Torres Del Paine

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When I first decided on South America for my sabbatical Torres Del Paine was one of the main attractions. All the information from home suggested it was one of the premier trekking sites in the world. Therefore I set out with high expectations of fantastic walking, mountains, lakes, glaciers, spectacular landscapes and challenging trekking. However, on beginning my trip I began to hear some disturbing rumours - Torres Del Paine was over-crowded, it would be difficult to arrange refugios, the refugios and campsites were of poor quality, the weather would make the walking difficult and would obscure any views. So with this advice in mind I set out for Chile and Puerto Natales with some trepidation.

From Ushuaia I flew up to El Calafate, overnighted, and caught the bus the following morning to Puerto Natales. The guidebooks describe Puerto Natales as a tourist town that has sprung up to service visitors to Torres Del Paine. This might go some way to explaining its somewhat temporary feel. It sits on the jade-coloured Lago Esmerelda and the wind blows down from the mountains, across the lake and through the town exaggerating the feeling of impermanance.

The road down to El Calafate was my first experience of the Argentinian pampas and of Argentinian buses. The bus was comfortable enough and I stretched out to soak in mile after mile of grassland, parched brown and looking close to desert. The sky seemed huge. The sense of size exacerbated by the altitude and the absence of trees or vegetation to break the view. In the distance, on the right hand side of the bus, the mountains loomed, for the most part more a presence than a physical entity. The horizon seemed limitless - an optical illusion heightened by the different layers and types of cloud which may have been hovering over pampas 10 or 100 miles away. Occasionally the monotony was broken by wildlife, listless sheep, a wary flock of guanaco or rhea. My unexperienced eye soaked it all in. Here was one of the the things I'd come to see - the Patagonian pampas. Then as we travelled south there emerged like a mirage on the horizon a fairy tale castle of needle sharp peaks and distinctive jagged teeth - the Paine Massif. Impressive and final. A full stop at the end of the plain, wreathed in its own cloud and glistening with snow, a piece of rock large enough to generate its own weather systems.

I had decided to set aside a day in Puerto Natales to organise myself - hire equipment (a rucksack), arrange buses and accommodation for the trek and make arrangements for my next couple of weeks travelling. Enough time as it turned out to get blown a couple of times around Puerto Natales and to begin to adjust to the nuances of hostel living. In a nod to my budget I moved to dorm over private room - good practice for the dorm facilities on the trek. Armed with my earplugs, eyeshades and backlit kindle all that was missing was a cup of ovaltine to totally impress on today's youth the full meaning of bedtime.

And so to the trek. We had a mixed forecast but the sun was out on our drive up from Puerto Natales. It was immediately clear from the significant convoy of buses of which we formed part that there would be plenty of company on the trail. The closer we got and the clearer the mountains became the more the excitement grew. And then we were there through the park admin and ready for the off. Such was my adrenalin I managed to miss the information about the minibus transfer to the start of the trek and instead marched off purposefully down the road in part wondering at the absence of other people and underwhelmed at the difficulty of the track. A schoolboy error which unintentionally extended the day's walk by 7 km. I note I have glossed over this hiccup in my notes of the days to follow...

Day 1 - A stiff there and back to the base of the Towers. In total close to 9 hours walking, the last hour of the ascent was a relentless slog which for leg-aching, lung-busting purgatory stands comparison with any of "great" walks I have done before. But all well worth it to crest the final ridge and see the 3 towers and their natural amphitheatre on a beautiful sunny day. It was a warm day and I can remember very few beers stating as good as those back at the refugio once the walking was done.

Day 2 - A much shorter, low key day. A quieter trail, contouring above Lago Nordenskjold to Los Cuernos. Fewer people so less "hola" and "gracias" along the way. All in all very tranquil. Highlights ranged from hares in the frosted meadow at the walk's outset to contemplating the rich green of the the lake and the folded seams in the cliffs on the opposite side of the lake.

Day 3 - The French Valley - the central prong of the "W" - a walk with a reputation both as the most beautiful section of the trek and as potentially hazardous - we were told that the week before bad weather and the threat of avalanches had forced its temporary closure. A more gradual ascent than the Towers but just as long and high. We pass the imposing bulk of Cerro Paine Francis, sheer, dark rock bristling with mini-glaciers, a tribute of glacial waste and snow at its foot, reflecting previous avalanches. The path climbs a spur winding through lenga woods towards a viewpoint at the end of the valley. A short, sharp climb onwards is an even more spectacular viewpoint looking back down the valley and across into the higher peaks of the Paine Massif. But this extension and its views are only accessible if the weather permits. Unfortunately despite intermittent sunshine on the climb a mist had set in by the time we reached the main viewpoint and it would have been pointless to go further up the valley onto the mountain itself. Still a really good if tiring 8 hour walk/scramble.

