Torres del Paine

Day 55 – In my experience it always rains in Punta Arenas

We had a couple more unintelligible conversations with the guest house proprietor before I headed out in the rain in search of a bus to Puerto Natales, gateway to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine.  It was still raining when we headed for the bus around lunch time.

When we arrived in Puerto Natales the rain had stopped but it was very windy.  Our guesthouse was a ramshackle metal clad affair about two blocks from the waterfront.  We didn’t achieve a whole lot that afternoon except for having our first decent pizza in months, wood fired with some imaginative toppings.  I accompanied my pizza with a pisco sour (Chile’s national drink), I think it’s safe to say I’ll be having a few more in the coming weeks!

Day 56 – In my experience it is always windy in Puerto Natales

This day we set aside to prepare supplies for our planned week long circuit of Torres del Paine.  Half the day was spent in the supermarket trying to work out what lightweight meals we could make with the underwhelming selection of groceries available.  We also sampled the fare at the local vegetarian restaurant (El Living) which is run by a British expat lady.  We got excited when we saw couscous on the menu (we’ve not been able to find it anywhere) and asked where she got it in the hope of securing ourselves some for our upcoming adventure (it’s ideal for hiking because it cooks quickly so you don’t need to use heaps of heavy fuel).  Unfortunately it turns out she orders it specially from Santiago some 2000km away…

In the evening I shared the guest house kitchen with the ladies who were preparing meals for their families and other guests.  At first they didn’t pay me much notice until the realised that I wasn’t just preparing two minute noodles.  I was attempting to make satay rice using the only ingredients available (peanut butter, yellow chillies and soy sauce).  This got their attention and they were soon bombarding me with questions about ingredients, the origins of my cooking ability, requesting samples and lamenting their own husband’s inability to perform any household duties, cooking included.  By the time I left the kitchen they were planning to cook the same thing for dinner the following night!

Day 57 – Let the walking begin (Torres del Paine walk day 1)

After another visit to the vegetarian restaurant and some last minute sock shopping we boarded the bus for the two hour ride north to the national park.  A short shuttle from the entrance gate (the bridge was too narrow and rickety for the coach to get across), past our first views of the spires, put us at the start of the walk.

Our first peek at the peaks

We arrived quite late in the afternoon, stored some possessions at the refugio (scattered around the circuit these refugios offer expensive dormitory accommodation and meals, we had camping equipment to avoid needing to use them), and marched energetically uphill to Campamento Torres.  By the time it got dark a bit after 10pm we had dined and put ourselves to bed ready for the early morning start to catch sunrise at the Torres lookout.

500m into 132km, suspension bridge over Rio Ascensio

Looking up the Rio Ascensio with the track on the left

 
Rio Ascensio again…

Unfortunately the wind had other ideas, it got serious at around midnight, announcing its arrival with a roar that sounded like a 747 flying low down the steep narrow valley.  The first gust flattened the tent, a very lightweight three-season, single pole job, which I hadn’t really pitched in the right direction.  Thankfully it was made by the same people who make tents for the Australian Antarctic Division and popped back up easily with no damage done.  The rest of the night didn’t really improve, with the tent being flattened another half a dozen times, each gust announcing its arrival about 15 seconds in advance with an almighty roar.

Day 58 – In my experience it’s always windy and raining in Torres del Paine (TDP day 2)

We got up just before 5am and hiked the last hour up the moraine to the lookout.  The wind had not really abated and a few gusts came pretty close to carrying us off the side of the mountain.  The wind was at least moving the cloud on quickly which gave us a some time with clear skies.  When the first red rays hit the spires we were two of only about a dozen people at the lookout, surprising given the 40-odd tents pitched in the valley below.

 
The towers just before sunrise

Trying not to be blown away (wind is hard to photograph…)

 
It’s hard to get a sense of scale, the top of the highest spire is 1500m above the snow you can see.

By the time we got down from the valley and back onto the flats the wind had gotten even worse.  At one point it picked up a patch of gravel and dust that sandblasted us so badly we got grazes.  The girl in front of us got pushed of the track into some bushes.

Shortly after collecting our stored equipment and having some lunch the rain started.  This combined with the below par scenery for the rest of this day made for quite a miserable trudge.

About an hour from the night’s camp we came to a bridge-less river crossing.  The guy from the couple in front of us had jumped across from a high point and made an even landing pad for his girlfriend.  Encourage by their success we followed suit and made it across dry. 

A white throated caracara sitting by the track

 
The scenery improved a little when the track hit a meadow in full bloom about one hour out from the camp.

