So our time in South America is almost at an end, we had a little over 3 weeks left and decided to get in a last (well maybe) multi day trek.
We had got back to Bariloche in the central lake district of Argentina after a 27 hour bus journey! Bariloche was hit badly by a volcano eruption in April. Luckily it was only an ash cloud but it scattered across the entire area leaving fine ash everywhere, 6 months on it still leaves the airport closed and most days views limited.
Luckily the Nauhel Haupi national park finds itself in a valley that seems to be less impacted by this and views are good most of the time.
So we again went to the supermarket and bought our rice, dried potato, porridge and frankfurter sausages, rented a tent and headed out in to the wilderness.
This trek is a 5 day trek however at this time of year only half the traverse is open as snow and ice leave high sections dangerous without ice axes and crampons and harnesses. Now, I (James) is definitely brave enough and wanted to do the entire traverse anyway, but I was not stupid enough! So we decided that the 3 days chico circuit was ok.
The first day saw us winding up through valleys with spectacular views over beautiful blue lagoons and white snow capped mountains. Bariloche is a ski town so we could make out all the ski runs and dream of being here in winter for some snow action!
After about 2 hours we arrived at what could only be described as an Indiana Jones style bridge. It said 'one at a time' and with good reason. It had broken slats, slats missing and it creaked and cracked with every step!
As we approached the camp site at 1700 meters the wind started to pick up, this made pitching our tent difficult, then the rain started and then it got heavier. The howling wind and rain did not stop for 8 hours, this meant James had to get out and re pitch the tent at midnight in his boxer shorts and rain jacket to re pitch the tent in the wind and rain!
Waking up the next morning we tentatively pulled back the tent door to look.,.......but all we saw was pure blue sky and shinning sun!!! Result!
Today was a big day, we needed to climb up to over 2000 meters, then descend in to the next valley floor at around 1300 meters followed by a climb back up to 2000 meters followed by a descent back to 1600 meters..... ouch.. feel the burn!
It started with a small boulder scramble up to a stunning blue lagoon, from here we had a large section of snow and ice to traverse. This led to Sarah having hysterics / panic attack half way up on a precarious ledge and unable to go on or turn back. After a rational conversation 'f**king get a grip woman' we continued along the ledge. Once in a suitable location we had a calm (ish) chat about going on or turning back.....
Sarah nervously looking at our first climb- (no finger nails left at this point)
The Ice traverse (over the peak)
see our footprints on the bottom right
We decided to continue :-) (Sarah still objecting and unsure)
Once we reached the aptly named futbol the views in to the next valley met us and left us speechless, there was a reason this was one of the best walks in South America, and we were the only people doing it!
The rest of the day was a blur of sliding down steep side valleys then climbing up the other side through ice and snow, at each pass we were treated to a new stunning valley to marvel at.
Sarah scree skiing
That's right Sarah- all the way to the top again.... ;)
Before we got to the second camp site there was the little task of crossing a glacial river that was so full with ice melt and rain we would have to remove boots and roll up trousers...great!!
The end result was James screaming like a girl that his feet felt like he was being stabbed with daggers! It was so funny! He also almost fell over with all our kit in his bag!!!
Once we got over the river we were treated to a better nights sleep without the howling winds however.
Our last day was a 16km walk back to the road where we could hitch hike back to civilisation.
Now we plan to stay in Bariloche until saturday 3rd, we'll get the bus hopefully back into Chile!!
I recently
began taking part in the little known sport of Iceberg catching, it sounds a
little crazy but takes a lot of skill.
There are
limited remote places you can take part in this sport which makes it quite
expensive, my first go was in the National Park De Los Glaciers in southern Chile
a gem among other enthusiasts.
From my
first experiences I wanted to write a quick top 5 tips for other beginners.
1. Always check for park rangers
before starting, I think being caught is frowned upon, look casual!
2. Pick your iceberg carefully
they are bigger beneath the water than on top, its not a myth.
3. Always use protection! Slap on
some rubber. I think Marigolds would be a really good option, I cut my
hands 5 times on this bad boy.
4. Remember to try and hold the ice berg
above your head and shout “Ice berg ahead” while humming the titanic theme
tune for maximum points.
