Patagonia—that American clothing brand you might have heard of? Ringing a bell?
Well, the brand was the brain child of an expedition to a region in Southern America (a breath-taking region worthy of inspiration).
The region is shared by Argentina and Chile, the Andes, habitats ranging from deserts to grasslands as well as two coastlines facing the Pacific (west) and Atlantic (east) oceans.
^ Chile, in Southern America, is shown as a thin sliver in green, with Argentina to the east of it
Patagonia, Chile
The largest city in Patagonia is in Argentina and the third is Puntas Arenas (where we first set foot off the plane) in Chile. Our trip focus was Chile, with a mere two weeks to adventure and explore, Argentina by sheer size seemed overwhelming. Thus, facts on Patagonia applicable to Chile are relevant to us. A quick Google search will pull up Patagonia’s travel guide of top recommendations on your visit. The first being Torres del Paine National Park, which is where this story really begins.
Why I needed to go on this trip
I am an adventurer. I have the cap and stickers to prove it. Right? My soul wanders. I thirst for challenges that throw me out of the familiar. Many of my friends cringe at the thought- why yearn for the uncomfortable?
Is that what I’m doing, though? I see it more as a desperation to rise above my cushioned life to venture were no car can take you (mountain views) and set out to be a storyteller with happenings worth sharing. Don’t you laugh inside thinking back on shared moments with someone close, cringe-worthy ones only you both know about? I freaking well do.
When you’re lying in bed at night and you look up at the ceiling (ours is dotted in glow-in-the dark stars, dorky I know, laughs) and you remember the Southern cross, burning bright that you saw, YOU SAW IT at 3am scrambling over boulders in the dark in another country… or the moment you saw the glacier for the first time after struggling for hours on a trek with a pack that was too heavy to carry. The wind howling so harshly your limbs were flailing but you didn't care because there it was, creamy blue and jagged.. a disappearing glacier… or maybe it’s the passing moments you’re bound to forget, simple small things that happen, like..
All that’s coming to mind is having to crouch down in the bushes after morning stomach issues and fertilize the soil and then falling back onto the prickliest plant and finding someone else had crept in the same bush to do the same unmentionable thing on a trail. Yeah, okay, it happened.
I want those stories. I want to surprise myself at how I woke up in freezing conditions and made oatmeal on a gas stove with a headlamp… or stripped down into my underwear (in those same conditions) to crawl into my sleeping bag for warmth. I want the shared meals with new friends and sights that stop you in your tracks. I want to be sitting on my couch (sofa), drinking cocoa with too many mini marshmallows and look at a picture of myself in the snow and think, THIS IS MY LIFE… it’s both wonderful, cozy, eventful or lazy and all of it is mine.
Let’s go on the adventure and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be inspired or shocked but nonetheless will know a little more about our exquisite journey through Patagonia.
Penned in collaboration with my adventure-partner. Let’s play some 'He said, She said'.
She said…
Traveling to Patagonia takes a full day of travel from the States. We landed, internationally, in Lima (Peru) and transferred to Santiago (Chile), which took 5.5h. We then flew from Santiago to Puntas Arenas in Southern Chile (4.5h). Our bus was leaving out of the centre of P. Arenas mid-afternoon to Puerto Natales (our accommodation for the night and location of next bus to our great trek). We had little over 2hrs to kill and had a few things to get through: figure out how to get to town (no wifi, no uber); buy groceries in city (were informed it’s cheaper to do so); explore city if time allows.
A persistent cab driver shadowed us around the airport, while we queried transport and drew money. We relented and he took us straight to the grocer for $10 000 CLP* (around $15). It was called UNIMARC and although unlike American luxury, presented us with all we needed for the trek to come. We shopped, made it to the bus and 3.5h later we made it to P. Natales with a 9 block walk to Hostel Last Hope. It has the most badass, young owner who gave us free camping gas and recommended some tasty Chilean food around the corner.
*CLP = Chilean Pesos
We explored the town, discovered a ridiculous number of stray dogs and ate our first Chilean dish - Salmon a la Pobre (basically fish and fried egg atop french fries) with Pisco Sour (national drink) and cervesa (beer). Fuelling up for a big day tomorrow. Mmm.
We got back early, unpacked our duffels and repacked our backpack for the trip (every lb counts, I swear). We realized that each of us thought the other had packed our eating utensils for the trip and hadn’t. I sheepishly headed to the owner to ask if he had a set for us to borrow. With a spoon and fork, labelled RENTAL, to share, we were ready for an early wake-up and 7am bus ride to our much anticipated adventure.
