After one day in town spent gathering provisions we set off.
Upon arrival, which involved a bus and boat we arrived at the origin, where we
were greeted by 100kmph+ wind, whose gusts resulted in lashings of rain and
hail battering down against our already fatigued bodies. It was now that we
realised – we have really made it to the end of the earth. The sideways
orientation of the vegetation, and the extreme ruggedness of the areas animal
populations, was evidence that for survival in Patagonia, life needs to
adapt to the conditions.
After 2-3 hours of battling the elements, we were exhausted
and in need of a rest, and still at least 3 hours away from our destination of Refugio Grey. We established Refugio Coutts on the Southern Edge of Lago Grey, in a rocky outcrop, which
provided a small amount of protection from the Patagonian weather. After a stop
to recompose ourselves and rebuild our shattered morale, we left the safe
confines of Refugio Coutts and headed
north, in search of a glimpse of our first glacier of the expedition, Glacier Grey.
Refugio Coutts
After two or so hours, we reached Glacier Grey, and immediately we were rewarded as it was truly an
impressive sight. We then pushed onto Refugio
Grey and spent our first night in a valley, which offered some respite from
the wind. It was here that we added another compañero to our expedition, Johanna ‘Unbreakable’ Baron.
The
following day, after a short detour to gaze upon Glacier Grey one last time our party set off for Campamento Italiano, at the entrance to
the Valle de Frances. The walk was
difficult – even stronger winds combined with ankle deep swamp crossings meant
that our advance was frustratingly slow, however shortly before nightfall we
were able to set up camp in the swamp/camping area, known as Campamento Italiano.
Shaz and I with Jo
After spending the night, we set off at dawn for the next
segment of the journey into the Valle de
Frances, where we experienced some of the hardest terrain for the trip,
caused mainly by the fact that the path which was actually a stream for most of
the way. After struggling for over an hour, we reached a clearing where we were
able to view the whole valley, another amazing site. Frozen waterfalls and
glaciers clung to the side of the mountains, and even an avalanche were seen
from our vantage point. However, as we left the protection of the forest, we
were hit by extreme winds and horizontal rain which caused us to be frozen to
the bone. With morale hitting all-time lows, we made the decision to return to Italiano to have some tea.
After returning and regrouping, we pushed on to the next
location Refugio los Cerenos, where
we were greeted with one of most amazing sites of all… blue skies!
Los Cerenos
From Los Cerenos, we
pushed onto the final segment of the hike, to the base of the Torres del Paine, where we set up camp,
and waited eagerly for our first glimpse of the towers at sunrise the following
morning.
4am on day five. We managed somehow to move our frozen,
battered and bruised bodies from our slice of heaven: a 1cm thick bedroll and
soggy tent, slammed a granola bar down our throats and commenced the 45 minute
march to the towers along with around 100 lights coming from the headlamps of
100 other very dedicated individuals.
While the hike up was the very definition of pain, we found our rock and waited until the sun rose over the mountains. Soon enough, the sun appeared and we were greeted by the most magnificent view imaginable; the morning sun setting the towers ablaze against a backdrop of an almost cloudless blue sky – apart from the few wisps of cloud which where bright orange.
The towers at sunrise...wow
After some time the clouds rolled in, however it made for an amazing photo
Everyone scrambling for the best spot!
After basking in the view for 2 hours with tea and porridge
in our stomachs, we set off to pack up camp and finish hiking the last 28kms to
the exit. Wet socks, empty stomachs and lack of sleep all were a distant memory
as we pushed towards a hot meal and a warm bed back in Puerto Natales.
The hotel at the end of the trek, for those who prefer the more luxurious things in life!
Upon returning to Puerto
Natales and parting with compañero
Jo, we crossed over to El Calafate on
the Argentinian side. Given the fact that El
Calafate was about as touristic as you can possibly imagine (picture a town
version of an airport, every third shop sells the same, expensive stuff. Also
cheap meals were completely non-existent ), we quickly renamed the town to El Calasharte. Calasharte, did however have
2 amazing things. An absolutely massive glacier, Perito Moreno Glacier, which was absolutely breathtaking, as well
as our first taste of Argentinian BBQ, referred to in this part of the globe as
an Asado. Basically lamb cooked over coals for over eight hours. I’m sorry
fellow Australians, we ain’t got nothing on the Argentinians!
Cheers,
The Nut
