The W

The main question when entering Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is are you doing the circuit or the w? With time and physical ability considerations, we decided to do the w. The park is huge and is accessible in many different ways. The w is a series of paths that resemble a w in the center of the park. You may be able to see some of the campgrounds and areas mentioned in this map, sorry it´s not a great one.

We both consider ourselves very lucky in many ways with this trip. First of all, we were told it would be very crowded and because it was high season, we would not have tre trail to ourselves. However, we had many opportunities when we didn´t cross another person for a couple of hours. Also, the weather cooperated with us every step of the way. On the glacier the guides said it was usually windy and cloudy, but we had a calm sunny day. It rained in the middle of the trip, which was probably the best time for it to rain. Then we had clear sunny skies through the valley and up to the Torres and saw the most spectacular sunset.

Day 1

On Christmas morning, we had an early breakfast and took a 2 and a half hour bus ride to the park. We then took a catamaran ride with incredible views of the park across to Pehoe where our hike began. After several readjustments to the pack (mainly Dave taking a lot of my weight), we were on our way. Our first spotting of Glacier Grey astounded us and we had to stop to take it all in. The glacier, the lake, and windblown trees kept our eyes busy on the way to our first campground. We arrived to find a little cove by the lake with several tents set up on the sand. We set up camp, made some slimy pasta, listened to some Christmas music on my ipod, and went to bed.

Day 2

What is svelty you may have asked? The moment you've been waiting for has arrived... Our breakfasts consisted of instant oatmeal that we had mixed with svelty, or dried milk, and some dried peaches or pears. Day 2 was glacier day, as I have given more details about already. What an amazing experience. After the glacier tour, we played a game of speed scrabble in the refugio (some of the campgounds had these buildings where they had overpriced food and places to sleep). Then we munched down some totellini to get rid of the weight of the pasta sauce.

Day 3

Of course we started the day with oatmeal and svelty. We headed back down to Pehoe from Grey through some tough winds. Luckily, the sights were still beautiful. We then headed to the next part of the w up towards Italiano. The walk was gorgeous as we had views of lakes of different colors of blue the entire way. When we arrived at Italiano, we found a lovely campsite under a tree. It was pretty rainy throughout the evening and into the night, and we were glad to have a nice tent. Dinner consisted of some really nasty instant rice. I tried to cover the flavor with green pepper and cheese and Dave added some sausage and cheese to his. We were tired, wet, and very ready for bed.

Day 4

Good morning svelty! Although it was still rainy (and continued through most of the day) we decided to hike up to Britanico. It was a steep and rocky climb along a river with views of the mountains and glacier when they decided to peak though the clouds and fog. When we got about half way to a lookout over the lake in one direction and the mountains in the other, we were told it was icky further on. We decided to it in the wind and snow/rain for a few minutes and take it in and then headed back down. We packed up and headed to Campground Cuernos. It rained off and on, but the views were still incredible. We found a nice cozy site for our tent, made some dinner and ate inside the refugio to get out of the drizzle. We splurged and got a bottle of wine and then headed back to the tent. Thanks to the wine, I had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and when I did I saw the southern cross! It was cold and rainy outside, but well worth the effort!

Day 5

Early early wake up of 5:15 to get on the trail before the "crowds" hit. We only saw a couple of people for the first couple hours. We stopped at a river to make our breakfast and have a nice break. The weather cooperated perfectly. The hike from Cuernos to Refugio Chileno was spectacular. A lot of the walk was through a valley that was surrounded by turquiose lakes, green roling hills, snow capped mountains, and beautiful flowers. Part of this hike was rather steep, but because we had started early, we had plenty of time for little stops. We stopped at the regugio for a coke, which jolted me for the remaining hour and a half to our campsite. We eventually got to the site, set up our tent after airing it out a bit, and had a snack. Then it was off to the Torres, according to the signs it was only another 45 minutes. However, due to my muscles giving out on me, it took quite a bit longer. It took a lot of encouragement from Dave to get me to the top, but once we were there it was incredible. Dave´s entry later will be more detailed about this day, as it was certainly a major highlight of the trip. Around 9:00 we made it back to the tent and fell quickly asleep.

Day 6

The day started with neither one of us wanting to get out of our sleeping bags as we were both very cold. Instead, we planned what we would eat when we got back to the land of non dehydrated foods. The prospect of a hot shower, yummy food, and a nice warm bed eventualy motivated us to get going. We made it back down the mountain through some drizzle. We felt so bad for the people on their way up as their views were nothing like what we had had the day before. We crossed the finish line, had some ice cream and some lunch and waited to be transported out of the park.

Our trip to Torres del Paine achieved 2 outcomes. We had an intense outdoor experience, enjoying all the beauty that nature has to offer. And it made us appreciate the day to day commodities such as good food, showers, and comfy beds.