We were pretty smitten with Patagonia, so decided to head further south and cross into Chile. The 5 hour bus trip was surreal, Patagonia stretches for thousands of miles and we would spend hours travelling through arid dry land, only to pass the occasional Estancia (Ranch) and the odd few animals along the way. The border crossing was a bizarre wooden hut in the middle of nowhere!
So on to Peurto Natales, the base travellers use to visit the infamous Torres Del Paine National Park, where many do a 4 day "W" trek or the more hardcore opt for the 8 day circuit. We spent an afternoon planning our hike in the national park, only to be told this was the worst weather they have had in 8 years, lots of rain and even snow! So, there was no chance we would be camping and instead opted for the refugios (cabins with bunk beds and a roof!) and stocked up on waterproof trousers and wooly hats and gloves.
Up with the lark to drive 2 hours on gravel roads to the national park where we were treated to a rare day of sunshine. After a dodgey start we finally found the right track and headed on our 7.5 hr walk, up to the base of the Torres (granite towers) and back. The terrain was a lot rougher than we had expected but what we were not prepared for was the gale force winds that nearly blew me off the mountain cliffs on several occassions. Harry reckoned this added to the experience but even he couldn´t deny it was pretty risky at times! But the hike up to the base was worth it and we were rewarded with some of the most stunning views of the 3 towers ending in a green glacial lake. We were glad to get back to our warm base and a decent dinner that night. Day 2 started later than planned after our boat transfer to the other side of the park was late. So a 7 hour hike began at 1.30 in very wet and rough conditions. The terrain was worse than the first day with large areas of mud patches and streams to be crossed. Once again the wind was our enemy and made the walk a little "testy"! The main view here was a glacier, not half as impressive as the one we had seen at Moreno, so it made the effort a little less rewarding. After getting back at 8.30pm as it was getting dark we just about manged some food before crashing out. By day 3 I was hobbling with 2 dodgey knees and the thouhgt of a 9-11hr hike did not appeal. So H set off to see the French Valley, which was much better than day 2 and in the morning sunlight he got to see several more glaciers and a beautiful landscape of sheer peaks similar to (and includin the back of) the Torres del Paine. This trip was pretty tough and we were one of the few who didn´t spend our days with huge backpacks and camping at night. We don´t know how so many people camped, especially with winds so strong trees were falling down all over the place! Good training for Machu Pichu we guess!
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