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Published: February 4th 2008
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10 years ago travellers would beg the captain of the Navimag to let them travel the 1500km journey through the Patagonian fjords from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales on board his cargo boat. Now you can book online, pay a lot of US dollars and get a bunk, full board and even use of a bar on board what is still primarily a cargo ship. Notorious for delays due to severe weather the Evangelista actually set sail in blazing sunshine only a couple of hours late with perfect views of the majestic Osorno Volcano. A couple of hours later the sun set behind the islands of Chiloe and the Andes to our left were bathed in a beautiful mauve light. This, I assure you, is not a regular occurance in Patagonia. The four days were spent mainly on the top deck watching the Patagonian scenery unfold and chatting to fellow backpackers from all over the world. It felt like the first week at university, only the questions "where do you come from, what are you studying and what were your A-Levels?" were replaced with "where are you from, where have you been and where are you going?" We were blessed with
calm weather when crossing the Golfo de Penas when normally crossing the open Pacific is a positively hellish experience. We passed through the Angostura Inglesa, a passage so confined that the ship appeared to touch the shoreline whilst condors flew above us. As we approached the south, the snowy peaks got closer and we saw small glaciers close up through the drizzle. Arriving in Puerto Natales at lunch time the wind was so strong it was almost impossible to open the ship's door.
Day One: Lying in bed freezing cold listening to the wind beating the side of the hostel in Puerto Natales I wondered if my decision to do the W trek and camp for 6 days in the notoriously wet and windy Torres del Paine National Park with 4 guys I had met randomly on the Navimag ship was such a great idea. The scenery when we reached the park the next day by bus however reassured me it was. Two gauchos with beautifully rugged and weathered faces galloped along side us easily in control of their 400+ cattle on the vast open plains. Then the three famous towers themselves came into sight. They were the reason
I had come to Chile and they certainly didn't disappoint. Sheared away by the forces of glacial ice and rising up to 2500m, they looked amazing even from a distance. We set off up the hill from Refugio Las Torres carrying everything we needed for our 6 day trek - tent, stove, food, clothes etc. Well, almost everything. I managed to leave all my breakfast and lunch items, except a loaf of bread and a couple of tins of tuna, in the fridge at the hostel. My rucksack didn't seem any lighter for it. Walking uphill with the pack was hard work and I realised that since my D of E days I have always had the pleasure of a mule, camel or a smiling porter carrying my belongings. Previously when I thought about the park, I thought only of the towers. Now I was there I could see it had so much more to offer. We walked up a beautiful valley with a fast flowing river and numerous colourful spring flowers and delicate orchids. We set up camp at the free campsite (Campamento Torres), dumped our packs and clambered up the boulders of the morraine to the base of
the towers and its glacial lake. Being so close to the three gigantic monoliths was breathtaking. Day Two: We climbed back up at 4am but we, unfortuantely, weren't rewarded with the red glow of sunrise but it was,despite the cold, wonderful to have the chance to see them a second time. We walked back down the valley we had come up yesterday and alongside Lake Nordenskjold with its deep turquoise waters in the sunshine. Antoinne had promised me it would be flat but the path went up and down, up and down, up and down. Already tired we had to cross a raging river with only a wire across it to hold on to for support as you hopped or slipped over the wet stones. As we climbed again the wind picked up so much that it was hard to stand upright. To add to the wind it started to rain. Three of the boys decided to push on another two hours uphill to the free campsite but after 8 hours of hiking Gauthier and I decided to splash out and pay 3 pounds 50 pence to stay at a campsite (Refugio Los Guernos) with hot showers and a place
we could cook inside. Our aching feet and shoulders definitely appreciated it. Day Three: With the sun shining we walked a couple of hours through the forest to the free campsite (Campamento Italiano), set up camp and headed up the French Valley with just our day packs. Walking up the valley beside huge glaciers and a raging river was beautiful and reasonably easy until we came to an open spot where the wind raced passed us and neadly knocked us over. We continued through a forest filled with dead trees, all stipped of their bark but still standing tall and elegant regardless. Near the top of the valley we were rewarded with a 360 degree view of the high mountains. The wind was so strong we had to lean against a rock to be able to stand up and enjoy it. Day Four (Christmas Eve): Reunited with the other guys we headed off the next day along an easy, relatively flat path alongside another lake with an amazing colour until we reached Lake Pehoe. After a short rest we continued up the path through the forest and over a pass until we came alongside Lake Grey. Lunch was had on
a high, sheltered spot looking towards the huge glacier with its high walls of ice. We thought our afternoon nap in the warm sunshine was about 20 minutes but was, in fact, 2 hours so we hurried on towards the campsite (Refugio Grey) stopping at the lakeshore nearby which was filled with beautifully shaped icebergs. More ice in the lake near our camping spot was used as a fridge for the beer the boys had bought. As the French celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve so did we. Two courses of pasta with different sauces was enjoyed as a special treat plus some expensive red wine I had bought at the campsite shop. Day Five (Christmas Day): The other guys decided to either dash back to Puerto Natales or to continue into a different part of the park so Gauthier and I headed up on our own to get closer to Glacier Grey. It was a dazzling site in the sunshine with the ice stretching for what seemed like miles. A rather wonderful Christmas present. With the continuing good weather we had plenty of time to make our way back to Lake Pehoe where we camped for the night and I
burned the pasta proving to Gauthier that, in his mind, the English really shouldn't cook... Day Six: I was sad to know it was our last day in the park but the walk back to the end of the "W Trek" also didn't disappoint. Walking alongside River Grey through open land filled with amazing, deep colours towards mountains with a foreboding black sky above them with no one else in sight was really special indeed. Tired but happy we sat on the 6.30pm bus back to Puerto Natales eating our celebratory Pringles feeling very pleased with ourselves and looking forward to a proper shower, a comfy bed and a meal that didn't involve pasta.
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Beverley
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Fantastic update and great to hear from you
Hey darlin, wow! hard to believe it all happened over a month ago. Can't wait to hear what's been happening since then..... especilly with that lovely bit of totty you've met. Look forward to hearing from you soon and until then a big hug and kiss. Bev