten. Huub besluit in de refugio te blijven en niet te gaan wandelen. Ja vandaag staat in het teken van wandelen. De groep valt uiteen in drie delen: de klimmers wandelaars onder leiding van Humberto, de easy wandelaars gaan met Nicoliene op pad en de rondje in de tuin wandelaars die doen dit (gevaarlijk) volledig op eigen houtje.

De “easy” wandeling
Ik heb besloten om een kortere wandeling te maken (easy) en niet voor de granieten torens te gaan die ruim 2000 meter boven het golvende Patagonische landschap uitsteken (met Humberto). Nicoliene leidt de korte wandeling geheel op eigen wijzen! De winter is net voorbij en dat houdt in dat het landschap soms op veen lijkt en drassig is! Met de wilde wandeling van Nicoliene komen we dat goed te weten, we zijn drukker droge voeten te houden, dan te wandelen. Het is meer een teambuilding sessie, als je elkaar niet helpt, blijven er mensen achter! De wandeling maar vooral de uitzichten zijn super mooi. De "korte tocht" duurt in de uitvoering van Nicoliene ruim 6,5 uur, maar anderhalf uur korter dan de lange, maar we hebben veel gezien, gelachen en vooral elkaar geholpen. We willen in Vuurland de bevers bezoeken en die leven ook in een drassige wereld oefening baart kunst!

In de middag na het wandelen warme choc met Nicoliene gedronken. Het weer is erg mooi en de dames besluiten op de tafel van de houten picknick tafels te gaan liggen zonnen. Als zij ontwaken, zitten er vrolijk Duitsers om hen heen koffie te drinken? Het zijn Duitser, maar toch een beetje gênant als je jezelf opdient als een stukje vlees.

’s Avonds met de groep wat gedronken en de rekening voor Huub en mij voldaan. Huub is er nog steeds niet best aan toe, hopelijk kunnen we in één van de volgende plaatsen een arts bezoeken.

By the time morning finally arrived, the rain had finally stopped although the wind continued to blow and gust throughout the day.  Not as hard as the night before, but still more blustery than we had experienced to date other than perhaps on our boat journey on Lago Grey.  And Las Torres were also obscured from view from the low-hanging clouds that covered the valleys.   It was a slow morning as we grabbed breakfast and headed out to the waiting van to take us on a drive around several other regions of the park separate from the "W" trek that we had wrapped up yesterday.

My foot was bothering me today as on the final descent of the Ascensio gorge I had a blister form on the little toe of my right foot.  So I was glad we weren't going to be walking a whole bunch this particular day.  We crossed the Rio Paine over the narrow one-lane bridge to the Laguna Amarga Guarderia.  A bus was disembarking a fresh set of trekkers to experience the majestic sights of Torres del Paine.  I felt a pang of regret that I would be leaving this beautiful location in less than 24 hours, but at the same time was excited to see the further sites across the border in Argentina.

Our first stop was a viewpoint not far from the Guarderia overlooking the Rio Paine and Lago Nordenskjold.  This was another spot that we were told that condors often put in appearances.  Alas, I was to be disappointed once again as none decided to grace us with their presence.  But there were other sights as wildflowers were abundant in this area of the park in the southern hemisphere spring.  We wandered about the overlook for a bit waiting before returning to the van to head to our next destination.

Our second and third destinations were a combined excursion.  We travelled on the same road that we had used on our entrance to the park on Tuesday morning (the 20th).  Instead of continuing around Lago Pehoe, we stopped at the parking lot for the catamaran to Refugio Paine Grande.  But we weren't taking the catamaran shuttle either.  We grabbed our lunches and took off on a short walk to a mirador overlooking Lago Nordenskjold right in front of Los Cuernos.  The hike was mostly flat but my feet (or really my right little toe) was screaming.  Even encased in moleskin there was no way to keep that toe from rubbing.  But oh well, just had to tough it out.  The end of the trail was a steep climb up to the overlook.  The overlook was extremely exposed and as we were informed once we reached the top one of the windiest locations in the park.  And boy was it ever.  While 300 feet below the wind was probably blowing 25-30 mph up on the overlook we were probably exposed to 60+ mph winds.  Everyone performed their hurricane reporting poses and we admired the view of the lakes and mountains before fairly quickly returning to the more sheltered areas.

Heading back we had lunch on a sheltered beach trying to get out of the wind somewhat for a while (easier said then done).  A short walk on a side trail on the return to the van brought us to Salto Grande Rio Paine.  This large waterfall of the Paine River connects Lagos Nordenskjold and Pehoe through a very short channel.  An impressive sight in its own right although after the views the past several days somewhat underwhelming.