Puesto Seron (our camp for the night) was based around an old farm house, from when this patch of the park was a ranch.  There was a very dirty hot shower available and we took advantage of this to warm up a bit.  While cooking in the rain I got chatting to an Australian guy, Andrew.  It turned out that he and his wife Marta live in Sanctuary Lakes and frequent Cliffhanger and rogaines!

Puesto Seron

Day 59 – Finally a new weather experience (TDP day 3)

The rain and wind had finally died down in the morning and by the time we’d been walking for a couple of hours the sun was shining and we were in the Rio Paine valley at the back of the park.  I had a brief conversation with a porter who was carrying equipment for a German couple (the conversation was brief because I could only keep up with him for about 15 minutes!).  He was telling me how his pack was light by some standards, only about 30kgs, when he works for climbing expeditions he lugs up to 50kgs!

Lago Paine and the peaks of adjacent Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins

 
Erin demonstrating proper log balancing technique

 

 
The path heading toward Refugio Dickson and the clouds disappearing

Late morning we caught up with Andrew and Marta and began walking with them, we had quite a lot in common it turned out.  When we arrived at Refugio Dickson just after lunchtime we all decided to ‘make hay while the sun shone’ and push on to the next camp.

 
Ventisquero Dickson with Refugio Dickson in the foreground.

The mountains behind Refugio Dickson.

The track rose steadily from Refugio Dickson so we stopped to strip off some layers.  An hour or so later I stopped to take a photo and realised I was no longer carrying my camera - I’d left it sitting on a rock while I got changed.  Andrew and Marta kindly waited with Erin while I jogged about 2km back down the track to get it.  When I got back about 45 minutes later they were just packing up their mate, they’d decided to have a tea break.

The view that prompted the camera hunt (though this is Erin’s photo which came out better in the end!)

 
Andrew brewing their first mate

Shortly before reaching the camp we came to Lago Los Perros, a moraine lake with a small steep glacier cascading into it.  When we reached the campground the guy in charge asked where we had walked from, when I told him he called us crazy.  I tried to explain that in English we have the saying ‘when the sun shines make hay’.  He didn’t seem to understand, I guess they don’t make a lot of hay in Patagonia (or get a lot of sun for that matter!).

Lago Los Perros with Glacier QQQ

Day 60 – Paso John Garner (TDP day 4)

Andrew and Marta again found themselves waiting, this time for Erin and I to pack up camp so we could cross Paso John Garner as a group.  This section of the walk is the most strenuous and exposed, crossing John Garner Pass high at the head of the valley above us.

The track on the way up was in pretty bad shape, very muddy, steep and slippery.  Erin and I who both only have low-cut approach shoes found ourselves with wet feet pretty quickly.  Andrew and Marta who had proper leather boots (their trip is mostly walking so they could justify packing these) were much better off.

The track condition improved above the tree line, until we hit the snow of course.  One section was particularly steep, making for some fairly intimidating walking.

Looking toward the pass

Erin crossing one of the snow patches

 
Andrew and Marta climbing the step snow, with Lago Los Perros in the background

 
Nearly at the pass

We reached the pass as the sky was clouding over.  Rather strangely the pass is marked with what I suppose you would call a sock shrine.  From the pass it possible to look down on Glacier Grey.  Up to 6km wide and tens of kilometres long it is a very impressive sight.

 
The sock shrine on Paso John Garner

Glacier Grey from Paso John Garner

 
Some little plants eeking out a living near the pass

The descent from the pass was very steep and quite relentless, making us all quite pleased that we had crossed in the direction we did.  Once we were back amongst the trees we could see the glacier getting closer and closer through the trees. 

Late afternoon we made it to Campamanto Paso, where I spent the next couple of hours wrestling with our camp stove which had decided to become exceptionally temperamental.

Glacier Grey through the trees

 
Tinkering with the stove at Campamento Paso

Day 61 – Taking it easyish (TDP day 5)

After three rather strenuous days we decided to take it easy and just get as far as the next camp.  Andrew and Marta had the same plan so we again joined forces. 

For about four hours the track wound its way along the side of the glacier and then along the side of Lago Grey which sits at the end of the glacier.   The most noteworthy part of the day’s hike were two deep ravines with fixed ladders, these proved to be rather exciting in the wind.

At Refugio Grey the campground is on a nice pebble beach with views over the lake, where chunks of ice from the glacier occasionally float by.  Hot showers were again on the menu, and we treated ourselves by sharing a little box of wine bought from the small store (stocked by the boat that supplies the refugio).

Looking up Glacier Grey

The path above the glacier

 
Ravine number 1

Looking up ravine number 1

Erin rugged up against the cold wind

 
Descending into ravine number 2

It was just too hard not to take photos of it!