5. Lastly always return the
iceberg to its natural habitat so someone else can also catch it.
So
unfortunately in this attempt I didn’t meet many of these top tips better luck
next time hey.
I'm currently only ranked 758th in the world so full points, with full titanic theme tune and overhead press was asking alot! Goodnight.
I am
writing this blog as information for fellow travellers in Patagonia
who are looking for information on the trek as I know it’s sparse and
confusing.
So sorry to
the family and friends this is not one for you!
All
information is based on a trip in November 2011
Equipment
Equipment
rental in Puerto Natales is not as expensive as you might think.
We paid
$3000 CLP for a small 2 person Doite tent (Himilaya 2), this was light and
adequate. We spent a long time looking to buy a similar tent throughout Chile but it is
very expensive, between $100,000 and 150,000 CLP. We rented our tent from Base
Camp in Puerto Natales, they had loads of gear all fairly new and good
condition.
Also Base
Camp have a second hand section where you can get half empty gas canisters and
roll mats and stuff.
There are 2
supermarkets in Puerto Natales, these have a good range of stuff. We purchased
all our food in Puerto Montt before getting the Navimag ferry and I think we
saved about 20%.
Specialist
items are harder to find in PN.
There is a
dry food shop selling raisins and nuts in PN, and I have heard from loads of
people he rips you off so be careful.
Trek
We made
errors in the amount of time we thought the full circuit would take and where
we could walk, so here is a quick run down of a reasonable plan, this is for a
couple carrying all food and tent for the duration of the trip.
The whole walk is marked with
red stakes you do not need a topo map.
I would always advise people to
walk anti clockwise, the winds on the circuit are crazy and dong it clock
wise would lead to a very nasty 2 days walking in to storm force 100 kph head
wind.
Note my timings, for the back
side of the circuit the map is pretty accurate on the W it’s laughable at
times.
There is the possibility to buy
basic food and gas around the circuit if you need it but expect to pay
$1000 CLP for 400g Pasta, $4500 gas, $1500 chocolate, $1000 biscuits.
Park entry $15000 CLP for as
long as you stay.
If you want to eat in the
refugios (the meals looked basic and bad value lacking necessary calories),
Dickson, Grey, Paine, Cuernos, Hotel Torres, Chileno it costs around
$10000 CLP for dinner and Breakfast was $5500.
Day 1 – Amagra administration point to Seron
6 Hours
From the
admin center you can take another path that most people don’t take, this path
runs parallel with the normal path but is deserted and gives you great views of
the Torres while walking.
The map
states the walk to the campsite is 10.5 Km’s but its more like 15, it doesn’t
account for the second part of the trail.
The camping
at Seron costs $4000 CLP per person, NOTE camping Coiron is closed you cannot
camp there. Walking to Dickson is another 6 hours and not possible if you are
carrying serious weight.
Day 2 – Seron - Dickson
7 hours
The walk to
Dickson starts with a quite steep climb an hour in over a pass, after that it
contours the valley for the remainder of the day.
There is
lots of talk of bogs on the walk, Its really just one 100 meter stretch, 1/3 of
it is covered with a board walk, the remainder has planks of wood, and logs
thrown in to hop on. We were there at a dry period but it was fine.
CampDickson is beautiful and one of my
favourite campsites with hot showers. Walking on to Los Perros on this day
would be very hard with a still heavy pack, at this point my bag weighed 23
Kgs.
Dickson
cost $3500 CLP per person.
Day 3 – Dickson - Perros
4.5 hours
This walk
starts with quite a steep climb for around 40 minutes to the start of the
forest, after this the remainder of the day travels through forest, it was a
little muddy and in a wet period could be very muddy. We used poles.
Los Perros
is a very basic camp site, there is a hut to cook in, but one shower was broken
and the other only cold water.
Perros cost
$3500 CLP per person
Day 4 – Perros to Paso
6 Hours
This day
crosses the pass, its around a 3 ½ hour hike to the top of the pass, in
November the trek to the pass was pretty snowy, I don’t think gaiters are
essential but if you have them then they could be useful.
On top of
the pass was un believably windy, we had to get out of there immediately.
