Torres Del Paine, Chile

---

Torres Del Paine

I arrived in Puerto Natales, Chile after a 15 hour bus ride from Ushuaia. The bus actually sat on a ferry and we crossed the Strait of Magellan. It was interesting. And very cold. After my travels here I don’t’ understand how the first explorers here survived.

I came to Chile to enjoy Nacional Parque Torres Del Paine. I know I said Ushuaia was beautiful but the beauty here usurps that of fin del mundo. It’s a different kind of beauty; I normally wouldn’t associate bleak and desolate with beauty but this place manages to do just that.

My friends and I were starting the “W” trail. It’s a 5 day circuit in the park that affords beautiful views of Torres Del Paine, especially at sunrise when sun hits the spirals and they turn an amazing reddish orange hue. We started out by taking a beautiful boat ride; truly stunning, we could see Torres Del Paine through a few clouds. After getting off the boat we began our trek out to Glacier Grey. A beautiful trek; mountains, lakes and icebergs are part of the landscape. The final steep climb was over a rocky cliff where we were privy to a gorgeous view of Glacier Grey.

Unfortunately it started to rain the last hour of the trek. So we arrived at the base camp to set up out tents as quickly as possible. After that we took a quick hike out to the glacier; absolutely stunning. Overnight I could hear ice falling and shifting from the glacier. Too bad I could also hear snow falling in massive piles from the trees above onto my tent. I was jolted awake every 15 minutes or so…it was a restless night.

The next day we had to trek back to the start of the trail in quite a bit of snow. You might think that would be a difficult and miserable experience but it wasn’t. The sheer beauty of the place and my surroundings negated any misery I might have otherwise experienced. The next day we tried to continue the trail but we were told parts of it were impassable so we didn’t get to finish. Next time, I told myself. I really want to see Torres Del Paine at sunrise.

Leaving the park was a treat because our bus stopped and we were able to see a family of guanaco (llamas) feeding on the grass. They are super cute animals. But they like to stick their butts in the air when you try to take their picture!!!

Overall, Torres Del Paine was a great experience even though I started something and didn’t finish…I’d be back to finish it later.

---