Back in the vans we were headed back to the east.  We had our final close-up views of Paine Grande and Los Cuernos for the trip as we departed the area.  Driving back to the east we went back through "Guanaco Central" where the animals were present all over the place.  Going around one corner we very nearly ran right into one just standing out in the middle of the road.  Our final sight-seeing stop was another "waterfall" on the Rio Paine.  The Cascada Rio Paine was a smaller but wider cascade waterfall as opposed to Salto Grande but another interesting sight nonetheless.

And with that we followed the Rio Paine back to the one lane bridge into the park central and back to EcoCamp, our last afternoon in Torres del Paine complete.  Back at the camp we had a huge feast prepared for our final dinner.  Lots of wine and pisco sours were consumed and everyone enjoyed the final evening of companionship before we would go our separate ways in the morning.  Gradually people headed back to their tents.   I had an early morning call to head to Cerro Castillo (the Chile/Argentina border crossing) and pick up the bus going from Puerto Natales, CL to El Calafate, AR.  But knowing I had nothing much planned for the morning and a long bus ride where I could get some sleep, I was among the last stragglers to head to my tent after finally saying good-byes to those that I would not see in the morning.

It was on to Phase Two of the journey.

From campamento Los Perros to campamento Grey, and climbing the Paso John Gardner

After two long days, it was somewhat of a relief that today encompassed only a short hike from Refugio Los Cuernos to Eco Camp (out past Hosteria and Refugio Las Torres).  All in all we only about 10 km to hike today and all morning and afternoon to accomplish it.  After yesterday's 22-24 km or so, this should be a piece of cake.  So we slept in for a bit, hitting the late breakfast down in the dining area of the refugio and picking up our sack lunches for the day.  Today's walk continued along the shore of Lago Nordenskjold underneath the ever present granite spires of Los Cuernos.  Cuerno Este was dominant today as we continued east along the northern shore of the lake.

The terrain was still the typical up and down that we had experienced each of two previous days.  The biggest difference was that the further east we went today, the terrain, as we approached the Patagonian steppe at the edge of the Paine Massif, became more scrubby and dry with fewer trees than along Lago Grey or in Valle Frances.  Over about 2 hours we made about half the day's journey, although we made one significant stop to wait to see if any condors would make an appearance out over the lake.  None did and we continued on until lunch time.  Lunch time was at another overlook of Lago Nordenskjold, where we sat back and soaked in the quiet solitude on this section of the trail.

Over the course of the hike we had several small river crossings to navigate.  There were no bridges over these rivers/streams like the Rio Frances yesterday, so it was rock hopping to get across (with the help of some guide wires over at least one of the rivers).  Water levels were pretty low, but it was somewhat challenging to find the best places to cross.  Everyone managed the crossings successfully though.  Eventually we found ourselves along the shores of a small, unnamed lagoon (or at least I didn't get or don't remember the name).  I think they weren't ready for us at EcoCamp quite yet, because Mauricio had us pause to rest for a while.  It was another clear, sunny, warm day so no one was too opposed to lying down in the grass and just enjoying the calm surroundings (see, it was a pretty lazy day).  Most everyone took off the hiking boots and wandered barefoot or in socks through the grass, and we all compared feet to see who had the most and largest blisters (Theresa won in this regard) and eventually we were all comparing the odd shape of each other's feet and toes.

After a while we finally moved on towards EcoCamp.  As we approached Hosteria Las Torres, we had to cross the Rio Ascensio, which is where the trail to the Towers that we would take tomorrow truly began.  We looked north up the river valley, but the towers were lost from view at that location.  After the river crossing the last bit of hiking was along the road that leads in to the Hosteria and other lodging facilities for the park.  We made our way and had one final climb up the hill to where EcoCamp had been set up for the season.

At EcoCamp we gathered our belongings and were led to our tents which would be our homes for the next three nights.  Simple yet splendid accomodations of dome tents constructed on platforms with beds were in each lodging tent.  Two community tents were used for dining, lounging, drinking, and enjoying each other's company.  Shortly after we arrived the other group that we had driven up to Puerto Natales with arrived as well from Lago Grey on their westward journey.  Everyone said hello and compared notes from the journeys that we had taken over the last three days (although we had also seen most everyone the day before as we crossed paths at Valle Frances).  After cleaning up a bit we had some snacks and drinks before what would be for us Americans our Thanksgiving Dinner in South America (my first Thanksgiving out of the country and away from my family).  Unfortunately we didn't get to have turkey, but what can you expect.  It was still a great meal with all the new friends that I had made over the last 4 days.  We sat around in the community tent for a while enjoying some wine and/or tea and watching the amazing sunsets that Torres del Paine offered. 