The W-Trek
Our mission for the next 5 days, 4 nights, was to complete the W-Trek in Torres del Paine National Park. Hike all day, with all our food, cook and camp with our tent in our packs.
The National Park:
In the west, the large lake is called Lago Grey, beneath Glacier Grey. Another prominent lake on the journey is Lago Nordenskjöld - turquoise blue, running horizontally along the map center.
^The dotted red line is the shape of the W-Trek Route. You can hike it west to east to get to Las Torres for the famous sunrise OR east to west ending with Glacier views of Grey. We chose the former, preferred option.
Our route:
The yellow star in the east marks the park entrance, Laguna Amarga. You enter in by bus from Puerto Natales, pay, take the grey-colored route by bus to a ferry (just below map center) at Pudeto. The ferry cruises across Lago (lake) Pehoe to Paine Grande Refugio and Campsite (refugio means shelter or mountain hut). If you want to do the hike and not camp, you can pay to have a shelter/bunk and house setting with meals provided (at a steep cost). We like to rough it ;)
Our plan was to complete the rainbow colored route and finish at 5b, take a shuttle to the entrance and bus it back to Puerto Natales.
I feel the excitement shooting electrically through my fingertips as I type up the journey we embarked on, trying to convey something of the immense euphoria. Let's go!
Day 1: Paine Grande up to Grey Campsite
She said…
Ham and cheese toasted sandwiches for breakfast (something of a staple we’d quickly learn)- good choice; staying for breakfast which was served too close to time of bus departure- questionable.
He said…
We rushed to the bus station up the hill from hostel, leaving later than we should have, already regretting our pack weight.
She said…
How am I going to haul something this heavy up A MOUNTAIN? Inward weeping. The backpack was far too heavy and even though an icy wind was blowing, I was sweating up the hill from hostel to bus. We were hustling! We arrived, threw our packs underneath the bus and sunk into the seats (the incorrect seats) but we made it by 7am. We were headed for Pudeto, where a ferry would dock inside the Park to take us to the start of our trek.
He said…
The bus left 10 min late anyways. It was a 3 hour bus ride to Pudeto. We slept for most of it. At the park entrance in Laguna Amarga, the rangers normally check reservations and collect park fees (21k CLP) but were protesting because you still can't flush TP here in most places so we got in free with a park stamp in our passports ;P
We saw a lot of furry lamas on the drive. We arrived at the ferry dock, and got off the bus at a cabin. We were initially confused at where to buy tickets for the ferry, but after purchasing hot chocolate at the cabin, found out there purchased just as you step on to the ferry (9k CLP ea).
After a ferry ride with some awesome views of the park on lake Pehoe, we arrived at Paine Grande Refugio and started the trek. Kate got to try her hiking poles for the first time, which looked like a baby giraffe first learning to walk. The terrain was hard and rocky.
She said...
What was I thinking buying hiking poles without trying them out? They were only 40 bucks on Amazon and I was assured they would limit joint pain (I’m a grandma, knees issue before the age of thirty, gah). Well, I adjusted the height to what was recommended but the ground was covered in rocks and there was nowhere to dig them into the ground. Chris was well-amused by my poles slipping and me fumbling up the trail. The wind was biting. I pressed on (cue triumphant music).
He said…
The initial trek was through a flat valley dotted with red flowers and burnt silvery trees.
She said…
Google tells me these iconic red flowers are called Chilean Firetree. They only bloom in Patagonia in Spring- what a gift! They blazed red throughout the Park and were a vibrant explosion coloring each day.
He said…
We found a quick spot in the forest to have our first snacks and somewhere en route we lost our RENTAL fork, which would later become notorious.
She said…
We were streaks ahead of the pack with our early start and when we nestled into a stretch of forest for some peanut butter power, the whole hiking pack whipped by. I think one of my highlights of the trip is that our timing was our own- not determined by a tour or friends but what we were comfortable with, within reason. We took breaks when we wanted, snapped pictures, changed clothing (every 15 minutes, I kid you not) and chose our pace.
He said…
After walking what we thought was extremely far, we came up on the first mirador (viewpoint) which said we had done 4.5k and had 6k to go to reach the Grey Campamento (campsite) at Glacier Grey. These signs became increasingly demotivating throughout the hikes to come.
She said…
Ditto on the signs initially BUT I found in the last two days I was able to make jokes about them and we laughed at ourselves and our capabilities = mental strengthening. I remember climbing rocks and seeing a sign in the distance after hiking half a day, pointing it out to Chris and exclaiming, ‘Woah, there it is, I bet it going to say we’ve done 6km and have 15k to go.’ We laughed (that one you do to prevent inward weeping). I came to learn pretty quickly that...
