Torres Del Paine - Hiking the W - Part 1

March 25 - 26, 2011

A bit of early morning drizzle pattered down on my tent and knowing that I had enough time to do so, I stayed in my sleeping bag a little longer, with my head wrapped up in the fleece jacket I was using as both a pillow and a cover to keep out the chill of the cold nights, dropping down around freezing at that time of year. Slowly getting up and having a bit of granola breakfast from my pack of dry food, I got out and ready for my trek. The advantage of my new plan was that I could leave my large pack and tent behind for the first day, making a hike up the side valley and back down to the same spot for the evening. Bits of sun were breaking through the clouds, and I hoped that various predictions that it often rained during the night and stayed mostly dry during the day would prove to be true.

Hiking through a narrow U-shaped valley of grasslands, I left the campsite and headed North towards Grey Lake and Grey Glacier. Though this area is incredibly popular for hiking, that doesn't mean it's easy. Climbing up and down the undulating trail, I kept moving along, marvelling at the changing views. One of the best parts about the park is that the views change often, revealing magical bits of mountains, forests, glaciers, lakes and steep river valleys, or any combination thereof. Not long into the hike, I was alongside the long narrow Lake Grey, a darker lake with steep banks of rock and scrubby vegetation, populated with occasional small icebergs coming off the glacier at the top of the lake. As the sun shone down and I climbed up and down, I got hot in my jeans and t-shirt, though all it takes it a minute or two of standing on a windy cliffside with chilled air coming off the lake and glacier or down from the mountains to cool down quite quickly. My jacket came on and off, and I even held my gloves and woolly hat for most of the hike, since I was often putting them on or taking them off. To me, this was close to perfect hiking weather, not too hot or humid and cold enough to cool down quickly without being completely freezing, though I just hoped things didn't change.

Alongside the lake, a few steep climbs over rocks and roots led me to the top of a beautiful lookout point, catching my breath and having a snack as I peered over the water at the distant glacier, split into two by a large rock intrusion where the glacier reaches the ice cold water. With the lovely lake to my left, the scenery climbed steeply to my right, leading to the edge of the cluster of mountains crowning the middle of the park. This was quite an amazing start to the walk, and I was excited to see more and more, though halfway through the first day, I was already feeling a bit tired. I reached the glacier face and spent time at the lookout point just across the water from the sprawling mass of ice before heading down to the water's edge to check out a few clumps of ice that had drifted into a tiny bay and gotten stuck in that corner until the winds changed. My timing was also good, as I was able to avoid a group of hikers coming in just after me, particularly with one young American trekker who had already failed at endearing himself to us on the boat the day before, breaking out a few terrible tunes on a harmonica, presumably newly acquired judging by his skill level, and butchering the names of a group of French students with whom he was now hiking. As it turned out, I'd have the pleasure of seeing him over and over again during the long hikes, but the scenery was more than enough to make up for occasional run ins with him.

Coming back from the glacier, I made a quick stop at the Grey campsite to check things out, finding a pleasant, wooded site just near the edge of the lake. The site here is a lot quieter than the Paine Grande site where I was staying, but I was still happy that I didn't have to drag all of my gear up and down those hills all the way up there. As I went back, I crossed a few streams and a mini-gorge, feeling more and more exertion as my legs started to groan and an impending blister began to announce its presence on my toe. Again, this was more of an inconvenience, as the amazing landscapes here help draw your attention away from any physical impediments. I finally arrived back at the campsite late that afternoon, finishing off about 24 kilometers (15 miles) of hiking up and down on rocky terrain, happy to be back to rest my tired body. With it being my first day on the trail and helping to get accustomed to that much hiking, I was happy with my decision to leave my big bag behind and do the day trek, returning to the same spot for the evening. I also opted for the expensive dinner at the refuge, but I topped off my plate at the buffet style meal with a salad, bread, soup, dessert, meat and pasta, trying to at least make the $20 dinner worth it. Another cold and slightly rainy night followed, and I awoke a bit earlier to start my second day.