As night settled in we moved back to our lodging tent for the evening.  The beds were amazing with fleece sheets, a down comforter, and additional blankets so that I was completely warm and comfortable even as the overnight temperatures dipped into the low to mid 30s.  Sleep came quickly. 

Tomorrow was Las Torres, the pinnacle of a trip to Torres del Paine.

Today was destined as the longest day of hiking for anyone who chose to make the trek all the way to the top of Valle del Frances.  So a fairly early start was on the docket from Refugio Paine Grande.  First call for breakfast in the dining area was 7:30 AM and we were there to try to get an early spot to run through the line for our first fueling of the day.  By 8:30 we were packed up and ready to head out for Day 2.

The skies were partly cloudy this morning although any clouds were high and not obscuring any views.  In all a picture perfect day for trekking (even better than yesterday in fact).  After exiting the boat yesterday we had travelled back south along the west slopes of Paine Grande.  At the end of the hike we turned slightly east leaving the shores of Lago Grey and making our way to Lago Pehoe.  This put us almost directly south of the principal peak of Paine Grande.  Today's hike would start off with us leaving Lago Pehoe behind and journeying north and east continuing a circular path around Paine Grande.  Looking at Los Cuernos, I could also see the slash which marked the valley cut by the Rio Frances.  This was our initial destination for the morning section of the hike.

As the trail headed northeast, I covered ground that would prove to be the gentlest and easiest of my time in Torres del Paine.  That's a relative measure which meant the trail had only some minor ups and downs and that every few steps I could place my foot on regular soil as opposed to having to balance on a rock or a root or some other obstacle found in the trail.  It was almost a leisurely walk as we covered the distance to the French River and Campamento Italiano (Italian Camp).  Sneaking around Paine Grande we began to get glimpses of the snow covered eastern flank of the mountain.  A sign of things to come for the afternoon walk up Valle del Frances.  To our south and east a variety of small lakes (Skottsberg and others) dotted the landscape before opening up to a view of Lago Nordenskjold.  Now we were on the opposite shore from our drive in to the park just 24 hours before.

Our first clue when approaching the French River was the steady roar of rapids from just off the trail.  For a short while we paralleled this small but raging river until we reached the suspension bridge to cross over to the eastern side.  While not a bridge over a high gorge it was difficult to resist an Indiana Jones joke while crossing to the opposite side.  Along this side of the French River one finds Campamento Italiano.  Unlike our refugio site last night Italian Camp is a simple campground and a small ranger station.  Our plan was not to stay here, but only to have lunch and continue on our journey.  We moved downriver a bit to find an open area along the river to eat lunch and enjoy the sun and general warmth of this beautiful day.  (Speaking of warmth, the trek today turned quite warm, unusually warm for this time of the area according to our guides and the rangers.  I ended up wearing just a long sleeve base polypropylene shirt and my hiking pants and was comfortable much of the day.  I had become the guy who was worried about not having enough layers, to hoping I wouldn't need to break out to many short sleeve shirts because I only brought one for the entire trip).  As we sat and ate lunch the occasional echo of an avalanche was heard up the valley.  With the warm weather the sights of Valle del Frances were going to be stunning.

From Italian Camp and the French River, one has the option of deciding how far up Valle del Frances they wish to go.  Since our group included a wide variety of fitness levels and ages and the hike up to Mirador las Torres in two days was the highlight, several of our group decided that they would not hike all the way up French Valley.  However there was a viewpoint about 20-30 minutes up the trail and Mauricio convinced them to at least get to that point to see views of French Glacier and also have some views of the lakes from the perch higher in the valley.  One nice option on this hike is even being able to leave your packs at the ranger station since it was an up and back journey.

