Torres del Paine
With (very!) heavy bags we set out on the Torres del Paine circuit for 8-10 days of trekking around the national park.
Day 1: Laguna Amarga – Campamento Seron
The start, however, was a bit of a disaster, we took a ´short cut´ (following a very obvious path to get off the fairly busy road) and missed the start of the walk so ended up having to walk along a hot, dusty road to Refugio Las Torres, which took about 1 1/2 hours. Moral of that story – don´t take short cuts down obvious paths. It didn´t put either of us in a good mood, but as soon as we found the walking path at the Refugio within 2 minutes our mood had lifted and it all felt a lot better! It is amazing what getting off a road can do to the spirits!
The path was a gentle walk through trees and into open bush, it was hot, hard work with heavy packs (oh the joys of carrying 10 days worth of food) and the campsite was a welcome site after about 4 1/2 hours after starting out from the Refugio.
The campsite, set in a pasture, was busier than expected (about 20 tents in the end), but we managed to find a flat piece of ground and set up camp. Sitting in the sun relaxing was a good end to the day and the bad start seemed a distant memory.
Day 2: Campamento Seron – Refugio Lago Dickson
A nice climb up a ridge woke us up, but the views out over Lago Paine after about an hour of walking were worth it. We were also lucky with the weather – apparently it can be a gusty spot – but we had a still day and so were able to enjoy the views for a while over a lump of chocolate (yum!)
The rest of the day was spent walking high above the lake shore, before dropping down to the river. We then had a climb up a morraine ridge, before seeing the Refugio in the distance, unfortunately we still had a bit of a climb and a steep, scree, descent to go before getting into camp. Not the best way to end the day, but a hot shower was most welcome (for me anyway – the man noticed the gas had gone out just as I was getting in, Nick had a freezing cold, straight off the lake, glacier melt water shower).
The spot was lovely, set in a grassy meadow with Lago Dickson behind and mountains to the front of the tent.
Day 3: Refugio Lago Dickson – Campamento Los Perros
A short day (about 4 hours), but surprisingly hard work. We had thought to join this day with day 4, but about half way decided that neither of us had the energy!
A climb straight out of the campsite through pretty forest for a good couple of hours deposited us out onto glacial debris and a climb up a moraine with sudden views of Laguna Los Perros and its glacier depositing icebergs into the lake. My first look at an iceberg, it seems a sad way for the ice to´die´- after being pushed down a mountain over 100s if not 1000s of years – slowly melting on the edge of a lake.
The camp came as a bit of a surprise as we walked along a river, before walking into a forest and there it was – but a very welcome sight it was too. We could certainly tell that we were higher than previous nights – the air was noticeably colder.
Day 4: Campamento Los Perros – Campamento Paso
The day was clear, a good day for climbing out of the tree line to cross the highest pass on the trek (Paso John Garner as 1241m). It was a hard climb up, through trees to begin with and then over rock slopes up to the pass. However, the views across over Glacier Grey were amazing – a river of ice over 2 miles wide and I don´t know how long! We could also just make out the Southern Ice Field from which the glacier flows in the distance.
It was here that we met Patagonian winds for the first time – very cold and quite strong – but nothing like the gale force ones that can whip across the pass. It was slightly cloudy and as we made our way down the other side it started to snow slightly. We had our lunch just before dropping into steep forest looking out over the ice with the snow falling. All far too pituresque and just amazing.
Even the walk down through steep forest wasn´t as hard as we had been warned that it was going to be – probably because the ground was dry – it would have been really hard if it had rained recently and the ground muddy as it would have been very slippery.
We spent the afternoon at the campsite wandered out to a view point to sit and watch the ice – its changing shapes and colours as the sun moved through the sky & clouds came & went. It is amazing how time flies as you watch a glacier!
