Off The Deep End

On Monday we headed into the Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. This Chilean national park is the jewel of Patagonia. We took the bus into the park and then a boat across Lake Pahoe to start the trek known as the "W" on the west side. The first day we set up camp and took a short hike onto a hill above the camp. The opening segment of our trek was exciting and awe inspiring.
The second day we headed up to the lookout to Glacier Grey, about 6 km up a trail that alternately wound through stands of small trees and out onto wind blasted rock ridges. After several hours of hiking we got to the overlook of Glacier Grey. This massive sheet of ice and snow extended up from Lago Grey to the very horizon. A small hill broke the head of the glacier into two faces that periodically calve icebergs the size of houses into the lake. Several of these floating chunks of ice drifted through the lake and caught the sun. They shone the most brilliant shade of blue, an almost unearthly color unlike anything else I have seen. The overlook was blasted by gusts of wind so strong that unprepared hikers routinely get blow over causing many injuries each year. Despite the harsh conditions we managed to survive unscathed and headed back to camp in awed silence.
That afternoon we packed up and trekked an additional 6 km to Campamento Italiano at the base of the Valle de Frances. This valley cuts up between the imposing peaks of Punta Bariloche, Cumbre Central, Cumbre Principal one the left and the four Cuernos del Paine on the right. The mountains of Bariloche, Central and Principal feature massive shelves of ice terminating in the Galciar del Frances. At irregular intervals rumbles of falling ice echo through the valley. Campamento Italiano sits on the bank of the rushing Rio del Frances in a stand of coigue, a variety of southern beach. This free camp site is often crowded with climbers waiting for clear days to attempt the Cuernos above.
The third day we decided to head all the way around the Cuernos to the refugio Alberto Las Torres at the entrance to the valley leading up the Torres for which the park is named. This 16.5 km hike took us almost 9 hours of hiking and was extremely physically draining. Most trekkers break this section up by staying at the refugio Los Cuernos one third of the way along this section. That night we nursed our injures by consuming cheep box wine purchased from the refugio's store adjacent the the campground. This camp ground is a wonderful mix of pasture land and small stands of trees among which campers tents and grazing horses share the space.
The fourth morning we intended to head up to the Torres 3 hours up the Valle Asencio, however we were stymied by rain and low clouds. With poor prospects of good views we waited for most of the morning before deciding to head back to Puerto Natales. The weather forecast looked increasingly grim and none of us relished another night out in the rain.
Tired, sore and thoroughly impressed we boarded the bus to head out of this incredible place.