So after lunch and the refilling of water bottles from the French River we were off.  After some brief walking through the lenga forest the trail opened up along the rocks above the French River.  But the views across the river of the east face of Paine Grande were amazing.  Snowpack and drifts graced the upper slopes of the mountain.  It was this snow that was falling and collapsing in the occasional small avalanches all afternoon as the energy from the sun reached its maximum.  All of this dropped down onto Glaciar Frances.  Not as imposing as Glaciar Grey descending from the Patagonian Ice Fields, Glaciar Frances was impressive in its own right nestled in the lower reaches of Paine Grande.  From the sheer icy white up high to the dark rock covered areas nearer the Rio Frances, the mountain and its glacier gleamed in the afternoon sunlight.  After reaching a superb viewpoint for the glacier Joann, Ken, Norma, and Carola turned around to begin the descent back to Italian Camp and then onwards to Refugio Los Cuernos.  The rest of us continued to attack the valley.  A bit further on Scott and Theresa decided to head back as well (as Theresa was bothered by blisters on her feet).  At this point we took some more recovery time on a large rock overlooking Rio Frances.  (which at this spot was an absolute raging rapid coursing down through the valley).  The sound and fury of the river was stunning from our overlook and one small slip off the wrong side of this mini-van sized boulder would have meant serious trouble so everyone was extremely careful.  We were able to spend some time watching the smaller avalanches on the face of Paine Grande while we ate some food and drank some fluids.

As Scott and Theresa left to head back down the valley, the final five continued northward (and upward).  The valley slowly opened into the massive glacial cirque that forms the top of the French Valley.  In the lower sections the trail crossed through a beech forest and crossed many small streams running towards the Rio Frances.  These made for extremely slow going on the trail as most had cut steep ditches, and while the trail navigated upward, at each of the 10-15 crossings we had to traverse the 4-10 ft drop to the stream crossing and then climb up the other side over roots, rocks, and mud.  It wasn't that difficult but it was sapping our energy levels that would make the descent and journey to Los Cuernos Refugio an interesting trip.  We finally reached Campamento Britannico, a campground used by backpackers.  From here it was another short journey as we exited the forest and could finally appreciate the full glory of the cirque around us.  From Paine Grande and Los Cuernos which dominates the view from the southern reaches of the park, the valley opened up with a series of mountain peaks that until now had been hidden from view.  A final mad scramble up to the viewpoint placed us above the trees and gave us a clear 360 view of the mountains and valley.  Traversing from Paine Grande on the west we could see Cerro 2000 (at 2000m elevation), Cerro Catedral, and Aleta de Tiburon (the Shark Fin).  On the east was Fortaleza (the Fortress), La Espada, La Hoja, La Mascara, and the peaks of Los Cuernos (Cuerno Norte and Cuerno Principal, Cuerno Este not visible).  And to the south we could see many of the lakes of Torres del Paine NP each with its own unique shade of blue merging in with the clear blue skies that we were experiencing on this absolutely picturesque day.

All too soon we had to depart to return down the valley.  It was after 3PM and we still had a good 4+ hours of hiking to go (2 hours back down the valley and then 2 hours to Los Cuernos Refugio).  The return trek along the Rio Frances was the same way we came up and the section with the stream crossings was probably worse on the way down than on the way up.  The four visitors to Patagonia were all showing some signs  of fatigue.  At one point I tried to warn Elisa of a low hanging branch, but she was too tired to react quickly enough to the warning.  Thankfully she passed under the branch with less than an inch of clearance.  For myself it was more about simply losing some of that mental clarity as opposed to being physically exhausted.  Like Elisa, I was getting slower to react, less able to catch my balance should I catch my foot on a root or a rock.  Which was not a good place to be on the trails that we were covering back down to the camp.

Mauricio stopped and pointed out a Magellanic Woodpecker to us flitting about in a tree. Pulling out a camera to take a picture was too much work at that point.  Sometime around that point I pulled out a PowerBar that I had brought with me and passed a bit around to everyone.  This helped us get back down to Campamento Italiano where we retrieved our packs from the ranger station (a mental pickup more than anything).   We stopped for a bit more refueling and I pulled out some PowerGel and SportBeans.  This was a big help, but as we made the final portion of the trek between Cuernos Principal y Este and Lago Nordenskjold, it was still a bit of a slog.  There are no pictures from the time we headed back down the valley until we reached the refugio as all efforts were simply focused on reaching our camp for the evening.  Finally at 7:30 PM about 11 hours after we left Refugio Paine Grande the final group arrived at Los Cuernos Refugio.  I don't think I've ever been part of a more motley bunch than the one that straggled into the refugio that evening.

We settled in our cabins for the evening, showered (be careful of the shower cabin - men's and women's sections of the cabin is separated by 10 ft walls, but a 12 ft ceiling, so you can hear everything on the other side), and settled in for an 8:30 dinner at the refugio dining room.  I wasn't particularly enthralled by the evening's meal, but it was nourishment and after the day's activities, I was up for whatever fuel was presented to me.  We hung around in the dining room for a while after eating with each group sharing stories of their experiences on the trail.  Ken, Norma, Joann, and Carola had seen and captured a large condor flying overhead on their way into the refugio.  I showcased the video I had captured of the 360 degree view at the mirador at the top of the valley.  I ordered an expensive can of Coke (about $3) that tasted really good after not having one since I had left home 5 days previously.

