Torres del Paine- Part 8

Our final day backpacking in Torres del Paine National Park would prove to be our worst- weather wise.  Yesterday's precipitation had not yet lifted and what was snow at higher elevations in John Garner Pass was now a light steady rain drumming on the roof of our tent.  I was actually glad for it- I didn't want to leave Patagonia without experiencing all of its infamous weather.  Today would be our shortest hike taking us 6.7 miles back to Paine Grande campground.  The same camp the ferry had taken us to nine days earlier.  If all went well, we'd catch the same ferry back to a bus that would usher us into civilization.

After a week and a half of hiking our feet were worn.  In spite of our efforts to protect our feet as soon as we started to feel a 'hot spot', multiple blisters had formed on our toes, heels, and soles.  One last time, Eli and I went through the morning ritual of bandaging our feet with band-aids and moleskins.  After eating breakfast in the shelter of our tent, we slipped our boots onto our sore feet and stepped outside.  Clouds hung low over the mountains.  As we hiked along Lago Grey, the storm clouds parted revealing brilliant blue patches of sky.

Our path would take us over an 800 foot ridge, past Laguna Los Patos (Ducks Lagoon), before descending into Paine Grande campground.  As we continued to climb the skies opened up revealing sweeping vistas of Lago Grey.

Climbing a little higher we looked back and could still see the wall of ice where Grey Glacier ended.  Beyond it we could see storm clouds closing in and it soon began to rain again.  With the exception of our rain pants, we had used every single piece of gear we had been carrying with us.  As the rain picked up, we stopped to slip on our final piece of gear.  With the exception of the two pounds of trail mix still sitting in our packs that Eli and I couldn't force ourselves to eat, I was proud to be able to say we had packed everything we needed and nothing we didn't.  

As we made our way through the wet fog we entered into a more wooded area where beautiful Foxglove flowers grew alongside the trail.  Going a little farther we happened upon Laguna Los Patos.  It was a quaint pond nestled among craggy rock formations on an outcropping of the park's mountain range.  From Ducks Lagoon we would descend to Paine Grande campground.  We were nearing the end of our trip and Eli and I enjoyed this peaceful moment by the serene waters.

From there we wound our way down along the ridge back to where we had started just nine days earlier.  We had made good time too as our Ferry wouldn't be leaving for another two hours.  As we waited in camp it was hard to believe our trip was coming to an end.  We had completed the O Trek in Parque Nacional, Torres del Paine!  

As we rode the Ferry across Lake Pehoé we took one last look at this amazing park.  One of my favorite things about backpacking has nothing to do with the actual trip.  Though the anticipation of it builds up during the adventure in the wilderness- far from the comforts and conveniences of civilization.   On all my backpacking trips around the world I have always found it to hold true that one starts to think and even fantasize about eating their favorite food.  Once safely back in Puerto Natales, Eli and I ordered an oven fired pizza appropriately topped with Guanaco meat.  It tasted gamey but oh-so good!  As we ate, we laughed and recounted our adventure.

What an accomplishment!  The memories I had made with my son would last a lifetime.  Though we couldn't tell exactly how this adventure had changed us, we knew we weren't the same men who first stepped into Torres del Paine National Park a week and a half earlier.  80 miles later, at the bottom of the world- we had done it!

Torres del Paine- Part 7

We had a huge climb ahead of us and we had been warned by the park ranger the night before that a storm could be rolling in.  He advised we get an early start and aim to reach John Garner Pass before mid-day.  It was still cold and dark as we stuffed our sleeping bags in the bottom of our packs and strapped on our headlamps.  We carefully placed our feet as we made our way out of Los Perros camp in the dark.  Our lights dimly illuminated a hopscotch of roots and rocks along the winding path that continued ever upward.  High above we could see the silhouette of the pass against the lightening sky.  Hidden beyond the ridge sprawled Grey Glacier which we would follow south to our camp along Grey Lake.

As we continued to climb we soon emerged from the woods in which we had camped the night before.  The high alpine trees gave way to a barren rocky mountain side which we were slowly ascending.  We followed a creek cutting a groove into the rocky terrain.  It soon was light enough that we turned off our headlamps.  However, the higher we went the colder it got and a combination of rain and snow began to fall.  We covered our packs and pushed on in hopes that we wouldn't get caught in the storm we had been warned about on the exposed ridge of John Garner Pass.

As we turned and looked back we could see the tree line and Perros Lagoon far below.  The terrain was steep and our sore feet, after more than a week of hiking under 50-pound packs, made the going arduous.  We passed an outcropping of Puma Glacier.  The puma is Patagonia's apex predator, known for attacking its prey (including unsuspecting hikers) from behind.  For this reason, many backpackers in Patagonia sew patches that look like eyes on the back of their hats.  Thankfully, Torres del Paine National Park was so well visited, pumas were not much of a problem here.  We breathed a sigh of relief as the storm clouds momentarily parted and we crested the ridge onto John Garner Pass!  

