Trekking the "W"

Jes, Tole and Paul at the start of our trek of the "W".
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Torres del Paine Trek (Chile)

The "W" is probably in the running for the most populated hiking trail on the planet, but it's nonetheless full of beautiful things to see.  Foremost among these is Glacier Grey, which to me was far more impressive than the Torres ("towers" of stone) for which the park is named.  For more than an hour the trail affords fantastic views of this icy behemoth oozing down the mountain valley in two forks.  Even better, one lookout point allowed Paul and I to sit right over the glacier, peering down into its funky crevaces.  It was there in the absolute quiet, with no other hikers around, that we got the best sense of the glacier's overwhelming mass and slightly weird brand of beauty.  Though the glacier scarcely "moves," the jumbled, jagged peaks and deep crevaces imply that something very violent has just occurred.  The glacier had what felt to me like an intensely organic and slightly imposing presence.  This made me feel vaguely discomfited but also, I think, added to my exhilaration in seeing it.  The view was one of the most awe-inspiring things I've ever seen, probably the most fantastic of our trip.

full of beautiful things to see

Campamento Pehoe.
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Sadly, Tole missed Glacier Grey.  For the first time since we left last July, he came down with some sort of flu.  Paul and I hiked up to Glacier Grey on our own, leaving Tole to recover at a lower camp.  Misery loves company, however, and on the way back Paul started feeling badly as well.  In the end, Paul felt terribly for most of the trek, and Tole and I were in less than perfect shape.  We stayed an extra day at Camp Pehoe to help the recovery, then made our way on towards the Torres.

View of Glacier Grey.
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The W is a mildly strange bird when it comes to multi-day wilderness treks, as it's possible to hike the entire 4 to 5 days without ever pitching a tent or breaking out a camp stove.  Refugios along the way offer dorm beds, showers and hot meals; essentially, they're hostels.  The problem, aside from the fact that many of us actually like to camp, is that the refugios in Torres del Paine will set you back about $40, and that's just for a dorm bed.  Dinner is an additional $16.  We camped every night, but we succumbed to the temptation and ate in a refugio one particulary cold and windy night.  The food was not as good as our camp stove pasta dinners, and that's really saying something (something bad)!  The bottom line is:  no matter how warm and lovely the refugio looks as you peep out from the slit in your sleeping bag, always camp and cook your own food.  Although, those refugios can come in pretty handy for a few post-hike beers ...

Glacier Grey on Lago Grey.
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After Glacier Gray, between Pehoe and the Torres, the trail offered some beautiful panoramic views over the turquoise lakes, mountains and rock formations around us.  I particularly love the reddish grass that grows in Patagonia, enhancing the already colorful landscape with strokes of dark auburn.  Icing on the cake.  We did make it to the Torres in the end, and we were lucky to find them only slightly obscured by the clouds.  All in all, we walked nearly 100 kilometers, saw some beautiful sights, and generally had a wonderful seven days in the mountains.