Doing the W...
Ok, I'm going to first start this post by saying that I actually did this over a month ago, but in my zeal to update my photo gallery and the whirlwind that was Antarctica, I seem to have fallen massively behind in my blog. So if you would bear with me, those few poor souls still reading this site, I will attempt to recap a month worth of adventures over the next few days.
Currently it's raining in Iguazu, so I have some time on my hands...
So where did I leave off... oh yeah, Calafate. So after that, Tony and I caught a bus to Puerto Natales to do a few days hiking in the famed Torres del Paine, which is actually on the Chilean side of Patagonia. We met up with Tony's friend, Andreas, a quiet tattoo artist from Germany and headed off. Unfortunately both Tony and I wanted a couple of days of recooperation after the hosts of injuries we compiled in El Chalten and Andreas couldn't be bothered to wait. So he left immediately for the national park, and we left the day after.
There are two ways to do Torres del Paine, the full circuit (which takes eight days) and the W (which takes 4 to 5). We were determined to do it in four. We started on the east side of the park and began to climb. Each sweep of the W is a pretty steep ascent for 1-2 hours. It doesn't sound like much I know, but while carrying 25+ kilos on your back, it's not exactly a stroll in the park either. And for our first two days on the trail, the sun beat down relentlessly on us. But for our troubles, at the top of each climb is a view point well worth the effort.
The end of the first day we approached Torres del Paine, the mountain range that is the namesake of the national park. We watched the sunset over the four peaks and made a hasty descent down. The sun sat at around 10:30 and we also wanted to watch the sunrise, which we heard was spectacular, at around 4 AM. It wasn't much sleep to go on but as with many things, it turned out to be enough. The truly nerve wracking part was the ascent in pitch darkness. It was hard enough during the day, but at night it was down right treacherous. I almost fell many times, and I managed to break one of my fancy carbon fiber trekking poles. Luckily I bought it from REI, so it can be replaced.
The sunrise was subdued from the light rain and heavy wind. But I did manage to get some amazing sky pictures before the weather forced me off the face of the mountain. After that, it was a 30 minute descent, breaking camp, loading up, and an 11 hour day of hiking. The thing is, there are camps at the base of each sweep, but you must pay to use them. The free camps are always at the top of the ascent and we couldn't be bothered to pay. Before the day was over, both of us were on pain killers, the sun was quickly setting, the map signs turned out to be wrong, and we managed to pick up a lost israeli. In the end, we managed to find the camp site and set up our tents in the dark.
The next day was the highlight of whole trek for me. After a couple of hours through the Valle del Frances, with the river below swollen and frothing from the fresh summer melts of the glaciers, we came to a mirador (view point) surrounded on all sides by twelve majestic peaks. I took no less than 4 panoramas which I can't wait to reassemble once I get back home. After that kind of view, we were really pumped up for the eight or so more hours of trekking to our final camp site near the ferry which would bore us home.
The next day, our final day, the great weather we'd sustained throughout the trek thusfar broke and gave way to torrents of rain and howling wind. The last trek, some three and half hours each way, was for the most part wet and miserable. To make matters worse, once I finally did reach Glacier Grey, the wind and rain allied to prevent me from taking even a single picture. So resigned in defeat, I reluctanly climbed off the view point and trudge back to base camp. I broke camp, had a few beers with some Israeli girls we met in Calafate, and then staggered onto the ferry. Like the peaks and valleys we traversed, the trip had it's ups and downs but ultimately it was one those experiences that stay with you. A definite highlight in a trip full of amazing moments.
Currently it's raining in Iguazu, so I have some time on my hands...
So where did I leave off... oh yeah, Calafate. So after that, Tony and I caught a bus to Puerto Natales to do a few days hiking in the famed Torres del Paine, which is actually on the Chilean side of Patagonia. We met up with Tony's friend, Andreas, a quiet tattoo artist from Germany and headed off. Unfortunately both Tony and I wanted a couple of days of recooperation after the hosts of injuries we compiled in El Chalten and Andreas couldn't be bothered to wait. So he left immediately for the national park, and we left the day after.
There are two ways to do Torres del Paine, the full circuit (which takes eight days) and the W (which takes 4 to 5). We were determined to do it in four. We started on the east side of the park and began to climb. Each sweep of the W is a pretty steep ascent for 1-2 hours. It doesn't sound like much I know, but while carrying 25+ kilos on your back, it's not exactly a stroll in the park either. And for our first two days on the trail, the sun beat down relentlessly on us. But for our troubles, at the top of each climb is a view point well worth the effort.
The end of the first day we approached Torres del Paine, the mountain range that is the namesake of the national park. We watched the sunset over the four peaks and made a hasty descent down. The sun sat at around 10:30 and we also wanted to watch the sunrise, which we heard was spectacular, at around 4 AM. It wasn't much sleep to go on but as with many things, it turned out to be enough. The truly nerve wracking part was the ascent in pitch darkness. It was hard enough during the day, but at night it was down right treacherous. I almost fell many times, and I managed to break one of my fancy carbon fiber trekking poles. Luckily I bought it from REI, so it can be replaced.
The sunrise was subdued from the light rain and heavy wind. But I did manage to get some amazing sky pictures before the weather forced me off the face of the mountain. After that, it was a 30 minute descent, breaking camp, loading up, and an 11 hour day of hiking. The thing is, there are camps at the base of each sweep, but you must pay to use them. The free camps are always at the top of the ascent and we couldn't be bothered to pay. Before the day was over, both of us were on pain killers, the sun was quickly setting, the map signs turned out to be wrong, and we managed to pick up a lost israeli. In the end, we managed to find the camp site and set up our tents in the dark.
The next day was the highlight of whole trek for me. After a couple of hours through the Valle del Frances, with the river below swollen and frothing from the fresh summer melts of the glaciers, we came to a mirador (view point) surrounded on all sides by twelve majestic peaks. I took no less than 4 panoramas which I can't wait to reassemble once I get back home. After that kind of view, we were really pumped up for the eight or so more hours of trekking to our final camp site near the ferry which would bore us home.
The next day, our final day, the great weather we'd sustained throughout the trek thusfar broke and gave way to torrents of rain and howling wind. The last trek, some three and half hours each way, was for the most part wet and miserable. To make matters worse, once I finally did reach Glacier Grey, the wind and rain allied to prevent me from taking even a single picture. So resigned in defeat, I reluctanly climbed off the view point and trudge back to base camp. I broke camp, had a few beers with some Israeli girls we met in Calafate, and then staggered onto the ferry. Like the peaks and valleys we traversed, the trip had it's ups and downs but ultimately it was one those experiences that stay with you. A definite highlight in a trip full of amazing moments.
posted by Z at
8:18 AM
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