So its my last night in Chile. Like I had mentioned in my last post, after I wrote I was headed to make plans for my next few days and to explore the Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, close to Puerto Natales. Its the most popular park in Chile and considered by many to be the best park in South America. Hence the strong desire to check it out. I ended up talking to the owner of my hostel, a crazy guy named Alejandro and the Swede, Leon, staying in my same dormitory room at the hostel came along to get some more info on the park, although he had already chatted with Alejandro. Long story short Alejandro convinced the two of us to rent a two man tent and hike the 4 day, 3 night circuit together. It was beautiful, the park literally has a little bit of everything.
The first day of our park adventure we got up at 6:45AM to eat breakfast before the bus to the park left at 8AM. We rode in the bus with rain outside for 2 hours before we switched over to a catamaran to take us to the far side of the lake, and finally got into the park area where we would be hiking around 1PM. We quickly set up our tent in the rain (it weighed less than 2 kilos and had only 1 pole, making it quick to set up and small). Immediately we set out on the 4 hour each way hike to the Glacier Gray lookout area. It was beautiful, you really get close up to the glacier, closer than we did in El Chalten but not closer than when we were hiking on the glacier in El Calafate. It was nice because we warmed up to the full days of hiking without our heavy packs, just with my little backpack as a day pack with food for lunch and water. On the way there we had a small river crossing that got my shoes wet for the first of many times. Unfortunately I still had my blisters from my previous hike close to Puerto Varas and quickly got new ones from just wearing my Nikes, instead of buying or renting hiking boots like I really should have. The walk was amazing, alongside gem colored lakes, crossing glacial meltwater streams and with awesome wind swept trees on all sides. The park is famous for its winds and we did get to experience them the third and fourth day we were there.
Around 9PM we got back into camp and cooked out first camp dinner and then snuggled up in our tent, getting pretty soaked during the night. At least Leon did, my sleeping bag stayed mostly dry. The second day we packed up early and headed out to Campamento Italiano, a 2.5hr hike away with the packs. We then set up our tent again and headed up the French Valley sans packs, just with the day pack again, and literally were walking up towards a HUGE mountain glacier and the thundering river that runs along it. The whole time, that is, until we got past that park and went through a beautiful forest and up to a lookout rock showing the whole surrounding valley. Pretty awesome, so lets add in another 5 hour hike for getting there and back.
The third morning, a little more dry after the second night but pretty much chilled to the bone, we set off for our longest day with the packs. We hiked 7 hours from Campamento Italiano to El Chileno through the section of the park where the winds are fiercest and a camper many years ago burnt down a large portion of the park. He was camping in a non approved campsite and his camp stove tipped over, with the famous winds accelerating the blaze and making it a huge pain in the ass to put out. The final two hours of the hike were mostly uphill and brought us to a huge river and pretty high up on the mountain side for sections. I will put up pictures in Argentina because there was too much along the way to explain in words. We slept quite well and hung out all afternoon and evening in the shelter, where they had free hot water for tea and to get your cooking done faster (otherwise you start with water from the tap that is closer to freezing than boiling) on your little camp stove. My blisters were pretty intense by this point, and although my knees had acted up on a few occasions I had really had no unbearable problems with them.
Regardless, in the morning at 4:40AM we got up and met up with a Scottish man, his Czech girlfriend, and a random German traveling the circuit with us and hiked to Las Torres, that the park is named after and are three spires of rock that are unique in a worldwide sense. Luckily for us, we got there before sunrise and it was a clear morning. However, there were some snafoos along the way. When you get to the final section of the trail to get to the lookout, after about 30 minutes of intense uphill hiking, you are led around teh base of the pile of boulder like rubble. However, if it is still dark out and the trail is as poorly marked as it was, you could for some reason think that a lookout would tend to be located at the HIGHEST ACCESIBLE POINT. And you would therefore climb UP that huge 150/200m pile of rubble. The winds were gusting at least 40kph MINUMUM and the rocks were falling out under out feet. About 2 third of the way up I was quoted saying "There is NO FUCKING WAY they send HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of TOURISTS up this way EVERY YEAR!!!!!" but we did make it all the way to the top and I don´t think it was as dangerous as it felt. Plus, I kept waiting for the panic to set in and it never did, which was a great thing. We got a spectacular view and from the top with the snot pouring from my nose we were able to see the actual lookout spot over 100m below and we climbed down the front face of the rubble pile to join them. We then headed the 2 hr hike back to camp and packed up, where the rain cover of our tent had been blown 3/4 off. Thank goodness it hadnt happened the night before, because the winds really were gusting all night long. But also thank goodness we didnt lose it, as it was a rental tent, haha.
From camp it was 1.5 hours down to the hotel and trailhead where the bus comes to pick you up around 2PM. So we were down there by 12:30, and we hung out in the rain and wind until 2 when the bus came and were back in Puerto Natales by 4:30PM. Right away I had to drop off my rental gear, pay for it (unfortunately) and then repack my stuff that I had left at the hostel and shower. Pretty necessary after 4 full days of hiking and wearing the same clothes every day. The last night I even slept in my hiking clothes to make it easier with the 4:40AM wake up. After getting business taken care of Leon and I went out for a beer and I had some chicken wings. Before I could leave the hostel Alejandro asked me for a favor, and wanted to make sure I wouldnt get mad, and then asked me to take a few photos with him because I am so beautiful. Haha it was great, pretty funny actually as he was a really sweet guy who ran the hostel with his wife and after that I hopped right on a bus back to Punta Arenas, which got in around 10:30PM. Then I headed to a hostel for a few hours of sleep before I got picked up at 6AM to go to the airport in Punta Arenas and take my awesome flight that had 2 stops on the way back to Santiago. So I got here around 1:30PM although I left Punta Arenas at 8AM. AWESOME, not. And now I can´t walk comfortably and I am exhausted, and I have to get picked up at 7:05AM tomorrow to head back to the airport and fly back to Buenos Aires, home sweet home.
After 3 full weeks in Chile I am ready to head home and get back to school. I have to enroll in classes on Wednesday so that should be exciting. Thats all for now folks.
