Torres del (Painful) Paine

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  Torres del Paine, Chile
Thursday, March 27, 2008

After eight days in Torres del Paine National Park, we are thankful for showers, and beds, and heat, and pizza, and beer, and fresh produce, and internet.  We left with 12 pounds of trail mix (along with several more pounds of food) and believe it or not, Kyle never wants to look at dried fruit again.

Torres del Paine is a massive park in Chilean southern Patagonia- definitely one of the go-to places for trekkers.  You have several hiking options in the park, the most popular being a four day W shaped trek with spectacular views of mountains and glaciers, camping at fairly well developed sites or staying in the spa-hostels on some of the lakes.  All types of people do this part of the park... whatever level of cush you´re looking for, it´s here.  We started with the ´W' carrying our tent the whole way and using it too (no pedicures on this trip, as badly needed as they may be), and then continued on the ´Circuit,' traversing along some windy ledges, and climbing over a pass on the back side of the torres (towers) of the mountain for a much more challenging 8-day trek with the rest of the real-deal backpackers.  What can we say about our experience?

Torres del Paine is:

-An extremely challenging, yet rewarding trek.
-Carrying 30 lbs of food because your boyfriend can´t control his eating.
-Walking across a beach where every stone is perfect for skipping rocks.
-Hiking in the sunshine while being misted by a lake or dark cloud off in the distance, brought to you by wind that will knock you off your feet.
-The thrill of putting on flip-flops after a long day of hiking.
-Having mice chew a hole in tent and sticking around long enough to say hello when you want to go to bed.
-Climbing up and down ladders to get through ravines.
-Moving with an elephant on your back.
-Being excited that the 80 per hour wind gusts are measured in kilometers instead of miles.
-Hiking up to a glacier that just gets more and more massive the closer you get to it.
-An $8 box of Gato Negro Cabernet.
-Loaning your stove to some Chilean campers for the price of a few swigs of gin.
-Mastering the snot-rocket without stopping on the trail.
-Reading your book, cozy and warm in a refugio after a hot shower, drinking an ice cold beer.
-Throwing away the Lonely Planet book because it´s useless weight.
-Snack breaks on the hour.
-Having an endless supply of trail mix
-Puking in a horse corral.
-Cursing the rodents for eating your cookies.
-Scrambling up a valley for breath-taking views of mountain peaks and glacier faces.
-Climbing over a mountain pass with the wind at your back.
-Snuggling up in your sleeping bag and spooning with layers of synthetic fabric between you.
-Meeting interesting hikers at every stop along they way.

We´re a little sad to be ending this leg of our Southern Patagonia journey, but are excited to head north.  There are only three ways out of here, all expensive:  a plane, a 32 hour bus ride on a dirt road, and a 4 day backpacker 'cruise' on a ferry through the glacier channels.  Guess which one we´re doing?  We were supposed to leave tonight but the boat was delayed a day because of poor weather.  One more night at our wonderful hostel in Puerto Natales isn´t such a bad thing.

Our next stop is still in Patagonia, in the Lakes District.  We´re looking forward to some cool towns, relaxing, cheaper prices, more great hiking, and a warmer climate!.

Cerro Paine Grande

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Climbing through Ravines	Cozy in our tent	Gato Negro	Lakes, Mountains, and Glaciers
On top of the World (or maybe the bottom)	Stretching Out	View from Valle Francais	We made it over the pass!! (with 80km/hr winds)

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