My legs and joints were a little sore from the constant pounding of the previous day, but I knew I had to keep moving, so I packed up my stuff and headed East over a small ridge and onto a mostly flat trail through a few tiny patches of forest and near the edge of Lake Nordenskjold. This portion of the trek takes you up to the base of the Cuernos, so despite walking almost directly into the fluttering sunlight, the views of the massive black and white striated, rocky peaks were enough to provide some inspiration. Around lunchtime, I arrived at the Italian camp (these sites are named for climbing expeditions by various groups, hence the nationalities), a beautiful spot at the base of Valle Frances/French Valley. Just before getting to the camp, a swinging bridge hangs over the small, fast flowing creek below, surrounded by large pebbles and bordered by thick green forest. Looking up the valley from the bridge, the sight was amazing, revealing a huge, slightly narrow valley with hanging glacier along one mountainside and the beautiful Cuernos and Torres on the other side. I contemplated taking an easy day and staying at the Italian campsite, as it was a very beautiful setting hidden in the trees, protected from the buffeting wind at nights and sitting alongside a picturesque waterway, so I dropped off my big bag in one of the quiet camping spots and headed up into the valley, choosing to decide when I came back.

The hike up to Valle Frances is predictably almost entirely uphill, as you hike from the edge of the lake up into the valley, more or less following the creek up to its source from the glaciers of the mountains. Sometimes muddy, I started off with fairly clear and dry weather, and I was in awe of the great views. To the left, the deep green forest was thick right up until the edge of the ice, presumably dropping an unseen flow of water careening down into the creek that runs down the spine of the valley, topped by mountains up to 3,000 meters tall (almost 10,000 feet). To the right, mangled trees and openings covered in huge rock slides alternate, all the while backed by the exposed rocky tips of the mountains, standing tall at around 2,700 meters (almost 9,000 feet). Moving up into the valley, I could see dark clouds coming in over the tips of the mountains, foreboding some bad bits of weather to come. Just as I reached the top of the 2 hour climb and near the British camp, I caught a quick view of the amphitheater of mountains closing in the back of the U-shaped ring, though the clouds soon obscured the views, bringing in strong winds and a quick, light snowstorm, though nothing too significant. Deciding to keep moving with the impending weather, I hurried back down, taking shelter in the trees as the rain came down off and on, though never quite hard enough to convince me to put the waterproof pants on over my jeans (basically the opposite of waterproof pants for hiking). Back down at the bottom of the valley, I still liked the look of the lovely campsite, but I still had a little over two hours of daylight, which is almost exactly what I'd need to make it to the next stop, the Cuernos refuge.

The hike was the Italian camp to the Cuernos refuge was luckily not nearly as hilly as some other parts, mostly skirting along the edge of the large Lake Nordenskjold. I ended up walking with a group of three girls for part of the hike, one of whom I had met at a communal pizza restaurant back in Puerto Natales featuring one large picnic table for the guests. Though I was tired, I was glad to keep moving on, meaning that I'd be that much closer to my destination the next day. I had originally thought I'd take an easy day and make the next day a lot longer, but this would help even out things a bit. We passed through more dense forest and even walked along the edge of the lake, climbing up and down onto the black and white pebbled beaches of the lake shore, a beautiful site with the steep mountains standing just behind us, though huge winds carrying sprays of water kept coming off the lake, so it's not a place where you'd want to linger too long. I got to the campsite again just before dusk, finding a sheltered spot amongst some high grasses and low trees, as this is a very windy spot, something that can be quite loud and annoying as you try to sleep while the nylon flaps of the tent buffet throughout the night. Just as I was getting everything ready in my dark tent, I felt a creature's presence in their with me, feeling like a bug or something hopped around just behind me. I grabbed my flashlight and searched around the small tent and under my bags, finally seeing a scurrying mouse running around, trying to escape. Apparently I had left the tent slightly open as I set it up, and it must have smelled my bag of food, as I found a small hole in the bottom of the bag and a little pile of granola where it had chewed through the cereal box while I was sitting in the lodge with my tiny dinner. I didn't particularly want to grab the mouse, and before I had a chance, it retreated into my open backpack, so I had to carefully pull out the items one by one until it was just the mouse trying to hide in the back of the bag. I picked up the bag and dropped the little guy outside the tent, hoping that he was my only resident as I tried to drift off to sleep. (In the morning, I heard a few other stories about mice roaming the campsites, though none actually inside tents like mine.)

