Patagonia and Torres del Paine N.P. Dec 09-15

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Patagonia.

Incredible.

Another intercontinental overnighter takes us from New York to Miami, then Santiago and then further south to Punta Arenas. Definitely a trip of transitions, north to south, 12 degrees warmer (relief for Annette). Miami was the cross-over point where Spanish superceded English, and Santiago, Chile, was the point where everything could be seen in a new light - literally. Flying over the incredible Andes, this huge crumple on the earth's crust of which we would be exploring the southern regions, seems to bring with it a different quality of air and even with the inevitable fumes of an international airport, the clarity if vision was something to remark. The end of our journey was the town of Puerto Natales where we stayed in a wonderful hospedaje Hostel Dickson with the lovely Flor and her precocious and adorable son Milenko (with whom Ariel bonded over a couple of shared sessions on the computer, taking turns between booking accommodation and messaging to an unknown character with a penchant for extravagent fonts). This was the time to see if our Spanish was intelligible beyond the comedy routines we have been doing in practising between ourselves.

Puerto Natales is an old port town that almost seems in two minds about being the natural tourist base for the Torres del Paine National Park. Many people are benefitting from its economic effects, but many people seem bemused by these strange large yet fair humans walking the streets with massive back-packs and scouring the supermarkets for dehydrated meals.

The first night we had our first pisco sour in a restaurant on the square. Seemed like this strong chilled drink was almost compulsory in these parts. A few minutes after ordering our meals the waitress came back frowning, trying to communicate something about our order. Thinking that one of our dishes was no longer available, we said in halting Spanish: ´has this dish been lost? is it closed?´ (needless to say she had no idea what we were saying). Perhaps indeed our Spanish was not intellible, but we worked it out after a few attempts. This was our first Chilean meat dish. First of many. Very good time for Annette to stop being vegetarian.

Next day we got ready for our 5 day trek in Torres Del Paine N.P. Exciting, somewhat wondering just how demanding the walk would be...We met a lovely couple (melb-israeli) who were doing the identical walk to us. Next morning headed to the park bright and early to start the walk.

DAY ONE: Looks like we´re going up to the actual ´TORRES´today. The Torres are unusually narrow high obelisk like precipices rising up high over a lake deep in a valley. We spend a couple of hours on a bus, with a brief stop at a dusty two shop town that distinguished itself by having a roundabout with a bronze statue of a rearing horse, a tribute to the men and horses who explored and settled this land many years ago. Once inside the park, we take the option of getting another smaller bus, whereas the real intrepid trekkers walk an extra two hours. However, 5 minutes into the bus ride we were being ushered off the vehicle, thinking perhaps we had been taken for a ride, so to speak. It turns out the bus needs to offload its cargo to cross a very narrow bridge. Narrow as in less than a centimetre to spare on either side.

The walking commences and we pass a river and having been told there´s lots of water on the trail decide we don´t yet need to fill our water bottles. We ascend, very little water left. Where are all those water sources people spoke of? Intense winds start. Annette is grateful for every bit of goretex and wool. We have our first experience of needing to crouch down and hold onto something, anything, to stop from being blown away! We rest crouched in a little windbreak and whew, its a lot of úp and wind´. The views back across the lakes are gorgeous. The peaks of the Torres invite us onward, into the valley further and deeper. There are birds around assisting in the ascent! We sip the teeny bit of water left. We know we´ll arrive at the Chileno refugio within an hour but still it´s a bit frightening having limited water. It´s not that there is no water around, it is just contained in a river that is perhaps 300m below us, that is directly below us. Easy for the birds. This part of the walk is a wake up call for Annette, having not really known how hard the walk would be and in truth, not having thought about it all all. People on the trail seem to be struggling too. I hope that it doesn´t stay as windy as this the whole time!

Finally we arrive at the refugio where we will spend the night, having now descended to meet the river at a rushing estuary. That´s a relief. We drink! Hurrah, there´s lesson 1 learnt! The day isn´t over. We eat lunch, and at about 4pm embark on the actual walk to the Torres (towers). That´s supposed to be around 3 hours and our aim is to be back for dinner at 7:30pm.

Note- in Patagonia at this time of year it doesn´t get dark until 10pm. It gets light at 5am. Somewhat surreal but a great thing for trekking as you know that if you get lost or take longer you will have loads of daylight!

The conditions in the valley are still somewhat bleak, but from the dining room we can see the soaring rocks of the range that includes the Torres and the manager of the refugio assures us that if they are visible (ie not under cloud or fog) that this is a good thing and we should go up. So we start off.

