8 Days of Paine - Part II


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South America » Chile » Magallanes » Torres del Paine
December 16th 2011
Published: December 27th 2011
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3 Hours of Walking3 Hours of Walking3 Hours of Walking

The top of the pass, looking down to last night's camping.
This is part two of my account from Torres del Paine National Park. You might want to read them in order.

Part One: http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Magallanes/Torres-del-Paine/blog-673779.html

Part Three: http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Magallanes/Torres-del-Paine/blog-674891.html



Day 4 - Glacier, Paso, Cliffside

Today started oh so early but it was oh so worthwhile. The first 3 hours were all uphill - a gradual incline through trees that would get smaller and smaller until they were no longer present, but not before making us look like giants on the Serengeti, interspersed with treacherous mud log walkways. Instead of taking the safer, longer, more snagged by trees route, I opted for the high risk/high satisfaction route of hotfotting it over precarious log balance beams. High risk because/high satisfaction until falling off a wobbly log and getting mud up to sock level.

Stomped through snow.

Steeper.

More snow.

We reached the pass at 10am with an incredible view of the glacier and ice fields in the distance. This glacier was easily the best one I had ever seen. Stretching as far as I can see to the right, miles off to the left, and completely across the massive valley ahead, it was
ExhaustedExhaustedExhausted

Yep, I have lots of photos of me looking like this.
gigantic. Because it was such a clear day, it was possible to see all the way over to the ice fields over the next mountain ridge. It would have been tempting to stand at this desolate pass and watch for the next few hours, but unfortunately this was not nearly approaching our destination.

The descent was tough - very steep, through trees held to the rock face with only 20cm of soil (and in many cases, not held to the rock strongly enough), and it lasted around 2 hours. Checkpoint I, Campamento Paso, was reached at about 12. Clearly we were going to continue, but the next 3 hours were not easy. After the arduous descent from the pass, there was a depressing amount of climbing again, again in the heat, and again hassled by horseflies. A few ladder climbs helped to navigate the heavily eroded creek valleys.

All the while, this was happening with a spectacular view of the glacier on the periphery.

Checkpoint II, Campamento Guardas, was reached at about 3pm. This offered a spectacular view of the head of the glacier and is where most people stop after such a long day. We are
The IceThe IceThe Ice

Ice field in the distance, flowing into a glacier.
not most people.

We continued for another hour down towards Refugio Grey - because we had left early enough that there was still time, and otherwise the first hour of tomorrow would be plagued with the thought that we could have covered this already... I was very tired, and very hungry (now I'm just very tired and merely hungry). For dinner we used the spare tomato sauce as a treat (buy 3 get one free!) since we were so hungry even some more pureéd tomatoes were welcome. I keep thinking of Trevor Lock in the 1980 Iranian Embassy seige, who had to starve himself for five days and upon exiting ate an entire tube of toothpaste he was so hungry. I won't need all my toothpaste...

The campsite is on a beach. It's really scenic and tranquil, although the 15 minute walk to the mirador for the glacier offers nothing compared to what we've seen earlier. This is the first part of the walk where we cross paths with the small timers 'only' doing the 5 day W trek, and thus they will have missed out everything we've seen already.

After such a long day (9 and
The GlacierThe GlacierThe Glacier

Probably doesn't capture the magic at all.
a half hours!) I am hurting surprisingly little. The pain in the collar and neck is there as always. A new blister may be forming on the inside right big toe, but its small and I shall push through.

My shoes are not in a good state. The seam on the outside right has popped open, as much as some of the (now mended) seam pops before (possible to easily get to my sock). It can only get worse. We are only halfway through...

Day 5 - The Great Scorched Lakes

As it turned out, we were both shattered today. There was a fantastic view of the first lake, Lago Grey, as we walked and the glacier retreated behind us. This lake was soon replaced with another, smaller laguna, before descending down towards Lake Pehoe. This stop really showed me how shattered I was from yesterday. The shop tempted me with its bountiful supplies of tasty treats, but my wallet and morals held firm. It was even more difficult to combat with the delicious aroma of chilli wafting out of the guardhouse.

The next leg was supposedly 'easy' although I have no idea what the braincell
A CreekA CreekA Creek

Requiring climbing, hopping over a river, and climbing again. Beware unstable slopes.
count of the person who chose that was, I'm guessing less than average. It was labeled as three different times on neighbouring signs, which further detracts from the reliability of it.

Beautiful however, it was. We took in some stunning views of huge granite towers appearing in the valley, and the tranquil Lago Scottsburg passed us by as the heavy sun beat down on us. Eventually we reached a violent river and the incredibly mobile suspension bridge spanning it, and arrived at Campamento Italiano.

Here, I think, is the first proper taste of how busy the trek gets. It's partly because people tend to leave their tents here while doing the walk up Valley Francés and back, many of these tents a replica of my own. Once again, I am very happy to have an entire tent to myself. Dinner (fettuccini tonight!) was nice, and the seemingly larger amount worries me that we might starve another day. Thankfully, our first night without a sink at the campsite wasn't my night to wash up.

Today, my quads were VERY sore. Along with being so tired and needing the bathroom for much of the walk, made for a very
The Other EndThe Other EndThe Other End

Two halves of two days spent traversing much of the length of the glacier and the lake.
draining day. Oh, and the scorching heat (at least no rain...). The forming blister on my right big toe has faded a little, which is great, but I fear it's because of the lower pressure on it because of the popped stitching on the shoe - which today has grown astronomically. I can now see my sock while walking. Why do I have an ulcer? How irritating. I'm kind of getting sick of dried fruit, especially as it seems to be drying a little more every day.

Today I forgot to do my teeth before getting changed, so did them in the tent and swallowed, tasty toothpaste...

Part three continues here:

http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Magallanes/Torres-del-Paine/blog-674891.html


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Sunset

Campamento Italiano.


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