Torres del Paine - the "W" trek

After the best hostel breakfast of the whole trip (real coffee, homemade bread, proper yoghurt) we all take the bus to the Torres del Paine park entrance. There are 5 in our "group". Two noisy, gregarious French girls, Karine & Laurie, Luke, from an adventurous South African family and tiny Penny from HK. I am "self catering" so I can leave early or stay longer, if I want to. We have to (well, it´s optional but saves a 5hr slog)  take a expensive boat ride ($22 for 30 mins) across a lake to start, then we get away at 1pm ish.

I had totally forgotten what trekking with a heavy pack is like, HELL !! I think it is about 14-16kg and I took out everything I could !  it´s still way too heavy and after just 3hrs "everything" is aching and my feet are sore. It really semi-ruins the pleasure of mountain walking, but what can you do ??  My "big fat" sleeping bag is the culprit I think, however I´m really glad of it on every single night, as I´m nice and warm and the others are suffering (with their "backpacker-weight" bags). We hike up to the mirador of the Grey Glacier, this is no doubt spectacular, but if you´ve already been spoilt with "Perito Moreno" then not quite so. In the morning, their breakfast recommendation is spot on, Porridge !! with dried fruit, this is the perfect camping/trekking brekkie, very filling and light to carry. Their other recommendation, for Supper, was rice with a tin of tuna on top, does not sound like much but it really works as well. At the "pass" the wind is really howling, enough to knock you off your feet !

Next day the French girls "entertain us" with their singing on the way down the valley !! They can´t sing but they don´t care ! We get a good view of the extraordinary "Torres del Paine" massive (left) and work our way to a free campsite, Campo Brittanico. We have a really great social evening with the many others coming the other way. There is a Italian couple there who have just completed the Big Circuit, this is a 9 day backwoods trek that is officially closed, but they did it anyway ! Their pictures show 15 feet deep snow (only the tops of trees visible), they had to make their own snowshoes out of wood ! This seems all a little crazy to me, and even more crazy - they are on their honeymoon !  It takes all sorts....

In the morning, rain and wind. It´s a 2 hour trek to the Mirador at the top of "Valle Frances", mercifully without packs. Well the "you don´t need waterproofs theory" works, I survived, but there was not one second where I would not rather have been wearing some Gore-Tex !! At the top the view was, predictably, not that good, mostly obscured by cloud. On the way back the ice falling off the higher glaciers makes a thunderous sound that reverberates up and down the valley like a jet taking off (old one..). That night we stayed at an expensive campsite that was little more than a pile of rocks and had cold showers to boot ! I was told I looked good for 52, Ouch !!

The longest trekking day, to the ultimate part of the trek, the Mirador right under the towers. An 8 hour slog up the valley, I get in and stare at a tree for about an hour !  So revived, Karine suggests a walk, me and Penny join her. I did not realise she had the climb to the Mirador in mind, I´ve just got sandals on and no torch (it´s late). It´s a fairly crazy plan, but we get up there just as the light is fading. It´s worth it though, I think it´s the most staggeringly good mountain scenery in the world, you just have to stare for a while....We return in the black dark, this is a risky scramble, I slip a few times and Penny loses her Camera (it´s a matte grey colour, very helpful when searching through rocks...). In the morning we rise at 5am and go back up, to see the sunsrise on the towers, but a cloud actually blocks the sun at this time so no colours. Still breath taking though.....

Great picture that I ruined by "signalling left"...

Luke cooks us an excellent Porridge ! we absorb the view for a while, then it´s back down the valley, still looking for the "rock-camera". We take the bus back to Puerto Natales where much needed hot showers are taken, that evening we go out as a big group and have huge Steak and Chips, food never tastes better than at these moments !  A Dutch girl has found Penny´s camera and handed it to the park office, they arrange for it to be returned to Puerto Natales.

Reflection in the lake....

Back at the "Erratic Rock" hostel everyone (except Penny, she has to collect her camera) has left on the early bus. I think their crazy, I need a "recovery day", and very nice it is too, it´s eerily quiet and I sort my stuff and do some chores in good sunny weather and have another huge brekkie....