Coming down the other side was pretty horrible, we spent 30 minutes sliding
down snow, I think here you could break a leg pretty easily if you were un
lucky.
Once you
get in to the forest its about 2 hours to the campsite Paso. Some people go on
to Guardas which is another 3 hours but this makes for a very big day. Then
unless you want to pay for refugios you have to complete another 9 hour
day….Not for me
FREE
camping
Day 5 – Paso to Guardas
3 Hours
We used
this as a rest day to walk and rest for the afternoon before our long next day.
Beware this
walk is perilous, you have to walk along several ridges where the wind is
blowing storm force and was enough to knock us off our feet on occasion, there
is often long drops to the glacier below.
There are
also several gully’s to cross, one has a working ladder the other has been
destroyed. On this one there is a hanging rope on the left hand side, DO NOT
try to climb the gully walls they will crumble on you and the result could be
fatal.
FREE
camping
Day 6 – Guardas to Italiano
9 Hours
The walk to
refugio Grey takes 1 hour not the stated 2, this is because you go downhill, I
walk very slowly downhill as well. Unless you want to get something at refugio
grey there is no point walking 15 minutes down hill to it, the views you have
seen for the past 2 days are much better.
The Walk to
Paine Grande from here is the stated 4.5 hours, there is a chance here to
shelter in their restaurant if its raining, or use their toilets etc.
The walk
from Paine to Italiano took the stated time, Italiano is very basic and I
imagine quite busy in peak season.
FREE
camping
Day 7 – Italiano – day hike French valley
5.5 Hours
We used
Italiano as a base for 2 nights, it meant we could leave our tent and main
packs in the camp site and hike the French valley with no weight. You could
camp at the top of the French valley at Britanico which is also free but it’s a
big climb.
After the
French valley you can walk on to Cuernos but its $6000 CLP per person and very
exposed to high winds.
FREE
camping at Italiano
Day 8 – Italiano – camp Torres
8 hours
This is
where the trail times start to go wrong, we left at 7 am and were prepared for
an 11 hour day which didn’t happen, we did it in 8, we were pushing on quite
hard now with light packs but nothing crazy.
There is a
shortcut halfway along to Hostel Torres from Cuernos that probably saved 1.5
hours as well, it is sign posted shortcut to Chileno, from here its 5 km’s to
Chileno. This means you don’t have to walk steep up hill from Hostel Torres for
2 hours.
At the end
of the shortcut you round a corner in to a new valley, at the pass it can be
very windy, tie everything down or you risk loosing it, there is also a huge
drop so be careful.
From here
its 30 minutes to Chileno, then a further 1 hour on to Camptorres.
From campTorres
its only a 40 minute scramble up to the Torres mirrador not the stated hour.
FREE
camping
Day 9 – Italiano – Amagra
5 hours
From this
campsite you can go to see the spires at sun rise, in November we had to get up
at 4 am, leave the campsite by 4.30 to arrive to the top around 5.15, you will
need a torch.
We took a
stove and cooked breakfast and had coffee.
On return
to the campsite we packed up and left at 8, it’s a 3 hour walk to Hostal Torres
where you have the option to pay $3000 CLP per person for the 7.5 Km ride to
Amagra, we decided to walk. The map stated 1.5 hours, on tired legs this was
longer and took 2 hours.
At Amagra
we washed and waited in the sun for the 2.30 bus back to PN.
Transport
All buses
from PN to TDP are set at $15000 CLP don’t pay more, the bus should pick you up
from your hostel if they organise it.
The bus
usually leaves at 7.30 am.
The bus
takes 2.5 hours, with a stop for photos.
Tips and Hints
Buying food at Vertice rather
than Fantastic Sur is cheaper
Be careful on the gulleys, look
for ropes
Take bin bags to put your
backpack in (outside your tent in a porch), the two man tents are not big
enough to store them inside
The water is clean you can
drink from rivers
Check all equipment before you
leave
Think about taking a poncho,
this ensures your water proof jacket stays dry for those cold evenings
when it rains all day on the trail. (and it will) This also keeps your bag
dry.
Carrier bags are great for
storing boots and food, take extra.
If you think you have enough
food take a little more!