We expect it to be difficult ascent and enjoy that it´s a gentle walk through beech forest and somewhat sheltered from the conditions. Annette is nonetheless clad in much gear and look a bit like a goretex marsian with her hood tightly on. As we take the various bends, we can get glimpses of what must be the towers, causing Ariel "Los Torres, Los Torres" in a bad Spanish accent of the ilk of a cartoon Mexican mouse. After about 1 and a half hours in the forest we get to the final ascent, massive boulders up and up. We follow the orange splotches of paint which help eek a path. It´s hard but constant and people coming down tell us it´s worth it, except for the one older man that tells us it is closed for the day. There are lots of people around but us and our friends Leah and Eran are probably the last up for the day.

When we arrive it is amazing! The Torres are there, the fog has moved enough for us to see them. It is very grey and the rain is starting up but we stay for about 20 minutes soaking it in. Our legs need a rest and Annette lays out on the ground and puts her legs up vertically against a rock face and rests. This is something she does regularly over the next few days!

There is an element of hidden mystery here, I feel. The way the Torres are deep in this valley, hard to get to, guarded by the wind, clouds, rain and fog which prevent people going there, and somehow let you know this is a priviledge. It´s always hard leaving such a place, saying thank you feels an appropriate closure, and we know we must turn back for the rain is getting heavier and we have to get back down the boulders. We head off.

Lesson number 2, always keep your eyes on the orange splotches, even if your eyes are peeled to the ground where you place your step. We lose the trail. A bit scary and intense as now its raining more heavily and very grey and cloudy, and getting on in time. Logically we know to just head down, but the precise entry into the forest trail? We keep descending furtively looking for the markers, finally do see them, sigh relief and go as fast as we can until we´re back in the sheltered forest. Here we see 2 young girls about to go up and gulp! We may make it to dinner yet! We hotfoot it back through the forest and are back at around 7:45pm! That night the refugio seems packed, the dinner room crowded with conversation in many tongues. The storm which has blown in a takes hold. We bed down to the sound of torrential rain which seems to last all night. Whoa, what a first day!

DAY 2: Refugio Chileno to Refugio Los Cuernos. Awake in the morning with the sound of rushing water almost obliterating the tip-toeing of those trekkers deciding to get on with it early; Further inspection reveals that whilst it is raining, it is not torrential and the sound is actually the river, flowing even more strongly than yesterday. The previous day we had seen snow on the higher peaks and a few waterfalls hurtling down rock faces, and now in late Spring, the snow is melting, no doubt accelerated by last night's storm.

We are not the quickest off the mark, and this turns out to be to our advantage. As the morning progresses, the rain eases and Ariel´s five layers becomes three. A delightful day, especially after returning out of the windy valley and being reassured that wind is not the only accompaniment on this walk. There is also stillness! We walk along wonderful lakes, not much uphill today and even though its a 5-6 hour walk it´s really pleasant and it's a relief that it is not as hard as yesterday. There are less people on the trail.

We watch lakes get closer and we follow the edge of an iridescent blue lake for much of the afternoon, In the distance we can see more lakes, on three different levels and each distinct in colour, from a cool grey to a deep deep blue. A lot of snow capped mountain ranges, first a huge wide mountain that seems to be a guardian of the whole park, and then slowly comes into view a section of Los Cuernos (the horns), another feature of the walk. These are fantastically shaped mountains which seem to change from every direction. They come closer into view, until crossing a mammoth roaring river on a footbridge we reach the refugio to rest and recouperate. The refugios all here have hot water, that´s an amazing thing - to have a warm shower after a day walking! At dinner we meet people trekking in the opposite direction. They had a lot of rain coming that way, so we feel fortunate. Los Cuernos, are obscured by a shroud of mist, so we will have to wait until morning to see them complete.

DAY 3 - Our biggest day! Refugio Los Cuernos to Lodge Paine Grande. On the map estimations alone we know we have 9.5 hours of walking if we are to do the whole day. There is an optional part here so we set an aim and say we´ll see how we go. Glory of glories, today it is sunny and clear, blue skies. The whole park opens up bathed in light. As we walk across the base of the omnipresent and imposing Cuernos, it is tempting to linger everywhere, the pebbly beach on lakeside, the beautiful look out over the lakes, the roaring river and the foot of the next valley where we eat lunch. But people we met told us the day took them 11 hours and we keep moving on. Breathe it in, say thank you, keep walking! We are doing well and decide to ascend the valley for 1.25 hours until we reach the lookout. The valley is awesome and we are excited that it is bathed in sunshine and we can see the small glacier below, the glaciers on the mountains and the peaks of the mountains covered in thick snow with small ice protusions at the very top. When we look back out of the valley we can see the lakes (lakes and lakes), more mountain ranges, soft brown in the distance and the river which gets smaller. Everything seems like a lookout here and we marvel constantly. Rock faces that you can imagine trekking for a couple of days to see in other parts of the world are here just a regular part of the journey.

