After a quick sleep in El Calafate we were back on the bus again, this time to Puerto Natales in Chile to prepare for the W trek in Torres del Paine National Park. Puerto Natales is a small town which is filled with hikers either about to set off on multi day hikes or recovering from them! I had been looking forward to our 4 day hike, but on our travels we had talked to a few people who had said how challenging they had found it, particularly with the Patagonian weather, and I was starting to feel a little apprehensive!
The trek is named after the shape of the route (the red line)
These were the peaks we would be walking around
Our first task was to do some laundry. The second task was to consume plenty of calories to provide energy for the hike! We managed to fit in a trip to Baguales the local microbrewery whose food specialty was either a 1/2 kilo or a kilo of chips covered in cheese, bacon and chicken nuggets (we did not sample these) and the next day we ate some delicious cake and hot chocolate! We then packed our essentials in our hiking bags, trying to make them as light as possible. We had opted to eat in the refugios along the way and hire tents at the campsites to reduce the amount of equipment we had to carry. We had arranged to leave the rest of our luggage at our self catering hotel in Puerto Natales whilst we were on the hike.
The distance to various international breweries from Baguales
On the first day of the hike we set off, on another bus, to the park. The W has become increasingly popular in recent years with both Chilean and foreign hikers. Last season the campsites became particularly overcrowded and as a result from this season if anyone wants to stay in the park they must make reservations in advance (which caused some confusion this year as not everyone knew about the new system). We had opted for a mixture of camping and sleeping in the refugios and had made the bookings in September (and even then we didn't get our first choice of dates). Luckily our bus was one of the first to arrive at the visitor centre so we were near the front of the queue to get our park entry tickets. It was then on to the next bus to reach the trail head (only a few people walked this unexciting 8km).
The queue behind us for the visitor centre
With all the administration out the way we started the hike! Our journey on the first day would take us from the trail head to our campsite at Chilenos where we would leave our bags and then up to Las Torres. This part of the trail is easily accessible to day visitors (who had either failed to reserve campsites or who didn't want to stay) so it is particularly busy. We came across one hiker who was taking everything in his stride - playing a guitar and singing as he walked. We also had to share the path with horses who were used to transport resources (and tired/lazy hikers) to and from the refugios and campsites.
Day 1: Looking fresh, clean & energetic at the start of the trail
The Las Torres Hotel at the trail head for those who require some luxury
It was a varied trail and we had the usual variety of Patagonian weather (wind, rain, sunshine etc) each change in weather was accompanied by a stop to change into the appropriate clothing. The paths were generally well maintained, although there were some interesting homemade "bridges" along the way! A number of trees had "polished" patches on their bark where they were regularly used by hikers to provide stability on the trail.
views from day 1
The final kilometer up to Las Torres (as with Fitz Roy) was the steepest, but the weather co-operated and we were rewarded with a cloudless view on arrival at the top of the towering columns of stone with riverlets running down into the cloudy blue lake below.
Las Torres
Once back at the campsite I had my first lesson in playing the card game Euchre, playing four hands between two of us. We need to find some midwesterners during the rest of our trip so I can test out my new found skills!
Our platformed campsite among the trees
After a traditional Chilean dinner in the crowded hostel we headed off to bed just as the heavy rain and the howling wind started. We hoped the tent that we had rented would stay tied down to the wooden platform and none of the trees would fall down! It was not the best night's sleep (my fitbit later told me I was restless 34 times during the night), but we woke to find that there was just one small patch wet patch. After breakfast in the refugio, it was time to start the hiking for day 2.
Sunset at our campsite - note the brewing rain clouds!
Day 2: not looking quite so fresh in the morning rain (refugio Chilenos in the background)
The hiking today started with some backtracking along the same route from the previous day before a fairly flat section along the edge of the lake towards Los Cuernos our next campsite. Following the overnight rain some of the streams leading into the lake were higher than normal and we were happy to have our water sandals to make up for the lack of stepping stones. There were no particular viewing points on this part of the hike, but as the photos show below the scenery was far from average!
Backtracking down the valley with a faster flowing river
The view above us as we hiked
Views from day 2
Campsite number 2 with the trail next to our tent
We arrived, napped, showered (the hot water only ran between certain hours at this refugio) and settled in just in time for dinner. At dinner we had an excellent view from the refugio over the lake with blue skies and sunshine. It was interesting comparing notes with other hikers at our table about the routes they were taking (and the price of alcohol at different refugios). It soon became clear that everyone was doing something slightly different. Some were doing the O, the full route around the mountains and others were doing the W in the opposite direction to us, another couple were doing more of a U shape.
Over to Nick to pick up the journey from here.
-Jess
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