THE RIGHT Attitude makes IT the adventure
- quote me on it, I dare you! ;P
He said…
The trek continued to a second mirador, where we got our first glimpse of Glacier Grey. It was so windy, we had to put our jackets back on and only stayed for a couple pictures.
She said…
The sky was angry, rolling in grey and spitting rain. We saw moving specks on a cliff edge. People. There was something to see here. We crawled up (jokes, walked, but I was ready to throw my pack off the cliff at this stage OR re-question the necessity of all the weight) another hill to a view of the choppy dark lake and glimpsed the glacier. The wind was tearing through this valley so hard I imagined it ripping my windbreaker right off my back. Sacrificing finger warmth for a few pictures, we climbed over the rocky surface near (but not too close to) the edge. Seriously, even taking pictures I was clinging on for dear life. Chris stood there, a bundled up silhouetted speck against a backdrop of the elements. It was, wow.
We decided against layering up then and there for fear of freezing while we took our time changing clothes (again) but managed to stuff on a woolen hat and scuttled to the nearby path winding along the lake heading to tree cover.
He said…
The rest of the hike meandered up and down the mountainside along lake grey with glimpses of the glacier. It took us about 5 hours to hike the 11k. Grey was a surprisingly nice place, with a small mini mart and heated cooking area. Most people had already arrived but we found ourselves a small spot for our tent on an incline in the woods. We would later realize our site selection was a poor choice as we found ourselves balled up at the bottom of the tent in the middle of the night.
She said…
The last km of 2 to the campsite was agony. The child in me wanted to call out, ‘MY FEET HURT!’ Wait, I totally did that.
When we rolled in I was chanting, ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ We may be in the last few to arrive now but it’s day 1.
At each campsite we signed in - Name, Nationality, Profession, City, Time in.. etc. It was interesting to see who had clocked in before us and I noted a design of engineers and range of nationalities including: USA, UK, Germany… (every couple, which is how most people seemed to hike, came from a different country). There were around 20 people camping with us that first night.
We were told to set up camp in the woods. There were a caravan of orange tents scattered around the campground already, dotted with a few other colors/brands.
The weather was threatening rain. We decided to put up our tent first before we relaxed. The ground was damp, compressed mud. We chose a well covered spot next to other orange tents and dropped our packs on the ground, tearing out colored dry sacks containing different materials needed. Standing still in chilly weather (an expression we repeat more than we should have this trip, snickering at our embarrassing pun) is THE WORST after a day of hiking. My feet were screaming, there was no where to sit, I had to take off my ski gloves to fiddle with the tent pegs and it was cold- agggghh. Nevermind what I said about attitude and how it makes the adventure, this is what happens when that goes out the window:
Halt melodrama, I didn't actually cry (on the outside). Right so back to the story- tent was up, badass inflatable mattresses were up and in, sleeping bags open and we had the best piece of camping equipment we have ever invested in in our hands- the JETBOIL. He, let's give him a gender shall we, was the envy of every single hiker we met as our water boiled in less had 30secs while they had extended, hungry conversations awaiting their pots bubbling. We made Milo - the nutrient dense, chocolatey warm drink that lifts spirits and builds childhood dreams.
Jokes, but it was delicious and I couldn't face more hiking without warm, feet-off the-ground-time and shelter. Cooking in the park is restricted to designated areas that change at each campsite. This designated area/kitchen was a cozy room, which I’d dream about in nights to come haha.
Later, after more sight-seeing missions (feet I love you I swear, but not today), we came back to cook dinner (by cook I mean pour boiled water into a food safe bag filled with freeze-dried food) and the room was packed so we sat outside, waiting on an opening. When it came, we met a friendly couple from London who we’d see each day on the trail.
He said...
After setting up the tent we did about 1km to a glacier lookout, then hiked a small part of the trail for the O-circuit, stopping at the first suspension bridge. We cooked dinner when we came back (freeze dried Mountain House packs) which was surprisingly delicious. Went to bed about 1030.
Day 2: Grey Campsite back to Paine Grande and across to the Italian Ranger Station
He said…
We had a late wake up at Grey for some eggs and oatmeal, then hit the trail to Paine Grande for lunch.
She said…
My daily routine would become meal preparer as Chris packed down the tent contents. Better pack packing skills for sure. We cooked oatmeal from instant portioned packets (Thanks US Whole Foods and to Chilean Immigration for allowing oatmeal, freeze-dried meals, peanut butter, tea, coffee and seasonings through the border).
