Torres Del Paine

Torres del Paine is arguably the most famous trek in Patagonia and after our 8 days of hiking the circuit it was easy to see why!

The trek itself was not demanding in terms of distance and terrain covered. However, carrying 8 days of food along with the testing weather saw our bodies weary and in desperate need of a warm shower at the conclusion of this walk.

The aspect of Torres del Paine that gives it its fame is the astonishing diversity the route takes you on. Wildflowers carpeting the landscape red with pleasant song birds chirping away, gave us the impression of the perfect spring day. Later the weather would contradict this, exposing us to wind, rain, hail and finally snow. And then, as if God Himself were reading our minds, knowing full well we had had enough the sun would shine momentarily giving us renewed hope and energy.

Open grass lands changed into closed valleys surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Later the trek would pass through knee deep mud as it began to climb over Paso John Garner to a view that was nothing short of amazing. Looking over the massive ice field in Glacier Grey is one of the most breathtaking sights I have every seen trekking.

The main draw card of this tramp is the ´Torres´. Spectacular towers of granite erecting from the top of the mountain range. On our final day day of the walk we woke at 3:30am and started trekking to a location where the intention was to see the first rays of sun hit the Torres turning the grey silhouette of granite golden orange and the sky a warm red. Instead we were met by heavy cloud, strong winds and the snow dumping for hours. We could barely see 20 metres in front of us let alone the mighty towers. With our tails between our legs we trudged back to the tent and crashed out disappointed and fatigued.

With a stroke of luck, when we awoke the clouds had lifted. Not wanting to miss the view we ran back up the mountain to the view spot and were rewarded with the impressive icon. No words or photos can describe the feelings one gets of this place but it was an amazing experience.

We ran the next 15 kilometres along the trail with packs on backs to make the afternoon bus that would take us back to civilisation. We made the bus with most of the other walkers present showing signs of disappointment as they were unable to see ´Torres del Paine.´ Katie and myself were only too happy to show them our digital photos.