The sight before us took away the little breath we had left in our lungs.  A frozen river of ice emerged from the clouds winding its way around a mountain ridge down into a lake.  Our vantagepoint from above, looking down from the pass, gave us a full panorama of Glacier Grey.  It was bigger than we had imagined.  And yet, this glacier was just one small part of the Patagonian Ice Field- one of the largest continuous non-polar ice fields in the world!

We would have plenty of time to take in the views as we'd be now descending along Grey Glacier for the rest of the afternoon.  Hidden within the ice we could spot shades of brilliant blue we had never seen before!  Occasional groans from deep within the glacier and the sound of cracking ice were evidence that this river of ice was indeed flowing, albeit, imperceptibly to the human eye.  

As we hiked, Eli and I never tired of our spectacular surroundings.  Lunch time approached and we were still trekking alongside Grey Glacier.  It reminded me of the time our family had visited the Grand Canyon.  It was so vast one needed an entire day to take it all in.  As we moved our vantage point would change and shafts of sunlight would highlight a different aspect of the scenery we hadn't noticed before.  

We stopped for lunch right above the glacier's edge where it was calving into Lago Grey.  Small boats full or tourists could be seen floating as close as they dared up to the glacier's 30-foot wall.  Without warning, huge chunks of ice as big as cars and houses would cut loose and plumet into the lake.  We could see and, a second afterward, hear the huge splash from high above where we ate our lunch. 

After heaving our packs back on and starting to hike again we soon came to something we hadn't yet encountered in the park.  Our path took us across two suspension bridges which twisted and swayed with each step.  I didn't feel entirely sure of my balance, especially when I couldn't resist the urge to look out at the vast scene below me.  Though we could still see it when we looked over our shoulder, Glacier Grey was now behind us and Lago Grey was below. 

Our rocky terrain had now been replaced by green.  We made our way among pine trees and wind-blown shrubs that lined our path.  We continued to descend until we finally reached the water's edge where brilliant blue chunks of ice floated.  We had climbed over John Garner Pass at 3,900 feet and were now almost back down at sea level.

As we drew near to camp our adventurous day was ending as was our time at the bottom of the world.  Tomorrow would be our last day in Torres del Paine National Park.  People say you can experience all four seasons in one day here.  Our experience was proving them to be right as we had now hiked through intense sun, wind, rain, and snow.  We hoped we could safely make it full circle (literally) back to the ferry that had brought us into this incredible place eight days before.  

Torres del Paine- Part 6

We had now been in Torres del Paine National Park for a full week and some of the most epic terrain at the bottom of the world still lay ahead.  After a night camping on the lake across from Dickson Glacier, my son and I hoisted our heavy packs onto our sore shoulders and turned toward Los Perros.  

Today's hike would be different from any of our previous days in the park.  Up until now we had always had sweeping views of Patagonian mountains across glacier-fed lakes.  As we left camp we entered into a wooded valley following the roiling Rio de los Perros pouring out of a lagoon high above.  After our first bridge crossing the valley opened up into a level section of forest.

Even though we were sheltered from the winds that Patagonia is known for, it was much colder in the forest.  We put our coats on as we trekked through this section where 'The Dogs' river meandered far away from the trail.  Whereas, everywhere else in the park felt otherworldly, this wooded area almost reminded me of forests I had hiked in growing up.  

Our path soon rejoined the river on our right-hand-side, following its waters to their source: Laguna Los Perros.  We came to another bridge, crossing to the other side of the river.  The rickety wooden bridge twisted and bowed.  A small sign warned that the bridge could only bear the weight of one person at a time.  The turquoise blue waters frothed beneath us as we crossed. 

Even when we couldn't see the rapids they could always be heard rushing to our left as we continued to climb.  With only seven miles between our camps, today's hike would be our shortest so far.  After covering almost 30 miles over the last two days, our feet didn't mind this.  We climbed another 100 meters in elevation and our trail emerged from the woods where we could see Los Perros Glacier above.  We soon reached the river's source: Laguna Los Perros.  Who knew lagoons could be glacier fed!?   

For all its majesty, the scene was actually quaint.  We could only see a small section of the hulking glacier feeding into one of the smallest bodies of water we had seen in the park.  After a morning of movement and exertion, my son and I sat still in this serene place.  It was quiet and peaceful.  We took in our surroundings before moving again.  Just beyond the lagoon lay our camp.  Excitement replaced our calm when a Gaucho passed us on horseback!  He was headed in the direction of camp.  We took one last look at the glacier and called it a day.

Beyond camp we could see our next day's hike steeply climbing to John Garner Pass.  At 3900 feet, it would be our highest point in Torres del Paine National Park.  Beyond the pass lay Glacier Grey and the second largest contiguous extra-polar ice field in the world.