Each day breakfast was the same - oatmeal with a sachet of Justin’s Peanut Butter stirred in (hindsight would be buying freeze-dried berries to add in but it was a good breakfast choice) and scrambled eggs (my body is rejecting all forms of cooked eggs that aren't fried/poached currently, so no go and cleaning the pan without hot water became our nightmare) made from egg crystals we ordered online too. Freeze-dried veg/meat added to those would improve the meal I’m sure.
He said…
On the way back we stopped at the windy viewpoint again for a picture. Still too windy. We had lunch in the Paine Grande Refugio cooking area which was huge and very nice.
There was a wooden platform that led to the area. The also had a nice mini-mart at Paine Grande Refugio where we bought a Snickers and some post cards. When we went inside Kate tried to store her hiking poles in a wooden box with holes in it. After the workers started snickering, she figured out it was actually an ashtray.
She said...
Har har. They all just watched as I tried to force my hiking poles into the tiny holes in the wooden box before entering the mini mart. Then someone spilled over and they all guffawed. Seriously, an ashtay in a National Park but no hiking poll stand? I can't help laughing now but it was embarrassing, I knocked it all over and the poles' clang resonated as they hit the ground. #facepalm.
He said...
The hike from Paine Grande to Camp Italiano was my favorite section of the trail. Fantastic open mountain views with Lake Nordenskjöld on one side and Paine Grande Mountain on the other. We walked through fields of the red flower bushes and silvery trees. It was a long 8km hike, after coming back from Camp Grey.
Italiano was a free campsite run by CONAF (the park rangers), which was situated alongside what seemed to be one of the strongest rivers in the park. The water in the river is used for drinking and washing (no soap allowed though) and no showers or electricity. There were drop toilets, which were by far the worst along the trail. Plan to hover if you overindulged on snacks during the day.
We set up camp (a second time) after it smelled like someone had peed on the trees around what seemed at first like an awesome undiscovered flat and dry site.
We had a dinner in the small covered (but open) cooking area and got to know some of the familiar faces from the trail a little better. We heard a horror story about a woman who disappeared from a guided hike two weeks earlier (probably eaten by pumas). It was a cold and rainy night. We tried zipping the sleeping bags together again, but the cold weather robbed Kate of another sliver of her sanity.
She said…
One of the hardest parts of the 5 day trek, for me, was Paine Grande to the Italian Ranger Station. It was one of the most beautiful but I was too tired and sore to enjoy it completely. It seemed to never end and my body hadn’t adjusted to the pack weight, which is only supposed to be 20% of your body weight. Laughable.
The landscape was bewitching. We walked through a silver forest. The trees, all dead. I imagined a fire sweeping through the National Park, torching them all as their screaming echoed into the valleys. Then there were the Chilean Fire trees, blazing the trail.
The trail began to rumble. An increasing reverberation. We were close. The forest cleared to a river, forceful and furious, paired with the wild wind that seemed hot on our tail. It separated us from the campground, which we would soon discover was the coldest, darkest choice of them all. Nothing would warm us that night.
We crossed the rickety bridge, one at a time and interested the grounds, drawing in the sound of the raging waters. It was the stuff of nightmares- the smells, bitterly cold air, lack of shelter and shared travel stories, oh the horrors.
Day 3: Italian Ranger Station up Frances Valley to the Britannic Viewpoint + down, then across to Camp Frances
He said…
This was one of the coldest mornings of all because it was starting to rain and we were at the base of a windy valley. We got up and packed the up the tent. They let you keep your packs at the Ranger Station for the hike up to Mirador Britanico. It appeared a 1030 start is late for the average hiker, as the entire perimeter of the ranger station was already claimed by other hiker’s packs. Our leisurely start, however, would end up benefiting us later.
We put our rain covers over the packs and took only a day bag and our rain ponchos. The ponchos, while somewhat cumbersome due to size, ended up being a lifesaver, keeping us dry through the next 30 minutes of cold downpour.
The trail was busy. As the center W prong and an out and back hike, it is the meeting point for travelers who started from different locations. The climb was steep, but the views of the icy peaks of Paine Grande were phenomenal. The sound of thunder filled the valley every 10 minutes or so, as the ice packed snow on Paine Grande broke and cascaded down the mountain on to the snowfall at the base. If you wait long enough at the viewpoints, or turn quick enough, you can catch a glimpse of the icefall.
This portion of the hike was the first time we got down to our T-shirt layer. The combination of the incline and partly cloudy weather that followed the rain made for a great view at the top and much more comfortable hiking weather.
