The Grand Paine Circuit in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, is an 8 day, 124km trek through some of the most spectacular scenery in Southern Chile. The trek is one of the most popular in Chile, so it has been developed for tourism with hostals, accomodation and transportation within the park. I´d say the development is more complete than a place like Yosemite, although not designed to handle so many people. The play by play is below, but if you want some interesting tidbits without reading the whole thing:
-The actual Torres (Towers) weren't nearly as impressive as the Grey Glacier
-You can drink the water anywhere in the park without treatment (lakes, rivers, streams, glaciers, huts...), so you don´t really need to carry any
-There are places along the way to buy food, gas, and rent gear, so you don´t really need to bring any of that either...
-The weather in Patagonia in the middle of the summer is erratic and unpredictable. We saw rain, snow, sun, hail and knock-you-on-your-ass winds almost daily.
-Paying US$7 per person to pitch a tent is the norm
-Passing day trippers with daypacks is infuriating when you're carrying a 40lb pack with 8 days worth of gear and food
-There are some good first decents to be had if you´re willing to carry a kayak 10-20 miles
-Climbers on the Torres often spend 15-30 days on the wall; way more core than kayaking
-The Torres at sunrise cast a red glow for about 2 minutes if it is clear outside
-The Torres are particularly spectacular because they are granite spires capped with a dark layer of shale, a rare geologic formation
-Climbers on the Torres often spend 15-30 days on the wall; way more core than kayaking
-The Torres at sunrise cast a red glow for about 2 minutes if it is clear outside
-The Torres are particularly spectacular because they are granite spires capped with a dark layer of shale, a rare geologic formation
12/17 - Day 1, Puerto Natales to Laguna Amargo (bus), Laguna Amargo to Camp Seron, 20km (7km in bus)
The first day of the trek began early with a 7am bus to the park (US$18R/T). The three hour bus ride stops at the guard house, where you purchase a park pass (US$30) which allows unlimted stay in the park. From the entrance, you are still 7km from the Las Torres Hostal, so we opted to take the park shuttle (US$2) for the 7km gravel road to the trailhead. We had a bit of trouble finding the start of our trail, but the views of the Torres (towers) from afar is quite impressive.
At Las Torres, Day 1Once we got to the trailhead (well indicated by two blue sticks that were falling over), we climbed gradually along the Paine River on a 4x4 track. The color of the river is glacial grey, a milky white haze that only comes directly from glaciers. After an hour of gradual climbing, we stopped for lunch, and then pushed on to the meadow. The meadow is a huge flat riverplain where we stopped to just lay around in the grass. The field was full of daisys, which make a nice click against the toe of your boots as you swish through them. About an hour later we reached Camp Seron, the first night's campsite.
The camp is nicely situated along the river in a big open pasture. Hardly a bargain at US$7 a person to pitch your own tent, the campsite had bathrooms and a small house with beds. We were some of the only people there to our suprise. However, we had been on the first bus into the park. By the time we went to sleep, there were at least 40 others camped with us. Throughout the trip I was suprised by the sheer number of people in the park.
It rained a lot, maybe all night long. One of my biggest concerns for the trip was rain and snow, so this was a good night to test out the tent. By morning, we were swimming. It was a good litmus test for how well the tent was going to work for the rest of the trip. Or at least we knew what to expect.
At Camp Seron, Day 112/18 - Day 2, Camp Seron to Refugio Lago Dickson, 18.5km
After a long night sleeping in the rain, we were relieved that it cleared a bit for the second day. It was mostly cloudy (as it usually is in Patagonia), but the rain was holding off. After packing up our wet gear, we headed out for Dickson Lake. We continued up the river valley, passing a small lake, and then continuing up to Lake Paine, the source of the Paine River. Heading up to the head of the lake was unbelieveably windy. Not just wind, but fierce, cold, through all your windproof layers chilling wind. From the lake we cruised up towards Lake Dickson, finally arriving later in the afternoon, maybe around 6pm. This wasn´t much of a problem as the sun doesn´t set until at least 10pm, and it doesn´t get dark at all until 9pm or so. Lake Dickson was nice, with glaciers coming down into the lake on the far side, and great views up the Hidden Valley.
Anat and I river crossing between Seron and Dickson
Lake Dickson before sunset, Day 2
12/19 - Day 3, Refugio Lago Dickson to John Garner Pass Campsite,
Anat and I river crossing between Seron and Dickson
Lake Dickson before sunset, Day 212/19 - Day 3, Refugio Lago Dickson to John Garner Pass Campsite,
This day was a shorter one then the others, but had some good vert. We began climbing up the Rio de Los Peros, a steep creek full of wood. I think there is potential here with nice gorges and a clean 25 footer, but it would require hauling a kayak 30 or so km... I don´t think it has been paddled before.
Anat and Arik heading towards John Garner on Rio de Los Perros, Day 3
Anat and Arik heading towards John Garner on Rio de Los Perros, Day 3
Anat above Lago Dickson, Day 3
12/20 - Day 4, John Garner Pass Campsite to Campmento Paseo
The intense wind on John Garner Pass, Day 4
Looking over Glacier Grey after coming down the pass, Day 4
Glacier Grey, Day 4
Lago Peohe, Day 5
The girls at camp, Day 6
Heading towards Las Torres, Day 7
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