After 1.25 hours (yes the German woman we met was ´precise´) there is a mirador / look out which gives a complete 360 degree view and we marvel again. Every so often we witness a snowfall, or a chunk of the glacier dislodging and tumbling down the mountain. To the eye, they seem like minor affairs, but the crashing sound carrying across the valley suggests that there are great forces at work here. Feels like we are at the top of the world. Again, how do you walk away from such a thing? I hear some American guys complaining of their hunger and share our few pieces of chocolate with them. Annette is dubbed the ´chocolate angel´with much gratitude from one of the guys! With my new identity, say thank you again, and head down. We meet our friends Leah and Eran and encourage them on, and tell them we´ll hold dinner for them at the next refugio.

All is well. It´s about 4pm and we set off on the final 2.5 hours. The view of Los Cuernos is now behind us and it´s tempting to walk backwards (but not advised)! Annette gets a bit grumpy in the last hour, the winds are picking up, the refugio is not in sight, and it´s been a long day. I feel I have stepped over some edge and it no longer feels like I have a full tank of energy. Nonetheless we do arrive, at Lodge Paine Grande, thus named for it´s panorama over the largest mountain in the park, and the grandest accommodation so far (except, no hot water!). The lodge restaurant gives a lookout towards the path from which we have recently arrived. The steady stream of trekkers arriving with slightly dazed expressions lets us know that we are not the only ones who have had a hard day. Take a cold shower, eat well and rest up. Ariel is reading "Alive", the true story of a plane load of Uruguayans that crashed in the Andes, some way north of where we are, but essentially the same mountain range. Their ordeal is a good reminder to keep our efforts in context. They crashed in the snow, nothing to eat, only a broken airplane for shelter and many had crippling injuries. And in the end (about two months later) two of them walked up and down one of the steepest moutains in the range to get rescued.

DAY 4: Lodge Paine Grande to Refugio (glacier) Grey. Clear skies are a feature of Patagonia and this day is no exception. We get off to a late start under the assumption that we only have a 3.5 hour walk to do, ascending up the 3rd and final valley to see Glacier Grey, the largest glacier in the park. We will sleep at refugio grey and return the next day to leave the park. Annette's body feels tired and mind unfocussed. We go up for half an hour and need to rest under a tree. Annette feels like some brain cells have gone amiss. It´s a hard ascent and we go slow, but when we reach the top and the lakes up here, we see some fabulous icebergs, little ones, with bizarre shapes and the most crystal blue colour. They seem friendly. Wow, surreal to see icebergs!

On we go and it´s not long before the glacier comes into view. Body better now but still have a ´when will we get there?´feeling. We bump into a few people who have bunged knees, some are turning back, others are cobbling along, determined to get there, and definitely injured. Can understand their persistence but it looks crazy, to walk with such an injury. We are grateful that our bodies have held out. Closer we get and closer and down into the forest and it´s a lovely walk but decidedly longer than 3.5 hours. We arrive after 6.5 hours! Our host tells us that she walks that distance in 2 hours and we begin to make cultural comparisons. Sure, but how long would it take her to format an Xcel spreadsheet? Annette crashes out into a deep sleep whilst Ariel reads by the lake. There are more icebergs here that we can see close-up. These ice forms have crashed away from the glacier and floated down the lake, and several off them resting in this bay area, slowly melting until they no longer exist. Ariel has his first shave!

Before dinner we walk to the edge of the glacier (separated by a lake), bump into 2 lovely guys (Paul -French and Marcus -German) we met on the trail, who are sitting on the rocks very close to the waters edge. They call us to join them for vino tinto; red wine, and we clamber down to do so. It feels perfect. The glacier is so gorgeous, massive, peaceful and we watch the evening come in with our new friends before heading back for a yummy dinner.

DAY 5: Refugio Grey to Lodge Paine Grande to catch the catamaran out. We´ve got a 12:30 catamaran to catch and yesterday it took us 6.5 hours to walk in so we start off at 7:15 am and go as fast as we can! It´s hard to get bearings going in the opposite direction but we maintain a steady pace and reach the final valley well in advance, at around 10am! It´s good to go down. The day passes quickly. Us and other fellow walkers almost pass out on the bus back to Puerto Natales. Our dear host at the hospedaje in Puerto Natales welcomes us back with open arms, our room is warm and ready for us. It´s been a full and wonderful journey. We feel we really know Torres Del Paine N.P., the nooks and crannies, what´s in this valley and what´s in that. Our bodies are full of the delicious waters we've been drinking from the glacial rivers, such incredibly pristine water. And at the end of the street a massive snow-capped mountain stands to remind us of the land we are in.
We are pleased.

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