Campamento Grey

Day 62 – It’s only another two hours uphill (TDP day 6)

Today we planned to squeeze a day and a half of recommended walking into one day so that we could stay in the same place for two nights and do the hike up and back Valle Frances as a day trip.  Andrew and Marta got an early start while we got going slowly.  They had the right idea because they managed to break camp in the dry, we weren’t so lucky.  The walk the rest of the way south along Lago Grey wasn’t particularly eventful and we caught Andrew and Marta a few minutes out from Refugio Pehoe and lunch. 

Just as we sat down to lunch under a small shelter in front of the ranger’s office it started raining.  A group of Israelis joined us under the shelter and promptly all lit up cigarettes.  One of them eventually succumbed to some unsubtle mutterings on our part and moved away a little.  The guy amongst the four then proceeded to take a leak in plain view not 10m from where we were lunching.

Some small falls about an hour out from camp

The hanging lake perched above Lago Grey.

Looking down the track to Lago Pehoe with Andrew and Marta in the foreground

Signboard with the mountains disappearing in the background

Andrew, Matt and Marta contemplating lunch

 
As good a spot as any to shelter from the terrible Patagonian weather

After lunch we set off for Campamento Italiano, our intended stop for the next two nights.  The weather stayed miserable and we were afforded only occasional views through the clouds.  So we were all quite chuffed when we crossed the final bridge into camp.  As Erin and I got across the bridge (only two people at a time allowed) Andrew turned to us and said ‘bad news, the campground is full.’  We though he was taking the piss until we saw the stern look on the face of the ranger he was talking to. 

Our options it seemed were to return to where we had come from, continue on the main circuit (skipping the significant side trip we had planned), or half the side trip that evening with our full packs, instead of daypacks as we had hoped.  Dispirited and generally shirty (given we could see a number of empty spaces) we sat down to consider our options.  During that time the ranger turned another dozen people away, bringing one lady to tears!  I don’t disagree with camping limits, I understand that the park authority has a responsibility to preserve the environmental health of the park. However we had greeted the rangers at Refugio Pehoe who had made no mention of the camping limits, in fact there was no mention of the limits on signs, maps or brochures anywhere else in the park.  And sending tired trekkers another two hours into the darkness seems outright dangerous.  [Rant over…]

Cuerno Principal with Lago Skottsberg in the foreground

After downing some crackers lathered in peanut butter we decided we had the energy to lug our packs up the valley.  Our efforts were rewarded with great views of the dramatic and quite active Glaciar Frances and the surrounding collection of rocky peaks.  Two and a half hours later and thoroughly rooted we finally made camp at Campamento Britanico, high in the valley.

Glaciar Frances

The long slog toward the views

As we were setting up camp two climbers stopped by to have a chat, I think they were suffering from extreme boredom.  They had three routes picked out on the surrounding rock spires and they were sitting tight waiting for the weather.  Each morning they got up at 5am to inspect the weather and decide whether to start the 3 hour hike to the start of their climbs.  Each day so far the weather had thwarted their plans.  So instead they sat in the valley discussing relatively sunny climbing destinations like Arapiles…

 
Pegged out to withstand the wind and rain

Day 63 – What went up must go down (TDP day 7)

We all slept in to compensate for the extra effort expended the previous evening.  When we got up and headed for the lookout at the head of the valley all that was to be seen were clouds.  It turned out that the park authority had done us a favour by moving us on, the views the previous night had been far better.

As we were breaking camp the two climbers passed us  heading down.  They’d done their three hour hike to the base of one of their intended routes, waited two hours in the terrible weather before giving up and hiking a couple of hours back down.  Despite this they seemed in reasonable spirits, such determination!

The walk down the valley in the wind and the rain turned out to be just as hard as the walk up.  My knees certainly didn’t appreciate the fact I weigh nearly 100kgs with the pack on!  The rain let up as we got close to Refugio Los Cuernos and we were able to dry off a bit once we arrived.

Our improvised drying room

Andrew and Marta hiding food from the many mice

After dinner we had some wine on the beach and watched the incoming rain clouds.

 
Not a volcano, just a coincidence.

 
Turns out you can photograph wind… spray over the lake.

Day 64 – Back where we started (TDP day 8)

The final day’s walk was pretty uneventful and the weather stayed true to form… terrible. We got back to the head of the road at about 1:30pm, just in time to hop on a shuttle back to the intersection and a coach back to Puerto Natales. 

Before we knew it we were back in civilisation and enjoying Zambian – Chilean cuisine for dinner at “Afrigonia”, delicious.