Perfect Paine - Torres Walk

Monday, December 27, 2010

What a magnificent day!  We started off with breakfast at 5:30am (not so great) and were off to Torres del Paine by 6am.  Andy stopped at a couple of viewpoints because our weather was perfect – you could see all three towers.  One point had a lake in the foreground making for a postcard perfect setting.  Apparently a tour guide in the park who’s been working for eight years has never seen all three towers clear of clouds (not sure I believe it).  There were loads of guanacas roaming the hills.  A young condor soared past our windows and lead us for a good minute into the park.  According to Ally, it was a good luck charm.  A bit later, another condor flew by and then another.  I’m thinking it means three days of luck.

We made our transfer to a smaller bus to drive us to the starting point of the Torres (Towers) walk.  The van drove us across a bridge with barely an inch to spare on each side.  No wonder Peggy couldn’t take us.  We applauded the driver once we were safely across.  About 30 minutes later we arrived at Hotel Las Torres for the start of the walk at 8:30am.  As we’d been warned, the first section was fairly steep.  My muscles really didn’t like all the uphill work and Sameena and I took it slow together (which worked well considering we were sharing a backpack for the day).  Every time I thought we were done with the steep bit, it continued around the corner.  An hour and a quarter into the walk we made it to the first rest stop (ahead of the suggested time).

The end of the uphill climb

Sameena, Steven, Vince and I took a 15 minute break, including the use of the disgusting facilities, before continuing on.  We walked at a steady pace, making sure to enjoy the scenery along the way.  Small waterfalls flowed down the mountains nearby and various wildflowers lined the path.  Since the glacial water is clean, we filled up our bottles with the cold water.  Refreshing.  The weather was clear and cool and the views brilliant.  Another hour and a quarter later we reached the sign announcing we only had 45 minutes until the mirador.  Woohoo!

45 minutes to go

I think it took 50 minutes in the end to reach the top.  My pace slowed substantially as I climbed up the large boulders carefully watching my footing.  It was a bit of a struggle, but Kate and Nick (on their way down) informed me I was only five minutes away.  And suddenly the Towers came into full view.  Totally worth the 9km hike.  The view was spectacular.  As I already mentioned, a perfect day.  

We made it! Steven, me, Sameena and Vince

When Vince, Steven, Sameena and I reached the top, Sarah, Brad, Ted and Joclyn were eating their lunch.  Before I tucked in, I reapplied my sunscreen.  I was sure it was all rubbed in, but when I asked Sameena she just started laughing.  Apparently my face was still fairly white.  My lunch, which was purchased yesterday at the supermarket in Puerto Natales, consisted of salami slices and Doritos, and camembert on crackers from Sameena.

Lunch time

We sat for a good 45 minutes relishing in the scenery and the beauty of nature.  The hike down started slowly for me.  As much as I didn’t like climbing up the boulders and scree, climbing down was worse as I feared falling.  I can’t tell you how careful I was.  Fifteen minutes from the top, we ran into Michelle, the last of our group to be completing the hike.  She was seriously struggling, but Brad was nice enough to help her finish it off.

Our group of four expanded to seven as Monica, Nigel and Stella caught up with us on the descent.  We basically kept going until the first rest stop when we finally took a 20 minute break.  I felt proud to be just 3km from the hotel having walked 15km already.  Some extra energy overcame me and a few times I ran up the steeper bits with the downhill walk like a carrot in front of a horse.

Walking on my own I reflected on my location on Earth.  It seemed staggering to think I was currently trekking in one of the most southerly places in the world, way at the bottom of Chile.  Pretty unbelievable.  I felt truly lucky.  And eventually at 4:30pm, I made it back to Hotel Las Torres safely and uninjured.  I walked into the lobby to find part of the group relaxing and plopped myself on the couch next to Kate, exhausted.  The restaurant was extremely hot and stuffy, so I ordered a margarita and fries as a treat.

Relaxing at the hotel

Given the heat inside and the perfect weather outside, we all moved to the grass while waiting for our 5:30 transfer.  There was a lot of teasing going on between various members of the group.  It is such an awesome group of people.

When we arrived back at the transfer point, Andy and Peggy were waiting with tea and coffee, with a note that said we should get ready for luxury camping.  On our way to the campsite, Andy stopped at a viewpoint, but I wasn’t wearing any socks or shoes so I stayed on the truck.  Brad yelled at me through the window and ended up offering me a piggyback ride.  Such a nice guy.

Me and Brad with the beautiful view

It was a bumpy ride back; I was so sore and tired.  Arriving at the campsite, the tents were already set up and we simply had to pick a spot for the three nights.  Kate and I shared a lovely tent hidden in the trees with a group of four others.  The bathrooms were nicer than expected, three toilets and three showers and I decided to try the shower.  Sadly the water was mostly cold and I found it challenging to wet my body.  I ended up with a minute of warm water, just enough to rise off before drying myself and layering up.

View near the campsite

Sarah near her tent, mine is off to the right

By the time I emerged from the bathroom, it was 8:15pm and time for dinner.  Mark had cooked up lentils and chorizo, with rice, bell peppers, salad and fresh salsa.  Delicious hot food.  No dessert so I prepared for bed.  An early night after a loooong day, but I’m taking an Ambien just to make sure I sleep fully.

Horrible photo of Kate and me in the tent before bed