Park of 1000 Rainbows


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South America » Chile » Magallanes » Torres del Paine
March 26th 2007
Published: March 26th 2007
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Day 1:  The TorresDay 1:  The TorresDay 1: The Torres

The torres (towers) are the namesake of the park. You can see them to the right of the mountain. Due to injury, I never made it up to the viewpoint, but the view from the start of the hike wasn´t too shabby.
Sitting at the computer now in El Calafate, 2 days after my return from hiking the circuit in Torres del Paine, I find myself at a loss for words. I spent 7 days hiking in the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life.
Torres del Paine. When you look on the map at the approximately cicular path you will hike over the course of a week all you see is a little dotted line crossing the contours and the blue lines of rivers and circling the dots of the peaks of mountains. I had not even the slightest idea of everything I would see during my week in the park. There were soaring towers of granite, snow capped mountains, aquamarine lakes, hanging glaciers, huge moraines, quiet forests, moss covered rocks, waterfalls, trickling streams, rivers rushing through gorges, and -- the most spectacular sight (for me)-- Glacier Grey.
In a hostel in Puerto Natales called Erratic Rock (highly reccommended for getting info about trekking in the park) I met up with 4 guys who were planning on hiking the circuit. They were enthusiastic about letting me tag along and in a few hours we went shopping for food,
The boysThe boysThe boys

From left to right, my trekking partners: Joel (Canada), Dagan in Orange and Uri in Red (Israel)and Robert (Holland)
I rented a few things I needed for the trip, and we packed our bags ready to leave by 7 the next morning.
One of the most memorable features of Patagonia is the weather. For the next 7 days I saw rain, snow, sleet, and the strongest winds I have ever experienced. They were so stong that, just as the guide in Erratic Rock had predicted, I was actually blown over once.
I´m sorry for the few pictures and sparse entry, but the internet here is painfully slow. Hopefully when I get to civilization I can post more pictures and write more about the trek.


Additional photos below
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Day 2: Camp DicksonDay 2: Camp Dickson
Day 2: Camp Dickson

This is where we camped the night of day 2...absolutely stunning, but with some intense winds. Joels tent actually got laid flat by a gust which broke a pole and ripped through the tent. Lucky he had a girl around whos pretty good with needle and thread :)
Day 3: Los Perros GlacierDay 3: Los Perros Glacier
Day 3: Los Perros Glacier

To see this glacier you have to climb a massive moraine surrounding the lake and at the top the wind is incredibly intense. Obviously I was having a good time.
Day 4: Jon Gardner PassDay 4: Jon Gardner Pass
Day 4: Jon Gardner Pass

No picture can ever do justice to the view of Glacier Grey from the top of Jon Gardner Pass. It was so incredible. This was one of the many rainbows that showed up along the journey with the glacier in the background
Day 5:  Glacier GreyDay 5:  Glacier Grey
Day 5: Glacier Grey

Uh, thats a lot of ice. BEAUTIFUL!


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