Hiking in Torres del Paine

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I know I promised this long ago, but I have had trouble uploading it to the blog a number of times now....same problem with the photos.  I can only seem to upload some of them.  I will keep trying to upload the rest of the pics...

Beginning February 4, I began a three day, 80km hike in Torres del Pain National Park in southern Chile.  Torres is located deep in Patagonia, wedged in the Andes at the edge of the rolling hills grass covered hills of patagonian sheep country and the southern end of the Patagonian Ice Shield which covers hundreds of square kilometers along the Chilean - Argentinian border.  It is said to be one of the pre-eminent national parks in the world.  The 80km hike is known as the "W" hike for the direction taken by the trails.  Many people choose to camp and carry the gear necessary to do so.  However, given that the camping is by no means isolated (you pitch your tent in designated campsites filled with dozens of other campers, I chose to stay in the basic shelters known as refugios, and not drag anythying more than bursting day pack with all my all weather gear and such.  Because I was travelling lighter than some and my knees are in good shape (lots of up and down and randome boulders), I did the "W" hike in 3 days instead of the usual 4.  Mr. Hooke would have trouble with this hike...

I did most of the hike with a guy completing his MBA at Duke, and on the first day, a few more of his Duke cohorts.  Accordingly, I billed 30 hours over 3 days to business development.

Day 1 - left the refugio at 530 to make it to the towers that are "Torres del Paine" in good time.  The last hour is a near vertical scramble, often on all fours, over granite scrabble up to the base of the torres.  There we waited nearly an hour waiting for the clouds billowing up from behind the towers to recede enough to provide the clear photo-op.  As you can see, the clouds never did quite leave the central tower.  Having waited all we could, we bolted for the 14km hike to the next refugio, around the base of the adjacent mountain range from where we could look at the lower pampas grass covered hills where guanacos (mountain llamas) and south american ostrich-like birds were grazing.

total distance - 26.5kms total walking time - 9hrs one sweaty shirt, no blisters

Day 2 - up the French Valley in the center of the park, where you pass a mountain on which precarious glaciers hang from precipices on angles that seemingly defy gravity.  Every once and a while part of one of the glaciers would calve, making a tremendous rumble and then crash as the ice careened down the mountain to the valley floor below.  Thankfully, this mountain is on the other side of the coursing glacial river from the trail.  The trail then passes through dwarf lenga trees (patagonian deciduous tree with small green leaves that turn crimson in fall) that was no higher in places than 6ft.  Finally, at the end of the valley, there is a near vertical climb up a rocky spillway to the base of the mountains that create a cathedral-like bowl around the head of the valley. At the top, some 800ft above the valley floor there is an unforgettable view of the surrounding granite towers, mountains and to the west, mountain ranges beyond and the edge of the Patagonian Ice Shield.  After admiring the view for an hour, we had to book it to the next refugio, some 11kms away.

total distance - 25kms total time - 8.5hours second sweaty shirt, no blisters.  I pair socks sullied beyond saving.

Day 3 - was the least dramatic in terms of landscape. It involved a hike to and along Lago Grey to the Grey Glacier.  I had already seen glacier Pio XI on the Navimag boat ride earlier in the week.  That glacier was enormous and stunning to see, whereas Glacier Grey paled a little in comparison.  HOwever, it was amazing to see the river of ice slowly rise from the lake to the mountains from which it came, eventually subsuming those very mountains.  After listening to the creak, cracking and calving of the glacier for an hour or so, it was time to book it for the last refugio and the catamaran and bus out of the park.

total distance - 25kms total time - 7.5hours third sweaty shirt, but no blisters.

Off to Argentina...