Just two days after finishing the Torres Del Paine full circuit we decided what would be better than to go to another national park, rent a tent and do a 4 day trek….GREAT!
This was to be much shorter and much less intense.
The first day we were aware the weather was going to be terrible however we did not expect snow! Yes it snowed on us for 5 hours while we trekked through the mountains. We were however pleased to see woody woodpecker!
Day 1 (before the snow)
Sarah in the snow
Our new supersized tent!!
We then spent the coldest night we have probably spent in the whole of Patagonia while we slept and prayed for blue sky the next day.
When morning broke we had been blessed and had not a cloud in the sky!
The perfect breakfast scene!
We decided to complete the 400m ascent to the Laguna de los Tres before any of the day hikers had reached us, this meant we had a private viewing of the huge granite spires of the Fitz Roy range.
Day 2
In the afternoon we completed a 4 hour hike to our next campsite at the foot of the Torre mountain another huge sharp granite spire.
Sarah on the same bridge but clear sky's! Crazy Patagonian weather
Torre Mountain range on the right
After dinner we went up to the lookout for sunset- see below for dinner
Rice and sausage!! yum
Our 3rd day did not follow suit and we woke at 6am to grey skies which within an hour had turned to rain, and within another 2 hours heavy rain. It was at this point we didn’t fancy another 15 km’s and called it a day.
We know head back up to the lake district in central Chile/Argentina, we only have 3 weeks left in SA now so time is crucial.
UPDATED - 25/11/11 - Several photos had blemishes due to dirt on my camera, these have been modified.
After waving good bye to the Navimag ferry and arriving in Southern Patagonia in the town of Puerto Natales, we sorted the last few things necessary for our Torres Del Paine Trek.
A little info on what the Torres Del Paine circuit actually is! Torres Del Paine is a National Park in southern Patagonia that has glaciers, mountains, forests and a rich wealth of flora and fauna. The park has two commonly walked treks; the one we decided to undertake was the 9 day circuit looping around the park and around the mountains at the parks core.
As this is a 9 day hike, we had to carry a lot of equipment, we had:
A tent, sleeping bags, roll mats to sleep on, a stove, 3 small gas canisters, a pot to cook in, cups, bowls, cutlery, 12 kg's of food, warm clothes, wet weather gear and of course Sarahs normal contact lens eye solution, lotions and potions etc etc etc.....
Here is a shot of our food selection!
Day1 - 8/11/2011 Amarga - Seron 15.5 Km's
We awoke at 6 am after a broken nights sleep thanks to a T-REX (Tyrano Snarus Rex) asleep in our dorm. We loaded ourselves up on a full breakfast of fruit, eggs, muesli, juice and coffee and got the bus at 7.30 am to the park.
During the two and half bus journey we were lucky enough to see the famous spires of the Torres Del Paine in all there glory, we were awe struck.
By 10.30 am we had paid the park fees and proudly donned our heavy packs to begin the full circle, while all the other day hikers and short 'W' trek hikers boarded the shuttle to the main park.
We began our 9 day trek by missing the path and spending 30 minutes wondering around! Great start we thought, this should be a fun 9 days!
Sarah at the start!
'Day 1'
We were soon on the right track through a field of daisy's with nobody in sight and total peace and quiet. What soon became apparent was that James had either become very unfit or the fact that he had the majority of the kit and it was weighing him down - he was requiring a break every 30 minutes. Not good!
Anyway, we wondered along glacial lakes and through scrub land for most of the day and did not see another person for 5 hours, bliss.
By the end of the 15.5 km's for the day, James was not sure that he could continue and was having serious reservations as to going on. We set up camp exhausted in the Seron camp site, ate our standard meals (the same for the entire 9 days) of Instant Potato for Sarah and Pasta in soup for James.
Seron camp site- and our small tent behind the tree
Day 2 - 9/11/2011 Seron - Dickson 20 Km's
'Day 2'
James had obviously been dreaming about food and woke up with a jolt with the statistic that we would eat approximately 1 kg of food per day on average. We therefore would loose some of the weight he was carrying. However on day 2 most of it was still there!