My first two days of the strenuous W trek were finished, and though I was exhausted, I was loving it. At the end of the day, I had hiked about another 24 kilometers, basically the same as the first day, though more than half of that was done with my big pack of camping gear, clothes and food. The beautiful mix of mountains and lakes provide an ever-changing landscape of unbelievable splendor, and even though it's a popular route, I felt privileged to be able to experience this wonderful slice of nature. There were still two more days of long walking ahead of me, and I just hoped the weather would continue to turn out in my favor. I had experienced bits of rain, lots of wind and even a small passing snow, but all in all, I had been quite lucky in such a fickle environment.

(Early morning on the first day of my trek on the epic W track, named for it's approximate shape. This is a small part of Lake Grey, fed from a huge glacier further up the valley. For the first day, I left my big bag at the Paine Grande lodge and hiked up and back to Glacier Grey. Hiking around 8 hours up and down hills, it's not easy, but the scenery made it all worth it.)

(After a few hours of gusty winds and lots of hiking up and down hills, I made it to the lookout for Glacier Grey, a beautiful blue glacier melting away to create the huge lake on the side of the trail.)

(Small coves in the lake harbor clumps of icebergs broken away from the glacier face. The trail mostly follows the edge of the lake (though sometimes high up some hillsides above), so you have many spectacular views of the area.)

(The view from a lookout about halfway between Glacier Grey and the Paine Grande refuge. That's the glacier in the background, and the trail drops down the rocky mountainside here, following along in and out of forest.)

(Coming back from the glacier, the sun came out for a while, though it continually changed. Hiking up and down all of the hills, I almost got hot, but it simply took a minute or two of standing still to cool down with the fresh air and wind blowing. I wore a jacket at first, but I kept having to take it on and off, so I ended up without it most of the time. For almost the entire trek, I hiked with my hat and gloves in hand, as I would take them on and off over and over again as I got hot or cold.)

(After my first long day of trekking, I got back to the refuge and decided to splurge on an expensive dinner - about $20. I had hiked about 25 km/15 miles, so I felt like I deserved it. It wasn't exactly clear whether or not you could get more, so I loaded up my plate with pasta, meat, salad, soup, bread, juice and even some jello. Not too bad, really.)

(For day two, I packed up my bags and headed off from Paine Grande down by the side of Lake Nordenskjold. This is the view of the looming mountains all around as you hike along the base of them.)

(Moving across from Paine Grande to the French Valley was a fairly flat, though windy, hike, so that was a nice break, especially since I was carrying my heavy bag packed with food, tent, sleeping bag and a few bits of clothing.)

(French Valley sits in the center of the park, a narrow valley between the two clusters of mountains, topped by glaciers. When the clouds clear off, it's a really beautiful place.)

(The swinging bridge at the base of French Valley, leading directly to the Italian camp. These international names refer to the spots used by expedition teams when first climbing these mountains. I left my big bag at the ranger's office and headed up into the valley for a 4 hour hike, hoping the weather would stay calm.)

(Trudging over a field of huge rocks and steeply ascending under the shadow of the mountains and glaciers, the trail then makes its way back towards some forest, with the side of the Cuernos above. The multicolored rock is a result of a magma intrusion from an ancient lava flow.)

(I was still smiling as the clouds mostly stayed above the mountains, revealing this beautiful mix of streams, forest, rocks and ice. On the way down, I wasn't as lucky, as rain and wind came in, though it was never quite a downpour.)

(Another typical view of magical French Valley.)

(I was advised that the valley can get pretty muddy at times, but I was lucky to find it mostly dry, winding in and out of the forest.)

(Near the top of the valley, you get bits of these strange, wind-blown trees. Just past this point, I got to the top of the valley, just in time to see a big storm and dark clouds coming in, covering an amphitheater of mountains that close in the back of the valley. The trees provided a nice refuge as the clouds dropped in, sheltering me first from the snow flurries and then from the stronger rain that flew by on the strong winds moving down the valley.)

