Patagonia~ the end of the world, an area rich in eco-diversity and untouched land. a place where people dream of visiting and few ever have the chance to experience first hand. "Patagonia" comes from the word"Patagón" which Magellan and his crew used to describe the native people who lived there in 1520. Torres del Paine national park is located 300+km north of Punta Arenas which is the farthest southern city in the world. I came to Chile knowing I wouldn't leave until I had visited the park. When I booked my round trip plane ticket to/from the states in June my friend Nathan said "stay after your program and hike in Patagonia. Trust me you'll find someone to go with." So September came along and I was ready to buy my plane ticket to Punta Arenas because they were only $150USD. I convinced my really cool friend Sam to come telling him that you can't come to Chile and not go to Torres. Come November Hannah was roped into coming too making the trek from Cusco and she found Dan, her travel buddy.
 |
| we hiked the red trail. shape of a W. about 90 km in 5 days |
December 2-Monday
The 4 of us met in the Santiago airport celebrating Hannah's 21st birthday on December 2. I bought Cinnabon for a little birthday celebration and we were off at 9am. After landing in Punta Arenas and taking a $5 shuttle from the airport to town we met up with Mat and kissed the toe of an Indian in Plaza Muñoz per custom of good luck on the trek. We bought food for the trip (30 tortillas, 2 bags of pasta, 4 sauce pouches, bag of rice, 2 boxes of beans, steak, cheese, salami, peanuts, lots of chocolate, peanut butter, apples, box of oatmeal, tomato soup,granola bars, and trailmix...$20USD/person/5days). After a round of hot cocoa's we bused (3hrs) to Puerto Natales ($10USD). After a hostel recommendation at the bus terminal we wandered around town following typical Chilean directions (go right at the next street over, then go down for a few streets, then turn left at the blue building, then it should be on the street, or just ask when you get closer). We stayed at hostel backpackers and it was great ($12USD/night). We rented all the gear (stove, tent, sleeping pads) we would need and were asleep after midnight.
December 3-Tuesday
6am wake up and breakfast, back our bags and out the door to catch the bus ($7.50) to the national park. We registered at the park headquarters ($10USD for Chileans, $26 for non Chileans) and watched a little introduction video showing us the possibility of pumas (never saw any). Another great decision-we spent $5 for a shuttle to the start of our hike instead of walking on a road for an hour and a half. We began the hike and then braced ourselves for 100kph winds. 3 hours into the hike we stopped to warm up with super chocolately hot cocoa and allegedly famous cookies we continued the last hour. You can fill your water bottles straight from the rivers which led me to be the taste tester making sure the water didn't taste like "lake water". After setting up camp at Compamento Torres we essentially rock climbed to get a view of the Torres. We were the only ones there and took goofy pictures. Never have I seen clouds move that quickly, but felt so still at the same time. Dinner was rice, beans and a steak; pretty bland, but lots of protein.
 |
| our stove |
December 4-Wednesday
Casual wake up at 10am and head out by 11am. We saw some DU friends on the trail so it was great to catch up with them and then I saw at least 20 other people I knew that day. There were a lot of exchange students backpacking and then retired people doing day trips. We heard people from Israel, Canada, the states, and all over Europe. A long stop to watch the clouds and eat some snacks. The day was complete after I tripped on the trail and had blood running down my leg. That problem was insignificant compared to the man we saw being carried out on a stretcher after breaking his leg due to the winds. A couple more hours and we made it to refugio Los Cuernos ($12/person). You can camp at these refugios with indoor areas to cook and bathrooms. It happens to be more convenient when hiking the trail to stay at these versus always staying at the free sites, imagine that. We made some great friends from Oregon who were studying abroad in Argentina and Chile and played Truco (Argentinian card game) with them. After watching sunset and journaling it was time for bed.
December 5-Thursday
Another casual wake up at 8:30 and oatmeal with chocolate for breakfast. We left around 11 and head 2 hours to Camp Italiano (free!). After setting up camp and a tomato soup lunch we hiked up Francis Valley. The hike is supposed to be about 3 hours each way, but not if you stop often to snack on chocolate and admire the views. Hannah and I hiked casually then saw Teja, Neah, Sam and Dylan (Oregon friends) were on the trail so we talked with them for a bit. We decided we'll meet them again skiing in Colorado or Oregon. This was my favorite day because the valley was so beautiful. Sam insightfully said "words are dumb, you can't describe this" which is so true. Night time came and after our ravioli dinner it was bed time.