We plodded on follwing the contours of the valley and river heading towards the huge mountain range of Cerro Paine and Chico Norte. We walked for 6 hours with them getting closer all the time.
The mountain scenery was stunning, we continued our 30 minute stints with breaks but this did mean we took 7 hours to reach our next camp!
Glacial lake by our campsite, glacier in the distance
Cooking a 'yummy' Gourmet dinner
Once we arrived at camp Dickson we were lucky enough to have a luke warm shower while over looking a glacial lake and ice bergs.
Slightly cold for a paddle!
Day 2 campsite- note: Bags didn't even fit in the tent!
Day 3 - 10/11/2011 Dickson - Perros 10 Km's
Today was going to be a relatively short trip, but uphill for 10km, this is easy normally, but not with the packs... Fortunately after leaving the campsite we noticed a pair of hand held bag scales and James duly weighed his bag. To his horror the bag read 23 Kg's!! That meant when we started with the 1 Kg of food a day rule the bag must have been 25 Kg's (55 lbs).....That's why he was struggling the first two days!
'Day 3'
We set off rising up through the valley in to a forest with the wind howling through the trees. As we appeared from the forest we got our first views of a huge hanging glacier that reached from the mountain above to a glacial lake far below.
The view back down the valley to the campsite
We climbed up to the crater edge that housed the glacial lake and were suddenly buffeted by some of the infamous Patagonian winds that whip through the park. The wind was so strong we struggled to stand up right, fully able to lean in to the wind and not fall over (100kph winds were forecasted).
James leaning into the wind on the top of the ledge looking at glacier below
From here we were also able to get views to the John Garner pass (Also referred to as the John Gardner) at 1250 Meters that we would cross the following day.
Fortunately it was only a few minutes to our camp site and we settled down for the night.
Day 3 camp
Day 4 - 11/11/2011 Perros to Paso 12 Km's
This was to be a full-on day, so we awoke at 6.30am. After a quick turn around we left camp at 8.00am to start the 700 meter ascent to the pass.
'Day 4'
We soon realised that the winds we experienced the day before were not a one-off and it looked like rain. . So Sarah tried on her new Italian designed poncho she bought from D & G in Bolivia.
We trudged through snow and bogs until we reached the moraine field that led to the pass, and we soon realised we had been walking for over an hour with no breaks, it seemed James's bag was starting to get lighter. We even managed to catch a guided group who left 30 minutes before us who only had day packs on, RESULT!
James at the bottom of the moraine field
The climb was very steep and still very snowy, we may have been some of the first over the pass this season..
snow path up..
When we got to the top the normal jubilation of reaching the goal was short lived as even fiercer winds almost knocked us over. Taking a few more steps forward we realised we were looking at the enormous glacier Grey and it filled our entire field of vision.
Sarah at the top in between the gusts of wind
Walking down in the snow with glacier grey
Our thoughts now were to get off this pass and out of the wind, easier said than done! We now had to slide down the other side on snow and ice.
When we reached the wooded area below we were exhausted and took on water and food to re-charge. We set up camp in a wild un-managed camp site that was deserted and had views the length of the glacier, we were the only ones there.
Day 4 camp under the creaking trees
Normally we are quite happy to snuggle up in the tent, but we were well aware of the storm force winds blowing through the trees and were well aware a tree could fall on us at any moment.
Sarah's favourite spot with a cup of hot tea
Cooking up a feast!
Day 5 - 12/11/2011 Paso to Guardas 6 Km's
Day 5- too windy to balance the camera to take a shot of both of us
Today was a rest day, we had planned to only walk the 6 Km to the next camp site, this would take us 3 hours due to the undulation.
What we were not reckoning on was that we would be walking through gulleys and along cliff edges in the 100 kph winds!
The first few hours were spent skirting along a cliff looking down to the glacier below, we were praying we were not going to meet it up close! We had to duck down and stop when gusts of wind came to stop being blown off, there were no barriers on the cliff side, it was nuts.
Our next challenge was the gullies that had been cut by the old glaciers. Now normally they have ladders hanging for you to climb in and out of the gullies, but some were broken.Great!
We overcame all of these and finally arrived at our camp site to have a well earned afternoon rest.