As the sun set, the sky exploded in color as clouds and some sprinkles had rolled in on our final approach to the refugio earlier in the evening.  The resulting colors over the lake looked like some of the pictures from the southern California wildfires earlier in the autumn.  Thankfully this was simply a natural display to end our evening before settling into the welcome relief of sleep.

Once again I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous morning.  After the horror stories I had read about Patagonia weather the luck that I continued to have day after day this week was amazing.  It was a bit chilly climbing out of bed but Las Torres awaited and so whatever small piece of me wanted to stay warm was ignored to get moving, fueled, and heading back down the road to the Rio Ascensio and the climb up the valley.  After yesterday's lazy day I was feeling incredibly refreshed and ready to tackle the challenge.  The kitchen had prepared a simple, but excellent breakfast of cereal, meats and cheeses, toast, eggs, and coffee, tea, and/or juice.  They also had our sack lunches for us to eat at some point on our day's journey.

And so we were off down from our hilltop camp, past the Refugio and Hosteria Torres, and towards the Ascensio bridge.  Where yesterday we had come in via the left fork of the trail (from Lago Nordenskjold), today we were going to head right up the Ascensio valley.  One small problem there:  the Ascensio cuts a pretty steep gorge just north of the bridge crossing and up to Refugio Chileno about half way up the valley.  So the trail we were to hike ascends to the top of the gorge heads along the ridge top for a short time and then descends back to river level at the refugio.  The climb is probably less than 1000 ft of elevation change but then you give almost all of it back, realizing that everything you gave back you will have to climb again on the final ascent to the towers.

So off we went with everyone pretty much setting the pace that they were comfortable at and agreeing to meet at the top of the ridge and allow everyone to recover.  I led with Mauricio, Bill, and Elisa and we reached a resting point after about 45 minutes of climbing.  Alexis, Scott, and Theresa followed about 10 minutes later and Ken, Norma, and Carola about 5 minutes after that.  We gave the final group a good 15 minutes of recovery before the next leg of the journey down to the refugio.  I was thankful for the excellent weather because the trail we were on was very narrow overlooking the river below and was mostly loose dirt and on one of those days where the Patagonia winds were blowing would create one hell of a duststorm.  But a small part of me wondered what it would have been like to experience some of the rougher weather as well.

At the refugio, two of the towers peaked out over the ridge and provided an excellent view as the sky continued to stay amazingly clear and the winds remained light.  It was time to reapply sunscreen which was always a constant thought down this far south (near the southern hole in the ozone layer).  It seemed like one had to do this every 2-3 hours on any exposed areas to ensure that one didn't get a fairly serious burn.  We didn't spend too much time at the refugio before pressing on.  The trail past the refugio stayed more at river level, but it presented another set of problems.  The trail had pretty much eroded away in several locations and that meant some bushwacking and boulder scrambling.  But all in all it wasn't bad and was more a warm-up for the true bouldering that we were going to do shortly.  In fact as the valley widened slightly we had some relatively flat sections through some moderately forested areas on this section of the trail.  But it was short lived as this section was only about an hour or so long before we reached the left hand turn to begin the final climb to the towers.

The first section up the rocky scree slope followed along and in a small stream bed.  I was constantly shedding layers as I used more energy climbing the trail and the temperature continued to rise (even though we were ascending).  It wasn't long before we came out onto the main slope for the final slog to the viewpoint.  Mauricio had Ken and Norma follow directly behind him to give them some additional assistance with picking out the best footing up the slope.  For the rest of us following behind it was truly inspirational to see this older couple (Norma was in her mid 60s and Ken in his early 70s) make this moderately difficult scramble up the slope.  It was a slow and steady climb as we aimed for the large house-sized boulder that signified the near top of the climb (the pace also let me pause and capture some amazing pictures as we made the climb).  As close as we were to Las Torres they were initially hidden behind the steep slope that we were climbing.  But as we neared the top they began to peak out their granite heads from over the ridge top that we were climbing.  As we passed that house-sized boulder they were well and truly visible.  But as one finally passed the true top of the ridge to the viewpoint Las Torres simply filled the entire view in front of us.