We were sad to hear one of our friends had been discouraged by another hiker and had turned around, because they said the view at the top would be obscured by clouds all day. Don't believe it! The weather changes constantly over the mountains and for the 30 minutes we were at Britanico, we had an unobstructed view of the entire Frances valley.
She said…
Remember when I said, ‘slow and steady…’? Today, we passed two different couples we had met on the first night. 3 out of 4 people turned back before the top because they ‘weren’t assured of the view’ or ‘needed to save energy for the next portion’. Mmkay. This valley (Frances) is rated one of the most beautiful parts of the trek and home to rarely sighted wildlife.
Sure, it was a vertical hike up (should have brought my poles, which I now have a hang of, thanks for asking) but it was one of my favorite days. Not having to carry a pack is a game changer! So freeing. Who needs a new haircut or to change jobs to feel freed, just hike with a heavy backpack and then don’t, haha, but seriously, it was all forest and then POP out the cover into the cloud and snowy mountain peaks cheekily awaiting our marveling.
And, get this, at each of the two view points in the valley, the sun shone as we arrived. RIGHT? Beauty!
He said…
The hike down was pleasant, and we managed to catch a couple glimpses of ice falling from Paine Grande. By time we made it back to Italiano, our packs were the last ones left. Each way to the view point took us about an average of 3 hours, but we took our time and stopped a lot for pictures. We put on our packs and made the short 45 minute hike to Frances Refugio. Upon arriving awe saw the entire Refugio was on a slope, hence only platform camping available (which we brought ropes for).
The showers at Frances were the nicest of the entire trek by a long shot (at the time only the men's showers had hot water). We treated ourselves to the hot shower and then to a 2k CLP treat the minimart. One of the great parts about platform camping was that it allowed you to cook on your platform instead of heading to a communal cooking area. We enjoyed some Milo, freeze dried dinner and soup to recover from our relatively short 14.5k day (mostly without our packs) and went to bed relatively early to hit the trail for our longest day yet.
She said…
I think I prefer platform camping- we got to cook our food on our platform (tent roped down) and it was dry and off the ground (warmer).
SHOWER ALERT: byebye lifesaving wetwipes, we had our first one of the trip (gross right, I prob shouldn’t have mentioned that now but I had to). The showers were NEW and like hotel quality, large tiles, wooden constructions, rustic but clean and did I mention, new?
The mini mart (store) was at the bottom of a long hill with gorgeous turquoise lake views. I hobbled up and down, my feet took a beating with the steep downhill today. We had some chocolatey snacks and explored before hanging out back at the platform.
Aside // Hiking dress code
Now is a good time as any to mention that on hikes, esp cold weather ones, you MUST NOT SWEAT. Hence the change of clothing every 15mins (mostly in the morning). If you sweat, you get cold.
What happens - you wake up and make breakfast/pack and keep warm because it’s chilly. You’re layered up. Then you hike and get hot so you peel layers off. When you pause too
long in a break (lunch) or arrive at a destination, you layer back up.
Every day, I layered in a tee, long top (what I wore on top for most of the day even though temps were so low because I was moving and carrying heavy weight) and then a wind breaker (for hiking sometimes when it was really cold or windy) or a down jacket (when stationary).
Most hikers swear by the fleece layer over the long top, but in all honesty it’s unnecessary. Oh, no cotton. Wicking fabric that draws the sweat off your skin is a must (most sport’s clothes have this). If it’s freezing, we wear a wool hat (beanie) or a headband, which are the best as they keep ears warm, and this is more important that I realized (90% of body heat escapes from our noggin). When sunny, a cap and sunscreen as Chile has no ozone layer so you want to protect any exposed skin from UV damage.
Day 4: Camp Frances to Chileno; the longest day
He said…
Today was the first day it didn't rain all night and we woke up to good weather. We woke up early to get a head start on our longest day which would be 22k along Lake Nordenskjöld. We made breakfast on the platform, then packed up and did dishes on our way out at the water station about 200m away from our camping platform.
The entire lake section was a lot of ups and downs with beautiful views of the lake and snow capped mountains beside it with views on the other side of Mount Cuernos. There are also a lot of small flowers in bloom we hadn't seen on other parts of the mountain.
She said…
The day Kate understood and practiced the attitude quote (third person speak, yes). I woke up and was feeling awful (stomach flu?). We had a long day ahead and it was freezing. The trail was rocky and I kept my woolen hat, ski gloves and puffy jacket on until we reached Refugio Cuernos - it was that cold.
We passed two tents pitched on the trail en route and waved the hikers hi as we passed. We could only wonder how that happened as this Park is extremely strict on reservations - every campsite must be booked in advance and you bring in the printed reservations to get into the park and to show the free sites your booking. The paid sites have you on their system.
