Torres del Paine - W-Trek
I'm on a VERY slow connection in El Calafate, so still no piccies - sorry!
We left Bariloche and the plane was on time (amazing!). The people to meet us were 20 mins late (bus trouble), but it all worked out. The hotel room was almost a sauna (nearly 30 degrees with central in-floor heating) and noisy outside. We were SO pumped about getting to Torres del Paine the next day. I'll skip the 5am start,12 hour multi-buses ride (it wasn't a death bus though Ben) and the mega stuffing about at the border to get the the magnificent Torres del Paine NP. We saw it from a distance, with its towering, snow capped mountains and many different coloured lakes. The first, Lago Amarga was a bright lime-green, and we saw 3 pink flamingos fly low over the water in formation. Many guacanos (llama-like creatures) about as well as foxes. If we were pumped before we were bursting now! The bus drove through just about all roads in the park (to orient us) and that was OK, but we were well 'bussed out'!
Our campsite was within sight of Las Torres, three towers rising high in the distance. The weather was still supurb. We got some wine from the nearby refugio, had dinner cooked by Pablo and met our 21 year old very capable Chilean guide, Hector. Actually w´'d met Hector in El Calafate, sorry.
We went to bed, stuffed, at 11pm to get up early 7:30 for our first 18km trek to the base of Las Torres. We walked uphill for quite a bit over fairly barren ground, some trees, and a beautiful bush that has bright red flowers. We were following a lovely fast flowing river below with the white rapids still allowing the clear green water the show through. We walked through forests, up creeks, past refugio and camping ground to the base of the scree that led to the towers. It was a VERY hard climb up the scree for me, but mountain goat Eva just about ran! The scene at the top has to be experienced to be understood. The three towers rising out of the mountain, with the glaciers around sheeding water in waterfalls that ran down huge cliffs to the bright green water forming a small lake below. It was so amazing! We stayed there for ages, before the long descent back to the campsite. What a first day! The ascent up the scree reminded me a bit of the steep bit of the climb up Mt. Ossa in Tasmania (for those of you that have done that).
We were stuffed and slept in the same campground that night (more wine of course) after a warmish shower. Next day was a 16km trek to Camp Italiano. We followed a lake (beautiful) and had a little up and down, but not like the previous day. Many forests and views on the way. We passed along a beach of black stones and white stones that was so beautiful and calm. Weather perfect again, we were so lucky. We crossed a large river by stone hopping (it was fun, thanks gore-tex), and had luch on some high rocks overlooking the lake.
We got to the Refugio Los Cuernois (the horns) and one of our party (Heidi from Vancouver) had fallen and was bleeding from arm and hand. She was patched up by Hector and a tourist I think, but it looked bad. She has continued with us throughout - Canadians are real tough! The view of the huge Cuernos is amazing. They consist of large pale brown sedimentary rocks that have pushed up the darker granite on top, and then been weathered away to look like giant horns. It was almost humbling to walk so close to them.
We stayed in the free-camping, poor facilities Italian Camp for two nights.
After the first night we walked about 13km (total) and went up the French valley to watch avalanches that fell from a higher glacier to the French glacier. It was a hard walk up, but so beautiful, seeing the glaciers all the way.
On the way back Hector took us to a small lake in the French Valley where I had a swim (yes, it was cold) in sight of mountains, rivers and glaciers, and dried myself in the sun! I love this place.
Next day we were going to complete the W-trek by walking to Refugio Grey (18km or so) but due to the poor reliability of the boat from there we decided to walk 7.5km to Refugio Paine Grande and then walk on to a viewpoint of the Grey Glacier and back to the refugio.
It was a good walk, the day was getting a bit more overcast, and we walked in sight of the Grey Lake and other lakes, through forest with some uphill, but not too bad. When we saw the glacier it was quite spectacular with its 40m ice-wall and some icebergs floating in the lake closer to us.
It had taken us 2 hours to walk there, and was half way to Refugio Grey. I wanted to walk to Refugio Grey (another 2 hours) and then walk back to where we were staying (another 4 hours after that). Hector asked who else, and no-one else wanted to, so Eva, Hector and I set off on another 18km after the 12km we had just done.
We ended up doing 30km that day, but also the expected 6 hours was done in 4, with quite a lot of Up and Down. Stuffed was not quite the word I used to describe how I felt, especially as the last 3/4 hour was in rain.
BUT it was well worth it!! The refugio is set in a forest at the lake edge with icebergs floating in the bay. The glacier (an extra 10 mins walk) was amazing, we were quite close to it and there were many icebergs. I left Eva and Hector at the top of a hill and walked down to the water and had to run back as I had taken too much time.
Both of us felt $$%%&&'ed but felt SO SO good too. We decided to reward ourselves and slept in a bed rather than tents that night.
Turned out it was a good move as the rain continued a bit through the night but had stopped by the morning. The mountains nearby (the Paine Grande and the Cuernos) had a dusting of snow and were amazing.
The bas ride back to El Calafate had its comedy of errors and was long and painful - but if that's the way to see the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park - so be it!
Today (next day) we drove the 80km by bus to Perito Moreno Glacier, which dwarfs Grey Glacier, and went ice-trekking on its blue-white surface - but I'll have to elaborate next time as we will have a briefing soon about our treks in Fitz Roy area starting tomorrow. I know our first trek there is about 25km.
Hasta luego!
PS We are both well, have been drinking water out of all the streams and even have eaten salad and unpeeled fruit. That will change when we get to Bueons Aires, but that's a while away.