These towers of sheer granite were an imposing presence in front of us.  What was more amazing was the blue sheen of the crystal clear sky that contrasted against these gray monolithic structures.  I had read the stories of people making the climb to the viewpoint to find the towers partially or completely encased in cloud cover.  They would wait until a partial clearing occurred so they could take the obligatory photos and then head back down the slope.  The winds and weather would be so rough that they would spend as minimal a time at the mirador as was necessary.  On this day, however, I was more worried about getting a sunburn than anything else.  We claimed a spot for the group, unlaced our boots, and then unpacked and ate our lunches all the while soaking in the majesty of our surroundings.

We were by no means the first early noon-time group to reach the mirador, but as we relaxed on our rock, more and more people arrived at the viewpoint to capture their sight of Las Torres.  Especially on this day, the climb to Las Torres was not one for solitude as easily 150+ people were lounging at and around the mirador.  I kept occasionally taking photos of the towers in various settings thinking maybe one picture would highlight a different view than one I had taken previously.   What I realized though was that no single photo can capture the enormity of Las Torres and how they literally tower directly above you at the mirador.  To take a decent picture one has to zoom back so far that in a picture the towers appear less omnipresent in the photos than they do when you are there in person.

After not quite 2 hours at the mirador we figured it was best to be heading back down towards camp.  It had taken us a bit over 4 hours going up and the return would probably not be much if any shorter.  Again we had Norma and Ken take the lead behind Mauricio.  Heading down was a bit more chaotic as the two-way traffic on the trail was much more congested than it was when we made the climb up earlier in the day.  The weather had not really changed at all and it was still picture perfect to get to the view.  We slowly retraced our steps down the slope, through the lenga forest, along the Rio Ascensio back to Refugio Chileno.  We made the climb and descent through the Ascencio gorge and returned to the Hosteria Torres road and back to Eco Camp.

Back at EcoCamp we cleaned up for another evening of good food and wine, some additional drinks, and great conversation with friends.  Tomorrow was the alternate day for the Las Torres climb if the weather had not cooperated so we just had some minor sight-seeing planned.  No early morning, no long hikes, just a mostly relaxing day to look forward to.  As evening progressed clouds finally arrived on the horizon and blanketed the area.  As we slumbered off to our tents for the evening the wind started getting a bit blustery.  Overnight our first taste of Patagonia weather finally arrived.  Strong winds of around 50-60 mph whipped our tents (nothing to worry about though as the tents had withstood a 100+ mph wind in the park and were designed to withstand 150 mph winds) and rain pelted down.  It was a bit difficult to sleep with all the noise, but one ignored it as best they could to get the rest they needed.

• One final sad footnote to this day in Torres del Paine.  When I returned home and began posting pictures in this blog I was contacted through my TravBuddy account by friends and family of an Irish traveler who had gone missing between El Calafate, Argentina and Torres del Paine NP.  Information they gathered determined that he had trekked solo up to Las Torres on Nov 18, five days before I traversed the same trail.  On Jan 7 they recovered the remains of this young man who had gone exploring further past the viewpoint where most people stop.  He had fallen into a "crevasse" and was killed below Las Torres.  Rest in peace Ronan Lawlor, and to all travelers everywhere be as safe as you can on your journeys.

Vandaag is het de ‘echte’ start van de reis: de eerste trekking gaat beginnen. Om 7:15 worden we bij het hostel opgehaald door een bus. In het hostel mogen we onze ‘handbagage’ achterlaten, zodat deze later naar ons toegestuurd kan worden. De bus stopt verder nog bij vrijwel elk ander hotel in Puerto Natales. De bus rijdt hard over verharde en onverharde wegen. Onderweg stoppen we 60 km ten noorden van Puerto Natales in Cerro Castillo. Dit is een klein plaatsje. Met uitzondering van de paar winkeltjes, is de omgeving totaal verlaten. Na dit kwartiertje pauze rijden we weer verder. We rijden langs een veld waar veel condors zitten en vliegen; waarschijnlijk ligt er een kadaver. Helaas zit ik aan de verkeerde kant en stopt de bus hier niet voor, waardoor foto’s maken er niet in zit voor mij. Dichter bij het Torres del Paine National Park, in de buurt van Laguna Amarga, zien we ook veel guanaco’s met jongen en nandoes.

Bij Portería y Guardería Laguna Amarga, de ingang van het park, moeten we entreegeld betalen. Hier stappen we over in een kleiner busje. Uiteindelijk zijn we nog geen vijf minuten onderweg, wanneer iedereen de bus uit moet zodat de bus over een smal bruggetje over de Rio Paine kan rijden.