We actually watched two men arrive at the Italian Ranger Station on the second night without a reservation and they were turned away with no where else to go (ahhhh).
Right before reaching the refugio, were stumbled upon a beach. It was stoney, cold (I need synonyms for cold...wintry, frosty, frigid, yes) and it led us to the refugio.
He said…
Cuernos Refugio was a short 3km away from Frances which made for a nice early landmark and stopping point for a restroom break and to take some layers off. Cuernos, like Frances Refugio had a mini mart where we bought some sandwiches and a small treat for lunch later that day.
We got back on the trail again and hiked along the lake until we came to the fork where the trail to Las Torres Hotel and Chileno split.
She said…
And now for the dampened-spirit attitude switch even though it was a loooong day. The sun was blazing for the first time and caps were donned. The trail was quiet and we only crossed paths with hikers a few times, one occasion being a large bride crossing a river. We were counting rivers until we got to the Chilano path (to our next refugio), which was vertical (we were warned).
My spirits were up and I was in a fantastic mood- all the smiles that come with changes landscapes, sunshine and consistent lake views as we walked the length of Lake Nordenskjöld.
Eventually the 11km section from Cuernos ended and we were greeted by two, exhausted Americans. They gave us a heads up on the trail and commented repeatedly on the mud.
We came to find that there were two parallel trails in some parts, one for people and the other, horses. The well-trodden horse trails were muddy, causing us to veer off the trail a few times into dense, spikey bush grabbing at our packs, we could barely squeeze our bodies through. We were making great time and taking very few breaks to rest- motivated and pumped to make it and ‘end strong’ (my prayer each day of the trek, keeping my spirits up).
He said…
The hike to Chileno was filled with the normal ups and downs for the first 3 or 4k but once hitting the base of the mountain became a steep vertical. At the eastern base of Mt Cuernos, we stopped for some lunch on the north side a small lake. On the other side of the lake, you could see the other hikers who were headed to Las Torres Hotel. About 2k after the fork, we ran into a herd of the horses grazing along the trail. We suspected they were the horses who were taking a break from carrying riders from Las Torres hotel or from carrying food and gear to the other Refugios.
This section of the hike had fields which looked to be covered by soft, fluffy bushes, but don't be fooled they're about as spiky as a cactus.
She said...
That scenery though!
After squelching through thick mud and swampy fields, laughing at the other hikers squealing, the land opened up into grassy and floral fields. Free-roaming horses and spongy-looking bushes lined a thin single track of trail. We later found out the bushes are not as they seem and sharp to touch. They are called ‘Mother in Law’ plants.
Vertical was right. I only managed to get up my spiking my poles in the ground above my head and hauling myself up in the sand. Brutal.
He said…
About 1km away from Refugio Chileno, you get your first glimpse of the valley leading up to Torres del Paine. It was encouraging to see the Refugio and the end of a long day.
She said…
Don’t be fooled, the last km is an extremely steep up and downhill battle. You’re so amped to arrive and simultaneously holding on by a thread.
Arrival warranted riverside beer and feet up. It was spectacular and we had the whole afternoon to hang out, best decision yet!
He said…
Once we arrived at Chileno, we checked in and pitched the tent on our platform.
The price of Chileno was 5x that of Frances but with full board (dinner, breakfast and lunch). While the food certainly isn't worth $240 (cost of the accommodation for the night for 2), it was delicious and a welcome break from our freeze dried meals and having to clean our cooking gear.
We had over-packed slightly on the food. We had about 1 extra night of dinner remaining, because we didn't realize we would only be able to cook in designated areas with the camp stove. In hindsight, we would have had the freeze dried meals for breakfast, in order to get on the trail earlier. And done a couple less for dinner supplemented by things that took longer to cook like our couscous and soup packets. The other nice piece of the freeze dried meals was the cooking bag it came in. It was easily repurposed to cook our couscous and salami at the start of the day, and resealable so we could have a delicious lunch that wasn't trail mix or granola bars (we did this twice).
The early departure from Frances was also a fantastic idea, because immediately following dinner in the lodge, we were able to pack our bag for the sunrise hike to Torres del Paine and go straight to bed to prepare for our 3am wake-up.
We also met and had a nice dinner conversation with a nice couple from Denver, Colorado (Luke) who recognized my Air Force Academy hat.
She said…
We huddled in a warm dining area for dinner after napping and relaxing. We had a lentil soup and bread roll starter than was finished before the last bowl being served hit the table. The spaghetti bolognese was delicious and we all inhaled the food, again. And there was a lot of it. We had a sugary creme brûlée dessert, chatting the hind leg off a donkey to the US couple facing us. Instant friends.