(One or two trees were just beginning to turn orange/red. I imagine this valley would be truly spectacular in early to mid April, though you might also get some pretty cold weather.)

(One final view of the massive glacier hanging on the West side of the valley. I wasn't sure if I'd take an easy day and stay at the Italian camp for the night or move on, but I got back with about 3 hours of daylight left, so I ignored my tired legs and decided to push on to the next campsite, Los Cuernos refuge.)

(Beautiful Lake Nordenskjold showing some of its blue/green color. The middle portions of the W Trek follow alongside this lake for long portions of the walk.)

(Two small portions of the trek even walk along the pretty pebble beach. It provides a great view of the lake, but the strong winds coming off the water, carrying large mists of water from the tops of the waves provide good incentive to keep moving. You can see the gusts, white with water, coming across the lake, so I tried to hurry from one tree to another to provide a bit of shelter. If you're not ready for it, some of the gusts are strong enough to push you off the trail.)

(Predictably, Los Cuernos refuge sits right underneath the peaks of the same name, providing some great views when the weather allows. The site is also known for having quite a few mice scavenging for food, and I even found one in my tent just before going to sleep, so I had to chase him around and empty out my backpack where he was hiding before trying to sleep and hoping that he was the only one to infiltrate my sleeping area.)

(A final view just before darkness was setting in. French Valley lies beyond the first ridge on the right, and the Paine Grande refuge and Lake Grey are just beyond the second set of ridges in the background, where I had begun that morning.)

Read More

Puerto Natales - Gateway to Torres Del Paine and the W Trek

March 24, 2011

Advertised as one of the best trekking spots in the world and the best park in South America, Torres del Paine National Park was my eagerly anticipated next stop. I crossed back to Chile from Argentina, only a five hour bus ride including time spent passing through a rigorous border post where each of our bags were scanned, arriving in Puerto Natales, the gateway to the national park. Puerto Natales is a small grid of flat, mostly treeless blocks, lined with a few small markets, clothing stores, quaint lodging and outdoor shops catering to the masses of tourists that pass through the town on the way to the park. In addition, this is also the starting/ending point for Navimag cruises, a ship journey four days long through the Southern fjords of Chile, originally beginning as a few stowaways on a cargo ship and evolving into an expensive and popular option for tourists in the region. I considered the cruise, but after spending 11 days on a boat in Antarctica and hearing more than a few stories of incessant rain and obscured views, I opted against it. Despite being a relative tourist hub, it does manage to retain some charm, particularly thanks to its scenic setting at the edge of a few channels, looking across the water to a few rows of beautiful mountains sinking down into the deep water below. There's also a milodon statue greeting you as you come into town, as well as a little logo on all of the street signs, marking the fact that fossils of this prehistoric massive sloth-like beast was found in the area.

My roommate from Antarctica, Tim, had worked in Puerto Natales for five weeks, so he recommended a place to stay, though it was full, and I ended up in another of the small hostels/homestay sort of arrangements that are popular in town. As it turned out, the place was amazing and one of the best places I've stayed in. The Yaganhouse (named for the local indigenous people) is basically just a two story house converted to guest rooms with nice staff, a welcoming feel and an incredible breakfast (rare for Latin America). I spent a day meandering around the small town, finding a few local restaurants and more importantly, sorting out rentals of a few essentials for my next days of trekking. Being a hotspot for trekkers, it's quite easy to find rentals of anything ranging from sleeping bags and tents to waterproof clothing and portable cooking gear at many of the shops and hostels in town. The weather in the park is completely unpredictable, one of those cliched places where you can experience four seasons in one day. With my heavy pack, I didn't have room or the desire to pack any specific hiking gear, so I rented a pair of waterproof pants, a sleeping bag and a tent. I considered a sleeping mat to help make the ground a little softer and keep me off the cold surface, but I just didn't feel like carrying any more, so I decided against it. I also hoped for good weather considering I'd just be walking in my running shoes (the only pair I bring on trips), so if they got wet, it might be a few miserable, sloshy days on the trail.