Day 4 - I spent a second night at Los Cuernos. In theory day 4 should have been an easier day - retrace the path to the fork up the French Valley and continue on to Lago Pehoe. The day began with a beautiful sunrise giving rise to a vibrant blue sky. After a couple of hours walking steadily towards the snow and ice of Cerro Paine accompanied by the rumble of the occasional avalanche I reached the fork for the French Valley and decided that it was too good an opportunity to pass up - I had unfinished business and in such good weather it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

I left my pack at the rangers' but and taking my pack lunch and water with me began for the second time the steep clamber up the rocks at the head of French Valley on up to the more gentle spur. This time the weather held and the sky was blue and virtually cloudless when I reached the main viewpoint - the Britainico. From here the path quickly becomes fainter and it is apparent that the park authorities have taken steps to dissuade further exploration, but cairns and footprints mark the way up a narrow gorge beside a steep stream. The gorge soon opens out into a tough clamber over rocks and boulders until after half an hour's hard walking you reach the ledges at the top of the valley. The views offer 270 degrees of mountain peaks and up above the treeline in the clear air these seem alternately vertiginiously close and majestically distant. In the other direction you look back down the path up the valley picking out landmarks from the walk, and then beyond the valley there is the green of the lakes and the deeper green of their islands. Truly an inspirational place and well worth the effort of a second attempt. I somewhat limped into the refugio at Lago Pehoe after a 9 hour schlep, tired but happy.

Day 5 - In theory the "W" ends with another there and back to Glacier Grey along the banks of Lago Grey. Unfortunately my (bus) schedule wouldn't allow me to make it to the end of the route so I decided to walk to the highpoint - a viewpoint looking among the lake to the glacier at the end. Again the weather was perfect, still, clear and, once the sun had risen sufficiently, warm. The walk snaked up and out of the valley and past the sublime Laguna Los Patos, a small lake that seems to have been landscaped to capture the reflection of its cliffs and of the mountains in the distance. In some ways this was my favourite day, quiet and serene, the serious walking done, I had time and space just to enjoy the landscape and count my blessings.

So what was my overall impression of Torres Del Paine? There were times when the park seemed a little too crowded, particularly on the lengthy there and backs, where a narrow path means you are often making way for other walkers. The refugio are basic and over-priced for the standard of accommodation they provide. Not everyone you meet along the way is someone you'd seek out or share a beer with in other circumstances. That said it is still a spectacular walk with a breathtaking array and scale of scenery. Well worth its reputation. The photos really don't do it justice. I should also mention some very nice Americans (Brian, Clara and Stephanie) with whom I spent my evenings and who gave me lots of good advice and some great ideas for trekking in the States. Something for another trip...

And so back to Argentina...

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Photos

The Towers
Well worth the long walk and steep climb

Lago Nordenskojld
Green, calm and serene

Paine Grande
Not a bad place to hang out and wait for the rumble of an avalanche

Las Cuernos
This was late in the day at the end of a walk. The low sun projected shadows of Las Cuernos onto the clouds

More -Views Across Lago Nordenskojld
Hard not to get carried away with the reflection and rock formations

On the way up the French Valley
The viewpoint is on the ridge in the middle distance

The View from the end of French Valley
Simply spectacular

Laguna Los Patos - on the way to Glacier Gray
Another still morning. When I took the photo there was just me and solitary duck on the lake to share the view.

Comments

[Nigel]

Greetings
Thanks for keeping us posted Mark. Looks great and I've taken to clicking on the photos to enlarge them. Good luck on your next leg. I'm thinking of walking The Cumbrian Way in April. Cheers Nige

[fromthebottomup]

Thanks Nige. Good to hear from you and good luck with the Cumbrian Way. Keen to do a walk in the Autumn if you fancy another crack at The Ridgeway or maybe the South Downs Way. Mx

[Nigel]

hi
Hi Mark. Thanks. I'm off on Monday morning. 9 hours by bus to Ulverston in southern Cumbria and then 70 miles on foot to Carlisle. May well be up for a walk in the Autumn. Perhaps The Ridgeway again or maybe The Yorkshire Wolds or Wicklow Way in Ireland. I guess you've left Bariloche now. It looks like a fair way to Mendoza. Cheers Nige

[fromthebottomup]

Thanks Nige. Good luck with the weather. If you are passing through Keswick be sure to make time for some pint or three at The Dog and Gun. Best Mark