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Published: April 29th 2008
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sunset in Punta Arenas
thought I would throw this photo in, even though it was actually taken in Punta Arenas. A pretty dramatic sunset, which we saw from the internet cafe while we were talking to Jono´s parents. Pretty much the first thing we did in Puerto Natales was check the weather. The weather here seems to be very hard to predict and every website always has a different take, but when more than one website had a mention of SOME sunshine (even alongside passing showers) we got excited and took that to mean it was good weather. We had met so many people that were on their way back north after coming down to Patagonia and seeing ¨nothing¨, sometimes waiting one or two weeks and still seeing ¨nothing¨. Let me just interject here that the concept of seeing nothing does not really exist in my life, or, I think, in Jono´s. How is that possible unless you have your eyes closed? What they mean, of course is that they do not get to see the big towers that draw everyone down here. The ones that are on all the postcards. The Patagonian rock stars: Torres Del Paine, Fitzroy, and Cerro Torre. And we got to see them all! I can not believe it. I feel like I owe the world a big favour now. They were all absolutely amazing.
First off we went out to Torres Del
puppy in a tent
this is the puppy that lives in the Puerto Natales hostel, curled up in a tent that somneone was trying to pack up. PAine national Park, in Chile. We were a little stung by the entrance fee of just over US$30, and I was totally disgusted by the big huge refugio underneath the torres del Paine. It is so ugly. And bright red like a whore´s lipstick. And ridiculously expensive to stay in, for a National Park refugio. I think it costs something like US$80 for full board. Even once you have walked 500 meters past it, you can still hear the generators rumbling along in an effort to power the monstrosity. It was almost as big as an entire village. Plus, they are in the process of building more.
Anyhow, by the time we were on our way up the hill to the Los Torres campsite, the amazing landscape just blew all the refugio images and associated thoughts out of my mind. Soooooo pretty. I wish I had more photos to show (and of Fitzroy too), but we took most of them on our SLR camera, and we can not upload anything from it at the moment. Maybe I will upload some of them to a later blog when we get our card reader back in a month or so.
We camped that first night under Torres del Paine and walked up to see them in full sun. Again, I had that feeling that I should bend down and worship them (similar to the feeling I had in Cochomo). Such beautiful ancient intimidating towers of rock over a turquoise lake.
We did what they call the W trek, which goes from Torres Del Paine to Glacier Grey via French valley, about 60 km or so all together. Maybe even less. I don´t know. It is late. I am tipsy on good cheap argentinian wine and too lazy to go down to my room and get my notes. We had wanted to do the circuit (about twice the length) which circles all the way around the three towers and the two big glaciers, but part of it was closed due to avalanches and winter conditions. It was an amazing hike though, details aside. There was absolutely breathtaking scenery everywhere you looked, and it was easy hiking. Too easy, in a way, cause there were a few times when I tripped over purely because I was not paying attention and too busy looking at the views. The landscape has been intricately
folded, molded, whipped, sliced and carved into stunning shapes. Watching the wind here is like watching an artist at work. Wind that can whip an entire creek off the ground to make it become a mid air waterfall, or, that can sweep huge boulders from a mountain top as if it were an arm angrily sweeping glasses off a table to smash on the floor.
The snow covered, shale topped granite cliffs looked like they had been dipped in chocolate and dusted with icing sugar. One night we were sleeping under a big glacier in French valley and could hear chunks of it breaking off throughout the night. It was pretty amazing to be lying there at night listening to the past falling away in chunks, shattering, splintering and crashing down to eventually melt into the present.
But for all the beauty of Torres Del Paine, there were also plenty of downsides which come, I guess, along with stardom. Toilet paper (and worse), women´s sanitary pads, tampons and cigarette butts were a common and very disappointing sight, especially around campsites and refugios. Which brings me to the next complaint. Private refugio´s in national parks. May it never happen
in Australia. Run by people purely to make money, these things tend to be huge, power hungry, ugly and expensive. Plus, the marketing that these places put out brings even more people to a park that seems in danger of being loved to death. I think its great to have facilities for people that might want to do the hike but do not have the fitness or the equipment to camp, but they should be basic. Not big huge resort type things that seem to be able to grow indefinitely. Maybe they will have helicopter landing pads here in a few years. I guess they bring a lot of money on for the Chilean government. People can do the entire walk that we did with nothing more than a day pack. They need only walk four hours before coming to a regugio, where they can pay good money to sleep, bathe and eat and even have a lunch packed for them for the next day. Then, at the last refugio, they can buy a t shirrt that says Ï survived the Patagonian W¨ or Ï survived the Patagonian Circuit¨. People have a strange idea of what survival is these days.
Los Torres campsite
under Torres del Paine, where we camped on the first night. This is the ranger´s hut. The outdoors has become yet another commodity. We have developed a whole retail and tourist industry around the natural world. We saw some pretty funny examples of the ridiculousness of the retail aspect especially. Scenario one: (this one was a common one) people with the newest light weight packs, lightweight shoes, lightweight tents, but ridiculously HUGE packs FULL of all kinds of shit: too much food probably, camping hammers to hammer tent pegs into the ground (where the ground is soft from so much rain and covered in rocks that make damn fine hammers, not that you need to use one at all), little itsy bitsy axes (where you are not allowed to chop wood or light camp fires), multiple pots and pans and gadgets that I could not even make out, without going and inspecting too closely. Often these light weight packs would be so full that people would strap things to the outside, dangling all over the place, even down below their packs hitting their legs as they would try to walk. And this is for a two or three day walk where there are shelters and facilities every four hours and a track that would be
hard to get lost on even in the dark without a torch. Actually, I am going to leave it there, because I think I have said enough and I don´t want to harp on and be all bitter. Oh, but I need to mention the guy we saw with lightweight salamon shoes (the mesh type that are very breathable and not at all water proof) coupled with gaiters and waterproof overpants. Atleast his legs would stay dry I guess... ok, now I am done.
The walk was great. I am glad I went. I feel so lucky to have had good weather and been able to see the mountains, but it was not exactly a wilderness experience or much of an adventure.
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Liz
non-member comment
Hi from Liz & Ken
I enjoy catching up with all your adventures. Love you lots Liz xx