Within the park, there are two main hiking routes - the W and the Full Circuit. The W is named for its approximate outline, as you hike in and out of a few valleys, while the Full Circuit includes the W plus a loop around the backside of the mountains. The park can get fairly crowded during the peak summer periods around November to February, so I was happy to be arriving at the end of the season, just before it would be getting really cold and require more extreme gear. This meant there would be less people on the trail and at the campsites, allowing me to not plan ahead to book any campsites or lodges in advance, as well as hopefully giving a little more solitude along the trail. Some hikers opt for guides (and some places even tell you it's required), but this is certainly not the case, as many people go on their own, either continuing on that way or joining up with other groups as they march along. The W can be done in 3 long days or 4 more relaxed ones, while the Full Circuit typically takes something like 5-7 days, depending on speed and endurance. Figuring that I'd rather take my time to soak in the epic scenery, I decided I'd do the trek in four days, instead of trying to simply rush through it and treat it like a fitness routine instead of an escape to nature.

So I hopped on the early morning bus from Puerto Natales to the park (the good thing about being a tourist hub is that there are good, easy connections a few times during the day to the park), took a little nap as we drove into the darkness and awoke as the sun began to shine, revealing a wonderful landscape. Nearing the park, we passed wild, yellow grasslands and a few rows of medium sized mountains near the horizon, a taste of some typical Patagonian scenery. As we got closer and moved onto the dirt road, the iconic mountains of the park appeared, looming largely over the grasslands and bit of forest below. The name of the park, Torres Del Paine (Towers of Paine), refers to three peaks of this clump of mountains that stand tall and thin, not unlike popsicles, jutting out from the other mountains on either side. Paine (PIE-nay) apparently means 'blue' in the language of the indigenous people, possibly refer to the color of the water in the lakes or the slight bluish tint to the amazing peaks, though many people like to think it just means the Towers of Pain, which sounds like a menacing wrestling duo or something. Just around the area of the park entrance, we saw a few groups of guanacos, large light brown camelids and relative of llamas, though they tend to stay out on the edges of the park, away from where any of the tourists walk.

At the park entrance, some trekkers got off the bus and some of us opted to go further on, depending on which direction was chosen to do the trek. Doing some reading, I found that it seemed a little more popular to trek from East to West (starting there at the park entrance at the first stop), though supposedly winds would be more at your back and you could have better views of some of the mountains from West to East, so I chose the latter option, also because it may mean less groups of hikers following alongside during the entire trip. As we passed further into the park with our diminished group, the scenery was incredible. Beautiful lakes of blue and light green in the foreground, backed by small grassy hillsides and the incredible mountains behind. In addition to the Torres, the other icons of the park are the Cuernos (The Horns). These curved peaks have been eroded away, leaving behind slightly curved peaks that form the shape of devil horns. On top of the shape of the exposed rocks, ancient magma flows penetrated the bedrock and have left behind a massive black streak through the upper part of the mountain, leaving just a small portion of the lighter bedrock on the tips of the horns, making for a dramatic look.

I still hadn't exactly figured out my planned itinerary when we got to the next bus stop, a spot where most people take the midday ferry (there are three a day during summer and two a day during shoulder season) to the Western edge of the trail and begin their hike. I had thought I would take the noon ferry and get across to start my walk, but I also wanted to go see a nearby waterfall and lookout point for the Cuernos, so I asked the driver if I had time to make it there and back before the ferry left. I had read it would take about an hour each way, and I had about an hour and 45 minutes before the boat would leave, so I thought if I ran, I could probably make it to both sights in time and make it back to the ferry. Thinking more about it, I realized that I'd like to just take my time, and I'm very glad I did. I left my large pack leaning outside the guard station (a common thing to do there), and I followed the trail, moving up a hill along the edge of a minty green lake called Pehoe. In just 10 or 15 minutes, I arrived at the Salto Grande (large waterfall), a powerful drop of about 15-20 meters as large amounts of water flow down from one lake to the next through a narrow channel in the rock.