We left Bariloche and the plane was on time (amazing!). The people to meet us were 20 mins late (bus trouble), but it all worked out. The hotel room was almost a sauna (nearly 30 degrees with central in-floor heating) and noisy outside. We were SO pumped about getting to Torres del Paine the next day. I'll skip the 5am start,12 hour multi-buses ride (it wasn't a death bus though Ben) and the mega stuffing about at the border to get the the magnificent Torres del Paine NP. We saw it from a distance, with its towering, snow capped mountains and many different coloured lakes. The first, Lago Amarga was a bright lime-green, and we saw 3 pink flamingos fly low over the water in formation. Many guacanos (llama-like creatures) about as well as foxes. If we were pumped before we were bursting now! The bus drove through just about all roads in the park (to orient us) and that was OK, but we were well 'bussed out'!
Our campsite was within sight of Las Torres, three towers rising high in the distance. The weather was still supurb. We got some wine from the nearby refugio, had dinner cooked by Pablo and met our 21 year old very capable Chilean guide, Hector. Actually w´'d met Hector in El Calafate, sorry.
We went to bed, stuffed, at 11pm to get up early 7:30 for our first 18km trek to the base of Las Torres. We walked uphill for quite a bit over fairly barren ground, some trees, and a beautiful bush that has bright red flowers. We were following a lovely fast flowing river below with the white rapids still allowing the clear green water the show through. We walked through forests, up creeks, past refugio and camping ground to the base of the scree that led to the towers. It was a VERY hard climb up the scree for me, but mountain goat Eva just about ran! The scene at the top has to be experienced to be understood. The three towers rising out of the mountain, with the glaciers around sheeding water in waterfalls that ran down huge cliffs to the bright green water forming a small lake below. It was so amazing! We stayed there for ages, before the long descent back to the campsite. What a first day! The ascent up the scree reminded me a bit of the steep bit of the climb up Mt. Ossa in Tasmania (for those of you that have done that).
We were stuffed and slept in the same campground that night (more wine of course) after a warmish shower. Next day was a 16km trek to Camp Italiano. We followed a lake (beautiful) and had a little up and down, but not like the previous day. Many forests and views on the way. We passed along a beach of black stones and white stones that was so beautiful and calm. Weather perfect again, we were so lucky. We crossed a large river by stone hopping (it was fun, thanks gore-tex), and had luch on some high rocks overlooking the lake.
We got to the Refugio Los Cuernois (the horns) and one of our party (Heidi from Vancouver) had fallen and was bleeding from arm and hand. She was patched up by Hector and a tourist I think, but it looked bad. She has continued with us throughout - Canadians are real tough! The view of the huge Cuernos is amazing. They consist of large pale brown sedimentary rocks that have pushed up the darker granite on top, and then been weathered away to look like giant horns. It was almost humbling to walk so close to them.
We stayed in the free-camping, poor facilities Italian Camp for two nights.
After the first night we walked about 13km (total) and went up the French valley to watch avalanches that fell from a higher glacier to the French glacier. It was a hard walk up, but so beautiful, seeing the glaciers all the way.
On the way back Hector took us to a small lake in the French Valley where I had a swim (yes, it was cold) in sight of mountains, rivers and glaciers, and dried myself in the sun! I love this place.
Next day we were going to complete the W-trek by walking to Refugio Grey (18km or so) but due to the poor reliability of the boat from there we decided to walk 7.5km to Refugio Paine Grande and then walk on to a viewpoint of the Grey Glacier and back to the refugio.
It was a good walk, the day was getting a bit more overcast, and we walked in sight of the Grey Lake and other lakes, through forest with some uphill, but not too bad. When we saw the glacier it was quite spectacular with its 40m ice-wall and some icebergs floating in the lake closer to us.
It had taken us 2 hours to walk there, and was half way to Refugio Grey. I wanted to walk to Refugio Grey (another 2 hours) and then walk back to where we were staying (another 4 hours after that). Hector asked who else, and no-one else wanted to, so Eva, Hector and I set off on another 18km after the 12km we had just done.
We ended up doing 30km that day, but also the expected 6 hours was done in 4, with quite a lot of Up and Down. Stuffed was not quite the word I used to describe how I felt, especially as the last 3/4 hour was in rain.
BUT it was well worth it!! The refugio is set in a forest at the lake edge with icebergs floating in the bay. The glacier (an extra 10 mins walk) was amazing, we were quite close to it and there were many icebergs. I left Eva and Hector at the top of a hill and walked down to the water and had to run back as I had taken too much time.
Both of us felt $$%%&&'ed but felt SO SO good too. We decided to reward ourselves and slept in a bed rather than tents that night.
Turned out it was a good move as the rain continued a bit through the night but had stopped by the morning. The mountains nearby (the Paine Grande and the Cuernos) had a dusting of snow and were amazing.
The bas ride back to El Calafate had its comedy of errors and was long and painful - but if that's the way to see the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park - so be it!
Today (next day) we drove the 80km by bus to Perito Moreno Glacier, which dwarfs Grey Glacier, and went ice-trekking on its blue-white surface - but I'll have to elaborate next time as we will have a briefing soon about our treks in Fitz Roy area starting tomorrow. I know our first trek there is about 25km.
Hasta luego!
PS We are both well, have been drinking water out of all the streams and even have eaten salad and unpeeled fruit. That will change when we get to Bueons Aires, but that's a while away.
Comments