Day 5: Campamento Paso – Refugio Grey
An easy day today, around 3 hours of walking, a couple of tricksy ladder moments but nothing too bad. We spent 2 hours stopping and getting different views of the glacier – at Grey we looked back up the galcier from one of the snouts – there is a crop of rocks at the front which splits the glacier into two as it tumbles into Lago Grey. The campsite was pretty, by the lake with random icebergs floating past!
You could tell that we had hit the ´W´ – a popular 5 day walk around the front of the park – lots more people around who didn´t seem to be carry much more than a day pack.
Day 6: Refugio Grey – Campameno Italiano
A climb first thing in the morning rewarded us with views of both snouts of the glacier. It was then a bit of plodge down to Lago Pehoe with lots of people going the other way, I certainly prefered the ´backside´of the walk – 95% going in the same direction (to get the views over the pass of the glacier) so you don´t meet that many people on the walk, it is also generally quieter wth not as many people setting out for 8 to 10 days.
Lago Pehoe is an amazing turquoise colour and made a good lunch spot. It was then onto Italiano – skirking alongside a couple of lakes.
We tried 2 camp spots before settling on a third – set amongst the trees we were a bit paranoid about the dead ones falling on us in the night!!
Day 7: Campamento Italiano – Albergue Los Cuernos via Valle del Frances
We set off in the morning up the Valle del Frances – we leave the tent & the big packs behind & only walk with day bags – what a difference it makes as we walk.
The walk gradually undualtes up through forest – at one point it opens out and we see Glaciar Frances which is spitting ice blocks into the valley below (we´d heard it before we could see it). As we climb steadily we get glimpses of the circ of moutains we are walking into – only getting better and better as we climb. The mirador (just above Campamento Britanico) gives fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and the lake below.
The wind starts to blow – boy is it strong (and cold). Means we don´t hang around at the mirador for long. Instead we head for a more sheltered spot for lunch and watch Glacier Frances dropping ice instead!
Putting on the big bags is a bit of a shock, but it is less than 2 hours on to Albergue Los Cuernos – the wind was really blowing at this point, creating waves on the lake that, in turn had rainbows in them as we looked down on it and also knocking me off my feet at one point – splat into a bush!
Los Cuernos didn´t have many sheltered camp spots and the one we ended up in certainly wasn´t sheltered. We spent most of the night wide awake listening to the gusts of wind around us waiting for them to shake the tent and us pray that it stood up to the wind & hope that we weren´t suddenly looking at stars – it survived the night – yeah!
Day 8: Albergue Los Cuernos – Campamento Las Torres
A fairly hard day of walking – 6 hours of general up (getting steeper the closer to the campsite we got). We set up camp, dropped the big bags again and climbed up glacier rubble to finally get to the mirador and the Torres del Paine – a fine sight – but I prefered Valle del Frances – more mountains and a better setting. There were a lot of people at the top – all looking up at the 3 spikes as if they were about to get up & dance (which they didn´t – would have been fun though!)
Day 9: Campamento Las Torres – Laguna Amarga
Nick got up at 5.15 am and headed up to the Torres again to watch sunrise. I stayed in my lovely warm sleeping bag, lazy, but I didn´t feel I needed to see them again. Apparently it got down to 1º at the top (I stayed in my lovely warm sleeping bag!)
It then was a retrace of steps down to Refugio Las Torres, walking in the opposite direction to all the day walkers heading up to the mirador and a windy wait to catch a minibus along the road we´d walked down on the first day.
Then it was all over. 9 days of good trekking, certainly preferred the backside to the W – less people. I think I´m becoming selfish – I want the wilderness to myself and not be disturbed by groups of people shouting at each other as I sit and soak in the views, but, unfortunately, I don´t think that is possible in many places nowadays.
Tags: Chile, Torres del Paine, Travel, Trek
Jenni
What a great synopsis of the track! Now we know what we would have found had we gone next year at this time. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to go now, as we are surprisingly pregnant and due at the end of September. Luckily, we got our big backpack in NZ out of the way before that happened. I’m so happy we can live vicariously through your adventures! Keep up the posting.