Log Four: The W Trek
The Torres Del PAINE
Our alarms both went off at 4:30 am. In perfect unison we reached for our phones and stopped the alarms. It was pitch black outside and cold. I laid lovely and warm in my sleeping bag, waiting for Alex to get up and begin getting ready, if she moved I would too. Very quietly she suggested we stay put for another ten minutes and then get going. I agreed whole heartedly and enjoyed the few extra moments of coziness.
Ten minutes later her alarm went off again, and this time we both sat up. Without speaking we got dressed, threw a few extra bits into our small day packs and I spent a few minutes taping up my feet in a desperate attempt to ease the discomfort of my many blisters.
Once back on the trail heading towards the grand finale, the Torres Del Paine, we both felt energized. We were the only people on the trail so far and my feet were feeling much better than the day before, the tape made a huge difference.
From tent to tower took us approximately 3 hours of hiking. I would describe most of the hike as moderate, excluding the last 45 minutes up to the lake. The incline is much steeper but I tend to enjoy that final push, you have to earn the view.
Funny Side story:
Just before starting up this tougher section up to the lake, Alex and I passed two guys hiking back down from the towers, one slightly ahead of the other, the first guy passed and said hi. When we got to the second guy I looked up to say hello and recognized this American guy I had met months ago in Bolivia. He had been traveling with a small group of guys and all of us had taken the ferry to Isla Del Sol together, an island in Lake Titicaca.
He told us quickly about waking up at 2am hoping to have the towers to themselves but more so to catch sunrise. First light hitting the towers is an iconic image, but today low clouds blocked out the sunrise. Before parting ways we swapped quick summarize of the last couple months, then said good bye, joking we would probably see each other later. I never saw him again.
This happened several times during my travels in South America, proof of the Gringo Trail, and was always quite a comforting feeling.
When we first arrived there was a small collection of people laying in their sleeping bags, like a row of very colorful seals sleeping on a beach. All together the colors of their jackets, hats, sleeping bags and packs were beautiful against the very overcast scale of the scenery.
They had all climbed up there during the night, sharing in my friend’s hope to witness morning’s first light illuminate the towers. The low clouds concealed the sunrise, but luckily for everyone, all three towers were visible.
The towers:
torre sur, torre central and torre norte
2850, 2800 & 2600 meters high
After climbing around the rocks and boulders, taking lots of pictures and eating a little snack. We said goodbye to the towers and their secret mountain lake.
Filmed myself eating an apple at torres del paine
Back to Camp, to the bus & to town
el Rio Ascencio
The way back felt much longer. My feet were aching again and we were slightly rushed to get back to camp. We had a bus ticket back to Puerto Natales and needed to break down our camp and find the bus in time.
It was also slightly sad. This was the end of our little adventure together and the end of our time in Torres Del Paine National Park. I already hoped to return one day, to do the longer O trek. Maybe I would even get to climb some of these mountains one day - that is a lofty thought since the high winds here make climbing extreme, but dream big right, that’s what they say.