We swapped story after story, from mountain lions stealing dogs right off porches in Colarado to my Africa stories about wild animals. We spoke of our preparations and plans for the morning to stay warm and how organised we found we had been, thorough in our planning, apart from one tiny detail. We forgot to bring cutlery and so we borrowed a set from our hostel. Somehow on the trek to Glaciar Grey this fork we rented must have slipped through the gap in my backpack side pocket. We never found it on the return.
It was then that a head from down the table popped into view. 'Excuse me, don't mean to interrupt but but my wife overheard you talking about a rental fork. Did you lose a fork on the trail at Grey?'
Me: 'Yeah, how embarrassing! My husband and I have been sharing a spoon for all our meals the whole trip' <laughs>
Stranger: 'No way, we saw your fork.'
Me: Spits water, 'WHATT? You found the rental fork?'
Stranger, we later discovered was a Casey, 'Yeah it said RENTAL but we thought it read Rachel and were calling out for a Rachel along the trail to tell her she'd lost her fork (wife laughing). I took it all the way up and down to Paine Grande Refugio.'
Me: 'No freaking way, that's hilarious. You found our fork.' <still amazed, clearly>
US Luke: 'K well I'm getting the fork then, we've just started our trek and are headed that way and will be there in a few days. Maybe you'll get it back when you come visit CO.'
Day made. Hilarious. Strange. I mean, what are the chances right??? WE'RE COMING FOR YOU, RENTAL FORK!
He said…
We finally figured out that even though we wanted to zip the sleeping bags together at night it was making us both cold and we were waking each other up at night. With our sleeping bags separated, we both slept very comfortably.
One more sleeping bag tip: underwear only! Don't wear clothes or socks, just stuff your clothes for the next day down the sides of the bag to keep them warm. Your body heat will warm up the bag and keep you toasty all night.
Day 5: Hike the Torres for sunrise + back down to Las Torres Hotel + to the Welcome Center
He said…
Early 2:45am wake up, but we both had slept well and we're excited for the upcoming hike. It took us about 20 minutes to get dressed and grab our pre-made lunch of hard boiled eggs, an apple, cheese and jam sandwich, and granola bar from the Refugio. The night before they allowed us to organize the early breakfast which they left out on the table for us with our name on it.
I finished packing our single bag we would take to the top. We were dressed for the cold but quickly shed our layers as we started the 4k (2hr) hike in the dark with our head lamps.
The sky was mostly clear and the milky swath of stars were out in their breathtaking unpolluted beauty. We had a stunning view of the Southern cross (which is on the Patagonian flag) and thought maybe we had seen some other constellations but we were unsure.
We booked it along the trail stopping a couple times to shed layers and enjoy the stars.
She said...
We were on the trail, headlamps ready yet barely helping in the sheer black of the forest. We were jogging. I was sweating and pacing it to keep up with Chris. We were worried we wouldn’t make the sunrise.
In a clearing, the Milky Way was dancing. I spotted Scorpius (the constellation known as Scorpio). I have only seen it one other time in my life and was sure that was it. Spectacular.
He said…
The first 3km of the hike is a series of ups and downs with no significant elevation gain. The trail is marked by the normal orange stakes and markings on the trees, but only the stakes are visible at night.
Staying on the trail took our undivided attention at some points. The first 3km doesn't have many reflectors or poles, so you have to use other clues to keep on the trail. Things like logs laid on the side often signify turns. If you ever have to step over a significant log, think twice! The other clue is the under brush. The trail is well travelled so it is all dirt and rock. Normally in the day the visual cue of the brown trail and green plants along the side keep you caged on the trail, but at night you won't see those colors, so you just have to look for the plants themselves. If you find yourself stepping on any small plants, you've made a wrong turn.
About 1km in, there was a confusing sign saying we were leaving private property and entering the national park.
She said…
A sign warning us off private property? We woke before 3am and have come this far, yeah right (scoffs).
He said…
We continued, which was the right decision. At the 3km point there were signs for bathrooms and a distant placard with a rope across and warning sign that the trail closes at 1700. The bathrooms are part of the Torres Refugio, which was closed this year.
We decided closed or not, we're going, so we stepped over the rope. We figured out the trail isn't actually closed, they just don't take the rope and warning sign down for the evening hikers. The last 1km took us 50 minutes.
She said…
It was an uphill rockscramble. The safest route was through the trickling river. Seemingly no path, we used our hands to help us climb over boulders.
