W trek - day 1
Trip Start
Mar 01, 2006
1
301
551
Trip End
Dec 01, 2007
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Torres del Paine National Park,
Chile
Sunday, March 25, 2007
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I got my bus in the morning in El Calafate, my internet reservation had not got through at all, but there was still seats available. I found Lionel in the Bus, as planned.
I slept, trying to open my eyes to see the landscape. We passed the border into Chile, 6th time I cross over between Argentina and Chile, I have stamps from these two countries all over my passport.
Arrived in Puerto Natales at 12.30. There was a bus to the Torre del Paine national park at 2.30.
In two hours we found a place to rent a tent and mats, went to buy food for 4 days, unpacked and repacked our backpacks, left the ones we did not need at a hostel, and took the bus to Torres del Paine. It was an hour long bus rice, during which we met up with Czech Karel, who came to hike with us. We also met Dawson, an American we had met on the Fitzroy hike, and Daniel, a Chilean, and they came with us too as they were alone.
We started to walk at around 5.30, expecting to get to a paying campsite/refugio before dark, and then possibly walking an hour more by night to reach the free campsite, really close to the Torres.
Eventually we walked faster than expected, and reached the free campsite just as night was coming, and it was better as the last hour or so would have been a bit dodgy in the dark. So there we were, just 30 minutes away from the Torres, these peaks which attract so many people.
This national park is one of the most visited in South America (several hundred thousand visitors each year). There are day tours, but a lot of people come for a multiday hike. There are paying refugios, with restaurant and hot showers and everything. There are also free campsites by the river, pretty crowded.
The main circuit is the W: its name comes from its shape on a map: it consists in hiking up and back three valleys: the one leading to Torres del Paine, the middle one called Valle del Frances, and the other one leading to hge glaciar Grey. It usually takes 3-4 days to complete the W one way, with access by boat and bus (depending on which side).
It is also possible to hike around he W, making a round circuit that takes 6-8 days. That was our initial plan, but due to he Navimag ferry leaving one week earlier than scheduled, we had time only for the W.
Note also that the normal weather there over three days includes rain and snow, fog, and a lot of wind.
We camped, ate, and went to bed, after agreeing that the start of the next day walking was at 6am.
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