Advertisement
Published: February 11th 2008
Edit Blog Post
Chile´s world-renowned national park is famous for weeks worth of hiking through amazing natural wonders, including its namesake granite towers that transcend into the sky, and one of the biggest ice fields on Earth. Naturally, we wanted to see it all, but we only had a week. No matter. We set off to cover 90 miles of trail in seven days. Sure, we had done nothing but drink malbec wine and eat grass-fed steak you can cut with a spoon since hiking to Machu Picchu. But pain, shmain, we say. We kicked of the trek with nearly a marathon of 24 miles, and continued the hike with an average of a half marathon each day for a week. It was all worth it to see the part of Patagonia we had been looking forward since we arrived in South America.
We prepped for our intense, week-long trek like we would for any strenuous physical activity. The night before our early start, we hydrated (with plenty of pisco sours), carb-loaded (the tasty seafood spot where we´ve become regulars has the best rolls), warmed up our muscles (the Chileans we enjoyed dinner with taught us the latest dance craze here called ¨La
Onda¨). Finally and most importantly, we got plenty of rest (about five hours after a nightcap with our German neighbors). After our fun-filled evening, we did not feel in top shape during our bus ride to the park. We set off through the white meadows covered with wild daisies anyway, and immediately felt better when we caught a rare glimpse of the Torres free of fog. We met people who spent an entire week just waiting for a clear view. It would be another uncanny week in Patagonia without the typical rain or strong winds, and it was as if God parted the clouds for a preview as extra motivation to move past the pisco and into the Cordillera.
Our sore muscles and growling stomachs 24 miles later reminded us of the Chicago Marathon we ran with Nocelyn, except that there was no post-race celebration at Aunt Ginny´s with her wonderful homemade meal of tasty steaks, salad and baked potatoes. Instead we finished the day with one last push straight up and back down a ridge to a grassy camp site nestled against a lake shore, where we were promptly attacked by one million mosquitoes. We covered our sweaty
A nice little view!
This peak was covered all day in the clouds and shot out for this pic. heads with hats and hoods, piled on layers of long sleeves and pants, and pitched our little tent in a panic as they bit into whatever they could reach. We threw ourselves into the tent and watched in awe as the little devils tried to tear their way in (pictured). Then, suddenly we heard flapping all around us... and we were saved. Our very own Air Force of birds gobbled just enough mosquitoes swarming our tent so we could sneak out for water, a quick shower rinse, and then rush back to try not to burn down our little house as we cooked dinner inside the vestibule.
The next day, the blood-suckers were replaced by much friendlier black-headed wood peckers, butterflies in every color, and fuzzy, peanut-sized bumble bees with the occasional biting horse fly as we trekked past one unbelievable site after another. We trekked past calving glaciers that rumbled as pieces of ice rolled and crashed into the water below, and through what we called the ¨swamp of eternal stench¨ where we tip-toed across lengua branches over muddy bogs. We slid down steep, metal ladders through rocky valleys, waded our way across raging rivers in our trusty
The beginning of the trek
Looking fresh, feeling fresh Chacos, and scrambled up a mountain pass to behold the famous Campo del Heilo Sur. The rocky pass to the southern Patagonia ice field took several hours, so just like any rough race finish line, Trev and I held hands as we came over the top to see the amazing and seemingly endless mass of 48 glaciers and a total of a about 35 by 8 kilometers. We must´ve spent over an hour marveling on Glacier Grey alone before moving on.
In addition to the amazing natural views, we also saw some unnatural ones too. Trev and I hiked the circuit around the mountains, but people can also opt into the trail part-way, arriving by catamaran to do day hikes or stay in the refuges. We stopped in one of the fancy refugios half-way for a quick drink, and we were amazed how good a Coke or beer could taste after days on a dusty trail. But Trev also warned me that the ¨yahoos¨ would increase dramatically once we hit this more common hiking ground, and did they ever. For future reference, a ¨yahoo¨ can be detected by the following signs including, but not limited to... bandannas, gaiters (to
Taking a descanso
to enjoy the smells of life guard against... dirt), silly safari hats, fanny packs, and trekking poles. We saw a European yahoo in skin-tight, neon-green striped skivvies for a dip in a freezing creek, and an American yahoo with a giant, 80s car phone-size cell chatting from the top of one of the trails. Yes, friends. We even saw several Uncle Eddies from National Lampoon sporting tank tops and ear flap hats.
Our ¨rest day¨ included a mere five-hour day hike, and the terrain was tough. Still, we decided that our average 8 hours of hiking per day still beat spending the same amount of time in our cubicles. Trev couldn´t drag me up the steep trails by his backpack tail the entire time, so he often motivated me up the ridiculously steep hills by waving water bottles from the top or bribing me with the promise of a hot shower when the week was through. We had just enough energy on the last day to wake up before sunrise at 4:30 to climb an hour up through a boulder field (we discovered a much easier way on the way down when it wasn´t dark) to see the sunrise. First the sun sloooowly dyed the
sky behind us a bright pink. Then we waited and waited for it to come completely up... We realized the sun is always right on time when you´re trying to sleep in, nosing through the curtains and into your eyes. But when you´re waiting for it on the top of a cold cliff, it sure takes its sweet time. The sun finally rose and hit the 8,000-foot Torres around 5, and covered them and the water below in a bright, golden glow. The week was definitely painful, but very worth it in the end. The views of the famous Torres del Paine were what motivated us at the start of the trek, and were the perfect finale to finish the trip.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.188s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 13; qc: 62; dbt: 0.1457s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Lisa
non-member comment
You two are amazing. It is so inspirational what you did. Congrats friends. You had just enough determination (and crazy) in ya to make it all the way. Can't wait to have you back in the States! P.S. Can you fit a Guanaco in your backpack? They're sure cute. I want one :)