This shot was taken in the light coming down:
He said…
It’s well marked by stakes with reflectors, so having the headlamp out made a big difference. Several times we were wondering where the trail went but we just had to look around and to find the next reflective pole or arrow further ahead. Once we were above the tree line the trail became even harder to follow but we continued to trust the poles. There were multiple places where it looked like the trail had continued in a different direction which nearly threw us off.
Additionally, we were surprised to find that once above the tree line (which was very cold and windy) the trail turned north and traversed the mountain side towards the lake and river that flow from the bottom of the Torres. We had made it!
Once above the tree line, it was also light enough to see without the head lamp, but I kept mine out to pick up the reflectors for the path.
We were the first ones at the top that morning! We had our pick of where to post up for an hour wait. Luckily we had brought a sleeping bag to keep us warm, so we stripped off our sweaty layers to put new dry shirts on as well as all our our jackets. The temperature was below freezing and we got cold quick. We huddled behind a big rock with our sleeping bag and enjoyed our sack breakfast.
Slowly, about 12 other hikers appeared at the top. We scared the first other guy when we said hi as he rounded our rock thinking he had been the first to arrive.
The sunrise was gradual. Clouds licked the top of the Torres and looked like smoke blowing off the mountain top.
While the clouds obscured the postcard orange morning glow, the gradual introduction of the new mornings light wispy clouds made it one of the most memorable experiences of the hike and a fitting climax after 5 days of long hikes and unforgettable scenery.
We stayed for about 30 minutes after sunrise, then started back down, slowing shedding our layers again as we warmed up.
She said…
We turned to decend as the clouds began to thicken. It was snowing. Can you believe it? SNOWING (for the second time on the trip).
We kept bundled up as the wind was icy but the steep decline did my right knee in. I was taking significantly longer to get down than I hoped and was hanging on my poles as a crutch. We passed a fair amount of people breathing heavy on their way up as we were headed down.
He said…
Once we reached the bottom, we headed into the lodge for some tea and coffee, then quickly packed the tent and began the hike to the bottom.
It was 7km but went extremely fast. We were glad we had taken the Cuernos-Chileno trail the day prior. The trail from Las Torres to Chileno was crowed, muddy, and had lots of horse manure from the horses that took gear to the top. We didn't envy the hikers who were missing the beautiful views we had experienced the day before on our trek into Chileno.
She said…
I was hobbling for the rest of the day as we passed streams of day hikers from Las Torres Hotel at the bottom. Thank the heavens we didn’t do that route. Two words: STEEP, ROCKY.
He said…
We arrived at the bottom way earlier than we had anticipated (a good 2h).
Kate's Hallelujah moment:
Just passed hotel Las Torres, there is a mini-mart where we stopped for celebratory ice creams, an amazing treat after 5 long days.
We headed on to the Welcome Center (further down the road) to catch the shuttle to our 1330 bus. The Welcome Center was further from Las Torres Hotel than we anticipated. Once we arrived, there were plenty of places to sit, eat and relax.
She said…
The Welcome Centre offers a shuttle down the road to the buses which take us back to Puerto Natales. Basically a short 30min ride saving an unnecessary walk down a dusty road. We arrived and while waiting for the shuttle, saw our friends arrive after us in dribs and drabs. We all made it, we conquered, the storytellers.
He said…
Shuttle tickets were $3k CLP each and well worth it. The bus station was another hour and a half hiking. The bus ride back was a nice time to relax and surprisingly took only an hour and a half with great views of the mountains and more grazing lamas.
We were able to change to the 1715 bus to Punta Arenas once we arrived back in Puerto Natales (instead of the anticipated 7pm one) and still had time to head into P. Natales, sit down for lunch at the Grey Dog Cafe for pichangas and a cold beer, and collect our travel bags from our hostel.
She said…
Pichangas: a southern Chilean dish of fresh fries topped with onion, tomatoes, avocado, beef, chicken and fried eggs. We ate as though we’d been starved. A trend we adopted for the remainder of our trip regardless of limited physical activity.
After collecting our duffels from the hostel from our first night in Chile (kept them safely for a mere $1000CLP), we got to the bus station for the 3.5h journey to P. Arenas. We slept most of it.
He said…
Booking a hostel close to the bus station in Punta Arenas was a fantastic decision. We were able to quickly drop our bags so we could explore the city on foot.
We stopped at La Chocolateria for the most amazing hot chocolate and churros, then found the best view of the city for sunset.
We've loved sharing our experiences with you - live through us vicariously! Now we're off to enjoy the long Thanksgiving weekend and put our feet up ;)
Much love,
Chris and Kate xx