 |
| yes we did wear our Patagonia clothing |
December 6-Friday
Wake up at 10 and head to 2.5 hours to refugio Paine Grande for a snack. We were warned this was the windiest section of the trail and that proved true. We continued the next 3.5 hours to Refugio Grey powering through the 100kph winds. It was like watching a bunch of drunks with big backpacks on stumbling around. Hannah and I were trailblazers and ended up heading down a rock waterfall. Dan was ahead of the game and Sam was behind pondering life and loving the red flower trees. I decided to share my taste in music with everyone that day and turned my ipod on shuffle for all to hear-first song Carribou Lou, followed by the Goo Goo Dolls, Train, and Fleetwood Mac. We made it to Refugio Grey ($10/person) and set up camp and ate rice and bean burritos with scrambled eggs we bought there. We met some Notre Dame students who were just starting their trek and then we headed out to the glacier. The other 3 had never seen a glacier like that before so it was pretty incredible. Grey was probably the largest glacier I've seen. Several pictures ensued while pretending we were mountain goats and could climb everywhere. Liars dice and hot cocoa to warm up before bed. This night the winds were over 100kph and the tent kept folding. It never broke and the stakes stayed in but none of us slept well. I would just laugh because the situation was comical. Just imagine trying to sleep with a tent collapsing on your face and the sound of hurricane force winds blowing through the trees. Sam and I had a great 3 hour chat that night before the winds so neither of us got much sleep.
December 7-Saturday
7:30 wake up with granola bars for breakfast. Break down of camp and then head out. We all walked alone or Hannah and I would walk together silently just admiring where we were. At 12:30 we took the $24USD catamaran across Lake Pehoe to save 4 hours of walking. The ride was beautiful and we got to see where we hiked from a different angle. We left there taking a bus ($7.50, 3 hrs.)back to Puerto Natales where we went to some interesting cafe with Phatom of the Opera playing. After returning the gear ($22USD/person/5days) Sam and I headed to the bus terminal to get back to Punta Arenas. We literally had to run to the bus with our backpacks on and boarded the bus while it was moving. Running was the last thing either of wanted at that point! We made it to Punta Arenas and thought it'd be easy to find a cheap hostel at midnight...NOPE. We went into 4 hostels and it was going to be $80 for the night. We asked for cheaper ones and a lady called around town, but most places were really expensive or full. We got to one little bed and breakfast and I swear this lady had more Christmas decorations then 3 families combined would have. The house was tiny and had Santa's hanging from the ceiling, tinsel everywhere, trees, and a 5 ft Santa standing in the kitchen which she referred to as "old Easter man". This lady was about 4 feet tall and 80 years old. She couldn't understand our spanish. After looking at the room she had Sam and I looked at each other and decided sleeping at the airport was better. We asked her to call a taxi, which she did 3 times as she stared out the window looking for them. We took the $14 taxi to the airport and laughed the whole way. It's one of those "you have to be there" stories. We got muffins at the airport, free wifi and found some little room that was begging for us to sleep in it. Sam called it the "sale de dormir" and we unrolled our sleeping bags and passed out for a few hours. One of the better sleeps I had. What a day-started off camping at a glacier and ended sleeping in an airport.
 |
| Sam and the flowers |
December 8-Sunday
At 6am were were ready to catch the plane. I got my flight moved up from 11:45 to 6:45 so Sam and I were together. After still laughing at the previous 24 hours we landed in Santiago and headed to Starbucks. I still hadn't showered after a full 7 days and looked like I just came out from working in a mine. We made the trip back to Vina... but only after one bus terminal didn't have buses for the day, missed our bus at a different terminal, and had to drive a different way to Vina because the freeway was closed for a religious walk. I got to meet up with a couple of DU friends and thanks to the hospitality of Angie and Katie I had a shower and a couch to sleep on!
Trail Names: Sam-GOTM (Gangster of the Mountain because he wore wool gloves and a ninja hat)
Dan the Man or Dirty Dan
Hannah-Home Girl (affectionately given by Sam)
 |
| and this is why he was called GOTM |
Hiking consisted of about 7-8 hours each day, but with sunset after 10pm you have plenty of time. Sam says that camping is the best way to get to know people. I definitely agree with that. I think I asked a least 100 questions about everyone's lives (favorite things, wishes, goals, etc) and they willingly answered. I'm thankful I had a great crew to walk for 5 days with. My eyes have been opened to new experiences. Another dream coming true and at age 20. As Hannah said, "I've never said 'Wow' so many times in my life." If you ever get the chance to go to Patagonia please don't pass it up!
 |
| at the finish |
"I could see the river, glinting and sliding through the bone-white cliffs with strips of emerald cultivation either side. Away from the cliffs was the desert. There was no sound but the wind, whirring through thorns and whistling through dead grass, and no other sign of life but a hawk, and a black beetle easing over the stones."-Bruce Chatwin