After the waterfall, I hiked along to the lookout, passing the edge of another lake and being blown back by strong gusts of wind coming off the water, down from the surrounding mountains. Most of the vegetation here is windswept shrubs and bushes with a few smaller trees hanging on for dear life. In the end, it took me about 35-40 minutes to get to the lookout, so I probably would have had time to get there and back, but I was happy with my decision to take my time. In front of me was the large Lake Nordenskjold below the bench perched at the top of the hill, and just beyond the lake stood the impressive Cuernos and backing mountains. This is one of the perfect views that attracted me to the park in the first place, so I was really, really happy with my split-second decision not to miss the lookout point. Knowing that I had six hours before the next boat would leave, I took my time to relax and soak in the incredible views all around. As I sat on the bench, the weather went from mild to cold, overcast and drizzling to calm and almost clear to gusting winds that almost blow you off the path. A few other people came and went, presumably day visitors to the park, but I was actually surprised that I was the only hiker in the area during my few hours there. I presume most people are in such a rush to get to the trails that they overlook this small part of the park, and it's a shame since it's such a beautiful and sometimes quiet spot. After an hour or two, as the darker weather was coming in, I had started to head back, but just a few minutes back along the trail, I changed my mind and headed back for the viewpoint, and this proved to be another good choice, with the weather changing again and giving me another hour or two to enjoy the area.

Finally, I made my way back, happy to find my bag still waiting for me on the side of the hut and walking over to the ferry with just about ten of us on that last ferry, including Silke, a Dutch woman that was on my Antarctica trip, and her travelling friend that just joined her. The ferry across Lake Pehoe was also a beautiful trip and the spot for many of the advertising photos used for the park. Above the green water of the lake, the Cuernos stand tall and dark, though that's assuming that clouds are not covering the capricious peaks. After 20 or 30 minutes, we arrived at the Paine Grande campsite and lodge, an impressive spot featuring beautiful views of the side of the peaks, a huge camping area and a nice set of rooms. I had initially considered staying in some of the lodges along the way instead of camping, but even the shared rooms are around $40-50 per night, so I decided to save money and do the trek the traditional way. That being said, one of the main attractions of the park is that you can experience the amazing scenery while still staying in decent lodges with food and showers at the end of each night.

As darkness and a bit of drizzle was setting in for the night, I quickly set up my tent, hoping it would all work correctly, since I was lazy and didn't actually test everything before I came out with the rental gear. Luckily everything worked, though my sleeping bag was a bit short, but that was to be expected. The ground was a little hard with a few rocks poking into my side as I slept, but it didn't really matter. I had a small, boring dinner, as I had decided as a single hiker that I didn't want to bother with carrying any cooking gear, and I was fortunate enough to find one of the two jars of peanut butter in the village (Tim wasn't able to find one in stock in all of his five weeks there), so I just brought along bread, peanut butter, some fruit, two pre-made rice dishes from the supermarket, peanuts, chips and lots of granola for breakfast and snacks. The small outer dining room was loud and crowded with campers preparing predictable pasta dishes and other simple plates, so I imagine it would be almost out of control during the summer months. Nevertheless, I headed off to bed and couldn't wait to get going on the trek the next morning.

(The impressive Salto Grande (Big Falls) near the central stop inside Torres Del Paine National Park. Note the tiny people on the rock for some scale.)

(Instead of rushing off to begin the trekking, I decided to take the time to walk to the Cuernos lookout point alongside Lake Nordenskjold. Most hikers rushed off to begin the trail that afternoon, but I was glad to have taken the time to enjoy the waterfall and lookout point before just heading over to the first campsite and deciding to defer my hike until the next morning. I'd definitely recommend taking the time for this lookout, as few people stop by, and it's one of the best overall views of the lake and incredible mountains lining the other side.)

(The blue green water of Lake Pehoe comes from the glacial silt suspended in the water, coming down from the glaciers sitting on top of the nearby mountains.)

(The beautiful and iconic Cuernos Del Paine (Horns of Paine), the symbol of the epic national park. This park is advertised as one of the best in South America, and the first views didn't disappoint. The view is from the ferry taking us across Lake Pehoe over to the Paine Grande lodge and campsite.)

(I spent the night at the Paine Grande campsite, sitting at the base of a few massive mountains. The amazing setting was just a taste of the incredible scenery to come in the 4 day trek around the park.)

Read More