Torres Del Paine

So...after lot of mincing around we finally got all the kit we needed for the W trek in Torres. Not being big on the sport of walking (kiting, biking or drinking always seemed to be so much more fun), it was going to be a new experience for us to carry everything we needed for 5 days of trekking. With a bit of advice from the hostel we were staying at we thought we had it all covered. We would live on a healthy diet of porridge with powdered milk and honey for breakfast, tortillas with ham and cheese for lunch, a proper meal in the evening of packet noodles, cup a soup or 5 minute pasta, and snacks of chocolate, trail mix and raw carrots.

Most of the first day was spent on transport to the park, the bus ride brought us to the park itself where the mountains of doom were looming in the rain. We quickly got our waterproof gear on during the wait for the catamaran and then headed across the lake to our starting point at Pehoe. By about 1pm we were on the first stretch heading up to Glacier Grey. Our packs were comfy enough and in the light drizzle it was a pleasant walk up the valley. We could see the snow covered mountains to the left and the lakes below. Some of the walk was really windy and there was a lot of up. First glimpses of the glacier were v impressive and when we finally reached the free campsite Guardas at the top we were just above it and could look down. We pitched our tent and then headed out to the look-out point to chill out in the sunshine. Quick cook pasta hit the spot and after washing the dishes in the stream we hit the sack early listening to the rumbling glacier below.

We both slept a good 12 hours and awoke feeling refreshed despite the hard ground. The morning was drizzly and we had breakfast (v tasty) packed-up and started our descent by 9.00. Back down at Pehoe our shoulders were aching and ste was beginning to complain about hunger. We had a massive cheese and meat sandwich and then moved on the next free site at Italiano. This campsite was really cool, right next to raging river fed by the glaciers in the French valley, under the trees, and it even had a toilet! Supper was a combination of noodles and cup a soup and again we went to bed early as soon as the sun went down. It was a cold night with the wind coming in through vents in the corner of the tent. Ste was suffering in his inadequate sleeping bag and my feet even got a little bit cold in my new fleece lined cosy sleeping bag.

The days trekking was good because we could leave our kit at the campsite and walk up the French valley with only a day pack. We set-off early to avoid the rush of day trippers. The climb was really steep with amazing views all the way up, a steep glacier on the left with the raging river below and big rocky mountains to the right. Half the walk was through the forest climbing over trees and rocks. When we reached the top there was very steep scramble up a stream which took us right up above the tree line and gave great views over the valley and lake at the end. It was really cold at the top so we didn't hang around for too long. The trek down was really quick passing all the day trippers on the way. When we got back to camp ste went to try and scrub the cheese from between his toes with a rock in the stream, the smell of his feet were starting to be a real issue and it did look like they were practically rotting.

With the tent down we began the trek round the corner, we were both knackered so took it slowly. It was always the last two hours trekking each day that seemed to be the killer and we both got a little tetchy. Ste was adamant that we should have brought at least double the amount of chocolate that we had and he may be starving on the number of calories we were eating compared to the amount of energy expended. The terrain on this stretch was really mellow, we were sheltered from any wind and rain by the mountains and the sun finally came out turning the lake a stunning turquoise blue. The campsite was right by the lake and as it was a paid site even had showers. We decided to treat ourselves to a tin of tuna to go with the pasta and a beer each. After an awesome shower, a beer and a meal which left you full we felt almost human again.

The night was cold which made for slow start the next day, we knew this was the longest stretch we would walk and weren't particularly keen. The first bit was nice and flat and took us along and round the lake. The scenery changed again as we reached the next valley and looked more alpine. It was a really steep climb up to our final campsite and unfortunately we got absolutely soaked at one point. Luckily the weather changed further on and the sun came out so we managed to get our clothes dry. By the time we reached the campsite we were knackered. After we got the tent pitched another shower came in, it was really cold up near the Torres and the wind was howling through the vents in our inadequate tent. I tried to build a stone wall to shield us from the wind but it proved largely ineffective. We both put on all the clothes we had with us and huddled in the shelter as we had noodles and soup debating whether we would get up for sunrise at the Torres. Reluctantly we got into sleeping bags for our final night on the hard ground. Even with all our clothes on it was still cold and neither of us slept well, at about 4.00a.m. it seemed to get warmer and the wind calmed down so we finally fell asleep properly.

The alarm woke us up at 5.45a.m. and I could see from the light outside that the sky had cleared and the sunrise may be worth it. We stumbled out of bed, found the torch and got the pack with breakfast in it together. The hour long climb up the near vertical boulder field in the dark was interesting. Our route leaving the campsite missed the actual path and we had to climb round some trees before we got out. Even with the other backpackers heading up it was really difficult to see where we were going and I went the wrong way at one point heading away from the big rocks onto dangerous scree which fell way beneath our feet. Luckily we didn't fall down the mountain in a landslide. The climb was really hard but we made it to the top and could see the Torres looming in the dark and the sun starting to come up. We made breakfast and dawn started to break. When the first rays of sunlight hit the rocks everything turned a crazy red colour. The light was awesome and made the early start well worth it. Breakfast on the rocks was cool and unlike anything we had done on our time off so far.

The final walk down was nice and easy with barely any up and good views down the valley. The transfer back went pretty fast and before we knew it we were back at the hostel. The shower when we got back and the evening meal with some guys we met on the trek were awesome. We all agreed that the 72km trek had been well worth it.