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Published: January 5th 2006
Torres Del Paine
Well everyone else has this photo so I needed it too!I've decided to open the museum of blistered feet with my own feet as the key exhibit. I think at this point in time my feet are actually more blisters than skin, and I also think that my boots are somehow not going to find their way back to Australia. I used to love Scarpa boots, now I'd love to hire a terrorist to blow their factories up.
However, I more than survived our five days walking the 'W' in Torres Del Paine, I loved it, we had near perfect weather the whole trip, the views were magnificent and it was another real highlight.
I'm sure that there are hundreds of descriptions of the walk out there, so I won't bore anyone with details of the route other than to say that if I had taken the time to actually check it out myself I would have known that there are some pretty upmarket refugios along the way and that every night you were able to have a hot shower and then sit around drinking beer (sometimes chilled) or wine, eating a three course dinner whilst watching the sunset. I was expecting things to be a tad rougher.
Prices for food and accomodation are outrageous, as you would expect, but given we'd already paid out an outrageous amount to go on the tour there was a certain pleasure in knowing that we weren't getting ripped off too badly. In all seriousnous if you have a limited amount of time and money's not a problem I can heartily recommend Antares travel, but more hearitly I would say that this walk is a doddle to do by yourself and there's absolutely no reason you'd actually need a guide or anything prearranged if you had a tent, some food and know how to read a map. To be honest the need to read a map is probably optional ... you just follow the same path as everyone else.
The group we went with were a good mix (there were twelve of us in total plus two guides). I had my first experience of swimming in a lake with icebergs, The Aussie team (Christie and I) won the ice climbing competition (well we decided it was a competition after we got to the top first), and I learnt that guides don't appreciate it when you decide to wander off from the
main group and climb up through snow and loose rock scree to see ¨What's up over that pass over there?¨... in my defence I had been told by some people coming down that the track peters out a bit, but to just keep following the rock cairns and that's what I did. How was I to know that the rest of the group wouldn't follow? This was also when I blistered my feet as I ended up having to run back down the mountain to catch back up with everyone.
Christie and I are now back in Puerta Natales a few days early as there was a stuff up with the sea kayaking part of our trip. Initially they cancelled it and were just going to take us down in Zodiacs because a key ferry section had been cancelled due to damage, but we kicked up a bit of a fuss, so they've put us on another trip on the 2-4th of January. Looks like we'll be spending New Years in Puerto Natales.
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Andy
non-member comment
Torres (next time you're there)
The "W" is indeed now too popular, particularly with Argentinian and Chilean college kids in early January (thier summer recess). Next time try the "circuit". Head beyon Lago Gray and up over the John Dickson Pass. With 120 mph winds, whipped up surface ice stinging your face and thigh deep snow its a barrel of laughs. You will make it to Refugio Los Perros (conveniently at the foot of another glacier) in about 11 to 14 hours. Another 5 hours will see you to the worlds best refuge (and probably the best piece of real estate in the world)... Refugio Dickson. For your money you get a mean spaghetti bolognaise, good company from teh vaquero's, one of the worlds most amazing places to stay, and a lot LOT less other people. Continue on for another 8 hours to Campo Seron, and then about 5 hours to reach one of the main bases for the park at Refugio (and hotel) Los Torres. P.S. If you do the "W" always go to the very top for the lookout point above the "British Camp" (Campo Britannica on the maps). Many people stop at the "Italian" camp.