Escaping the pumas in Torres del Paine

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It was the last day and I awoke at 4am in a room without electricity. The past 4 days had been spent trekking the W through Torres Del Paine, a spectacular national park in southern Chile. My shoes told the story of the many kilometres we had walked up and down seemingly never ending hills, across waterfalls, up rock faces, through muddy forrest and slippery gravel.

Whilst the track is quite arduous, the everchanging views of mountains, lakes, forrest, glaciers and waterfalls kept your mind off your aching feet and the knowledge that you absolutely had to make it to the next camp before the sun went down kept you moving.

The idea is to carry your own camping gear and be totally self sufficient setting up camp near the refugios located sparingly throughout the park. The refugios are like lodges and very expensive to eat and sleep at. Whilst we did carry our own stuff, some smooth talking, nice smiles and good manners went a long way and we managed to scam quite a bit for free including a few meals, warm showers, comfy beds and a great party at Glacier Grey. How I love Chilean hospitality! (and despise two minute noodles and packet soup)

One of the incredible things about the park is its remoteness. Supplies to the refugios come in on horseback. Guachos can be seen belting up the steep cliff faces laden with necessary items. It astounded me how things like stoves, sinks, toilets or mattresses could have been bought in over the steep terrain.

The last day was a 4.30am start to climp up to see the Torres, three peaks that are supposed to turn a warm orange in the sunlight making for spectacular photos.

Not one to miss out on anything I got up with the rest of them determined to give it a go. However, despite the incredible efforts of my helpful friends and the best head torch money can buy I had to concede defeat after about 30mins. The path was too treacherous and my night blindness couldn´t be overcome no matter how much courage I had.

So while the others pushed on ahead, my lovely friend Liz and I pulled up a bit of cliff edge to wait out the darkness. The rock was cold and the sound of the rushing waterfall below us was almost deafening. As we sat in the darkness trying not to think about what an attack from a wild puma might be like, a small rockslide started forcing us to move to safer ground.

We sat in the pitch black and waited. For 2 hours. I have never wanted the sun to come up more and we couldn´t help but let a squeal of delight escape our lips as the first few shafts of light began to creep into the sky. The surroundings slowly began to take shape for me and we were able to make it back to the camp. We watched the sunrise from the comfort and warmth of the refugio and munched on porridge and free toast while the others were rained on and blown about at the top.

Next time perhaps I will hire a donkey....

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Photos

our posse
liz, carol, micala and me

the torres
from the comfort of the refugio

camping
our pretty pink girl tents

Comments

[KK]

I loved Torres del Paine
Hi Mel Hiking in Patagonia was the BEST part of my six months in South America. The walk at Torres del Paine being such a wonderful part of that. We camped at Glacier Grey as our rest day and this crazy boy from Lismore walked out to the nearest refugio, got a slab of Heiniken, and walked back. We kept the Heiniken cold in the water of the lake (with bits of glacier floating past). Beats another day on Level 14 anyday huh? Keep having fun. KK

[Denise]

Hola amiga!
I wondered where you were so logged into the blog. I hadn't looked at it since your first entry. What a blast of a time you must be having. Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures. Life here is the same as usual. The season has changed...summer is over and autumn has arrived. I'm looking at overseas jobs so if you find anything over there that might suit a Community Engagement Coordinator let me know! Travel safe.

[Dan]

Jealous!
That's awesome Mel! I'm very jealous. Now that I'm back at work my holiday seems a long time ago, so I'll live vicariously through you. Enjoy yourself!