Day 5 camp
With no showers we now we were starting to smell and the ear plugs had to be re used for other purposes.
Day 6 - 13/11/2011 Guardas - Italiano 22 Km's
We spent all night listening to the swaying of the trees and the dripping of the rain on the roof of the tent, we both knew we had a 9 hour walk today and it didn't feel good!
When we left the tent at 6.30 am the typical Patagonian weather was here. It was windy raining and very overcast. We packed a very wet dirty soggy tent in to its bag and began trudging our way.
Miserable Sarah
The Grey glacier was Greyer than we had ever seen it and so was most of the day. Needless to say 9 hours walking was long, slow and not great for the spirits. There is not a lot more to say about this day.
Day 6 in the tent together out the rain
Day 7 - 14/11/2011 Italiano - French Valley day hike 7 Km
We spent the evening listening to the huge glacial avalanches from the nearby mountain, the sound was like bombs going off, it was amazing.
We intended to use this day as a rest day (a short 5.5hr walk) and complete a hike up in to the valley. We left at 10.15am in high spirits with views of the river, glacier and cerro norte spires to inspire us.
'Day 7'- French valley and the weather looked better
However, little more than an hour in to the hike we had the ominous feeling that the weather was about to change, the wind picked up, the clouds descended and it began to rain! AGAIN!!
We ran down the valley to try to stay dry in our cooking shelter, arriving back 30 other people had decided to do the same thing....After an hour or so they all left in their own directions and we had a silent camp site once more.
Day 7 camp at Camp Italiano
We spent the remainder of the day relaxing in our soggy tent preparing ourselves for the 25 Km marathon the next day!
Day 8 - 15/11/2011 Italiano - Torres 27 Km's
With trepidation we peered out of our tent at 5.45 am to see if it was dry...........and it was!!!
We watched the pink sky as the sun started to rise, repeated the adage "Red sky in the morning shepherds warning" and started our hike.
We started leaving the French valley and walking around the granite towers of the Cerro Norte.
What we found as we left the safety of the valley was that it was incredibly windy! It was so windy in fact that the wind was whipping water across the lakes and creating huge plumes of water that rose up the mountain sides.
After an hour we reached the shore of the lake and had to run across the pebbled beach- army style. We had to do this with great timing between massive gusts of water, we were trying not to get soaked by the water whipped up by the once again storm force winds.
We spent the day marching through crowds of day hikers as we strived towards the Torres valley, after 5 hours we finally reached the Torres valley.
With the weather being kind to us we decided that we would journey the extra 1 and a half hours up to the Torres lookout to see the famous Torres spires in good weather. This would take us into our 10th hour.
This place was truly one of the most amazing places we have ever seen a cauldron type effect is felt of light, sounds and weather.
'Day 8'
We now proceeded to eat all the food we had left over :-)
Day 9 - 16/11/2011
Torres - Amarga 19 Km's
The final day had arrived, we planned to go up to the spires to see the sun rise as a final finish to the trip. This meant waking up at 4 am and hiking the 45 minutes up to the spires under head torch light.
When we arrived there were only 10 or so of us there, we took our gas burner with us so were able to make breakfast and coffee for the wait. Everyone waited with baited breath, however unfortunately due to the clouds the light show was not as a amazing as it could have been but we still got some great shots.
Day 9 at 6am after sunrise
During sunrise
After sunrise
We got back to the camp site for 7.00am and packed up camp for the final time, we skipped down the mountain knowing we had done the whole circuit.
James skipping down the moutain with a 'light' pack
Sarah at the bottom- very tired at the same sign we took the first picture
At the bottom needing a sleep!
At the bottom we washed our stinky feet and relaxed in the sun waiting for the bus to arrive.
On the coach journey home we were lucky enough to see an Andean condor up close on the ground, a very rare sight. These birds have a wing span of up to 2 meters, this picture really does not let you understand how large this bird is!
Needles to say when we arrived back in Puerto Natales we had hot showers, red wine, steak and vegetables to cap of a great experience.
There is not a lot more we can say about Torres Del Paine that these photos do not already say it is a place of un paralleled beauty and wonder. This will rank along the greatest experiences of our lives for sure.