Tegen 11:00 komen we aan bij Hosteria Las Torres, na een busrit van ongeveer 3 uur en 120 km achter de rug te hebben. Dit is een heel grootschalig, op veel toeristen berekende, overnachtingsplek. Met de rugzak op de rug lopen we naar de al voor ons klaar staande tenten, campamento Las Torres. Na een korte, vroege lunch gaan we met een lichtere rugzak op pad voor een dagwandeling, de Valle Ascencio in. Voor deze wandeling naar Mirador Torres en terug staat 7 uur looptijd. Pittige eerste wandeling dus! Tijdens het eerste uur zien we een condor vliegen, en kijken we uit over het Lago Nordenskjöld. Verder de vallei in lopen we hoog boven de Rio Ascencio.

Het weer is mooi. Er hangen wel wolken maar meestal schijnt de zon. We lopen eerst 1:35 uur tot albergue Chileno. Daarna gaan we weer verder. Het wordt nu snel zwaarder. Het pad begint flink te stijgen. Het wordt helemaal vervelend als we voor het laatste stuk een gigantisch eind over hoge rotspartijen moeten klimmen. Klauteren met handen en voeten is echt nodig.

Uiteindelijk bereiken we dan toch het einddoel: het uitzichtpunt, Mirador Las Torres, boven het Laguna Torres aan de voet van de Torres. Het waait hier flink. Geweldig uitzicht hierboven. De drie punten zijn af en toe geheel vrij van wolken. We blijven niet te lang boven, want we moeten nog 3-4 uur lopen om weer terug te komen bij de camping.

In de hut zal het eten tot 21:30 geserveerd worden, dus wij zijn met 19:50 mooi op tijd terug op de camping. Na onszelf wat opgefrist te hebben, zitten we om 20:50 in de eetzaal. Tot onze verbazing is er bijna geen eten meer te krijgen. We krijgen kleine porties, en het eten is ook niet erg lekker. De toetjes zijn ook op. Als vervanging trekken ze blikken vruchtencocktail open. Er is weinig sfeer in de hut: massaal, leeg (iedereen had zijn eten al bijna op) en muziek staat te hard aan. Blij dat we vanaf morgen naar kleinere hutten zullen gaan!

We hebben er een geweldige eerste trekkingdag opzitten. Ik moet zeggen dat de wandeling wel vrij pittig is om mee te beginnen. Maar we hebben goed weer gehad, en erg genoten van het landschap.

Traveling solo, I used Cascada Expediciones for the Torres del Paine portion of my Patagonia Trip. They offered guided tour options of the W-Trek in Torres del Paine. From my perspective they had several things going for them for the quick hit trek: Helpful transportation from Punta Arenas W-Trek options with refugio lodging End of trip stay at EcoCamp which seemed an interesting premise Meals included throughout (at refugios or EcoCamp) They hit the mark on all these and more in my opinion. The guides for the trek were amazing and took us to several hidden viewpoints that I would not have found hiking on my own. The groups I got to know were small (we were 9 plus guides, two other groups in the camp while I was there had 11 and 6) which was a plus for me in looking for things to do. Not that a trek through the park would have supported a 50 person group but this was not what I was looking for. The EcoCamp (located in the area around Hosteria Las Torres) was by far more than I could have hoped for. An amazing and comfortable place to stay, that is relatively low impact in its design. And the staff were incredibly attentive during our last two days there. The EcoCamp experience is by no means cheap in comparison to tent camping on your own and carrying in all your food. But it is cheaper than staying at the larger hotel options (Hosterias) in the park. While this review discusses Cascada Expediciones trips at Torres del Paine they operate throughout Chile and into Argentina and Bolivia as well. Check out the website mentioned in the header for other options. While I can not vouch for those trips, if they are run in a similar fashion you will see whatever area you are visiting in a new light.

Fresh off the four days on the ferry from Puerto Montt I was looking into planning my hiking trip in Torres del Paine. The cold and rainy weather on the boat had deterred me from camping as I would have had to rent all sorts of gear, carry it across the sixty some kilometers of the trail and deal with freezing cold nights. I decided to spend the extra money and stay in the refugios but to bring in my own food as the food there is very expensive, on top of the expensive prices to sleep there it was a bit too much. There was an informative information session on hiking in the park given at a nearby hostel where they talked about all the different options and some of the finer details about the different campsites and facilities. So with a basic background I went out to load up on food at the grocery store, and bought a bit too much in retrospect as I´m still eating some of the leftovers. Then I booked bus tickets to the park through the hostel I was staying at, and since the bus was leaving at 7:30am I had to repack my entire backpack and leave many things behind at the hostel.

