Trekking the Torres of Pain(e)!

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We spent the weekend at Torres del Paine National Park and what a weekend it was. All the superlatives you can muster don't do justice to Torres del Paine - a stunning setting with snow-capped granite peaks, lakes, rivers, glaciers and mountain valleys. On Friday we drove from Punta Arenas to the National Park via Puerto Natales and arrived there for a truck lunch near Lago Grey Hotel. Then it was off on a boat tour on Lago Grey to see the Grey Glacier at its northern end. It took an age to get there but was well worth it when we did - the sheer size of the glacier along with the sculpted, blue-tinged edge was spectacular. While the boat was wandering along the glacier's edge, we were served with pisco sour (a local drink) with a large chunk of glacier ice.

Eventually arrived back at the hotel and then onwards on the truck to the Pehoe campsite where we were staying for the next three nights. It's a great campsite in a fantastic setting and when we got back all the tents had been put up and our chef for the weekend, Joss from Sheffield, was cooking dinner. This kind of camping I could get used to. Joss cooked some great dinners and breakfasts over the weekend, culminating in a gorgeous barbeque on Sunday night. The campsite was full with overland trucks, many of them on the mammoth 5 month grand tour of South America ending at the Rio carnival. Didn't feel the slightest bit of envy for them. After dinner we huddled around the campfire and sang songs with the guitar, with Alan doing great versions of Danny Boy and You'll Never Walk Alone.

Next morning after breakfast we headed off on the big hike to Mirador de los Torres - the end of the "W" route and the best view point of the three towers.We woke to a rainy and overcast day which would have made trekking difficult and viewing the towers impossible but fortunately it had cleared by the time we were leaving. After a transfer to the Hosteria Las Torres we began the hike. The first section was a steepish but not very interesting climb. The we turned the corner into the valley, which had steep, forested slopes and a fast flowing river below. This was a beautiful section with many uphill and downhill portions. After about 2 hours we arrived at the base of the climb to the Mirador. It was a tough, uphill climb mostly over boulders but the view from the top made it all worthwhile. After clearing the last boulder, suddenly the three Torres come into view, along with the neignbouring peaks and a small, grey/green lake below which I climbed down to to taste some of the extremely cold but crystal clear glacial water. The clouds did obscure the Torres peaks somewhat but it didn't detract much from the experience. After a rest and lunch at the Mirador, we headed back on the long trek back to the camp along the same route - it's a pity we couldn't incorporate the whole W route during our visit as retracing your steps that way isn't very satisfying.

The next day some of the guys went horse riding while Terry, Katherine and I attempted another section of the W - the Frances Valley. The object was to get to a Mirador to see the back of the Torres but as we had to get a boat on Lake Pehoe to the start and end point of the hike, there was very little leeway to get all the way up and back in the time alloted. The first section to Campamento Italiano was quite pleasant, along the lake and through forest, but the next section up the valley was a killer. We made it to an intermediate mirador with a great view over the glacier but were exhausted at this stage with barely enough time to finish the hike. It then started raining heavily, meaning we'd likely not see the peaks anyway so we decided it was best to head back. A bit disappointing but there's no point killing yourself for an obscured view. On the boat back I met my cousin Michael who I hadn't seen for years but just happen to bump into at the end of the world. Even more bizarrely it turns out that Michael's partner Des is actually Conor's (on our tour) brother - it's a crazy, small world.

On Monday morning Terry and I went horse riding. We were originally only going to do two hours but ended up riding for 4.5 hours as we were with another group that had booked that time. It was a fantastic experience, only the second time I'd ridden (previously in Mongolia) but this was a more comfortable and enjoying experience. We were riding in the Rio Serrano region in the south of the park, with some spectacular views of the mountains and lakes. I had a really nice and gentle black horse called Treno. We rode along the steep riverbanks and crossed the river a few times, getting my feet soaked twice. After stopping at a nice viewpoint for a break we headed back. The return section was through a lot of woodlands where you had to take care not to have your head knocked off by low branches and there was a lot more cantering and galloping which I wasn't fully comfortable with and ended up with lots of aching muscles from holding on too tight. Overall it was a great time and again makes me want to do more horse riding. Our day was a lot less eventful than Alan and Paul who were nearly drowned by a collapsing iceberg whilst kayaking but thankfully all escaped unhurt.

Afterwards it was back on the truck for a short trip back to Puerto Natales where we were spending the night at the Hotel Glaciares. We had a great meal at Afrigonia, an interesting African/Patagonian fusion restaurant, where I had a great chicken curry but after an exhausting weekend it was an early night to rest a lot of aching muscles.

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