The early came bus came promptly as scheduled and picked us up at the hostel on the way to the park. The plan was to hike the W from west to east as this was recommended. But when the bus arrived in the park the weather was good and clear so we decided to start on the east side and hike up to the towers that day since the weather was clear. The weather changes so rapidly in the park that forecasts are of little use, especially those more than a day or two in advance. After checking into the Refugio Las Torres and packing a small bag for the day we headed off for the viewpoint of the towers, about 5.5 miles away, uphill most of the way. The trail wasn´t too difficult and as it climbed higher there began to be traces of snow on the ground which gave way to a thick blanket of snow as the trail snaked through the forests on the upper slopes. The scenery was great and the winds were rather calm. After almost 3 hours of hiking the trail to the viewpoint forked off steeply uphill through a path of trampled snow. The clouds had been steadily moving into the area and at about this point it started snowing as we ascended this steep track. Towards the top the trail became progressively more slippery and by the time we reached the top there was no view of the towers, only a massive white clouds and snow squalls blowing in from across the valley. From the viewpoint we could hear the boom of the freshly fallen snow avalanching off the jagged peaks and tumbling down below. The way back down was a bit dodgy as the temperature had dropped and things were beginning to ice over and get really slippery. It was part walking and part skiing on your shoes to make it down, but we were able to return before dark and enjoy the heat and comfort of the refugio, even though they wouldn´t allow you to use the kitchen and cook your own food. While it was disappointing not seeing the towers from the lake, I awoke the next morning at 7:30am to crystal clear views of the towers jutting up above the mountains ablaze in shades of red and orange illuminated by the rising sun. Definitely an amazing sight to behold.

The second day was an easy one, only 6.5 miles of rolling hills to the next refugio, Refugio Cuernos, at the base of the massive rock escarpment. You could see condors circling up near the towers as they glided on the heavy winds. The refugio was located right on the shore of one of the lakes with great views to the mountains across the lake. There wasn´t really any choice but to stay at this refugio as the next one was about five and a half hours away. So it was a day of sitting around inside and chatting with the various people that came in, a good half day of rest since the next day was going to be a long 8 hours of solid hiking so that we wouldn´t have to stay in Refugio Pehoe for two consecutive nights. Leaving the next morning around 9am we reached the Valle Frances after about 2 hours and walked up into the valley for about 20 minutes for views of the glaciers on the mountian. Due to heavy snows the last week, the trail up to the campsite and viewpoint in the valley were blocked by snow and essentially unreachable unless you wanted to blaze your own trail through knee deep, or higher, snow. The winds had also picked up considerable, probably gusting to 85 kph or more, strong enough to blow you back or off-balance if you weren´t paying attention. From the Valle Frances the trail moved down towards Lago Nordenskjold for 6.5 miles to Refugio Pehoe. The blue colors of the lake were incredible and in stark contrast to the greens of the forests and the white snow on the mountains. The views back across the lake of the towers were also stunning. After having lunch at Refugio Pehoe we started off on the trail to Refugio Grey, supposedly 3.5 hours away. The trail wasn´t terribly steep but after already walking 9 miles we were now faced with walking straight into a headwind of 60-90 kph, making things that much more tiring. Two hours into the trail and we reached the viewpoint for the Grey Glacier, a massive glacier that splits onto either side of an island and reaches down to the waters of the lake. In the lake there were also lots of little of glaciers, like tiny icebergs, with amazing shades of blue, one so brilliantly blue that it didn´t even seem real. Another hour and half later at around 5:30pm after some 14.5 miles of hiking we reached the refugio and another closer viewpoint for the glacier. There were only two other people staying in the refugio but they still said that we couldn´t use the kitchen to cook our food. Later they offered us the chance to cook which was very nice to have a hot meal after such a long day.

All that walking on the third day meant that on the fourth day we only had to hike back three and a half hours to get to Refugio Pehoe to catch the boat to the other side of the lake at 12:30pm to connect with bus service back to Puerto Natales. This time, the walk was much quicker with the stiff wind at our backs and we made it back in about 3 hours, with plenty of time to spare for lunch before the 30 minute boat ride. The boat ride was quite beautiful with views of the whole stretch of mountains that we had hiked along for the previous three days, while the wind continued to whip up waves and water spray on the lake. Even the bus ride back towards the park entrance had great distance views of the rock massif and things seemed a bit different from a further perspective. I was glad that the hiking was over, four days and some 40 miles later I was glad to be able rest up and sleep in, albeit for one night. The ferry to Puerto Williams and the end of the Americas awaits on Wednesday...