Patagonia...You took our breath away
Jan 13th, 2014, 05:38 PM
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We woke again to overcast skies and rain, feeling a bit disappointed as we still had not had a clear day to see the Cuernos or Los Torres. We had only seen them briefly upon arrival into the park.
We had planned on a hike that we knew would be a similar challenge to the one we did to Fitz Roy but would hopefully be just as rewarding. There was some concern on our part on whether this hike was going to be too difficult but as a family decided if we didn't attempt it, we were denying ourselves the opportunity to succeed.
When we checked in at the ranger station and told the ranger where we were headed, she told us we needed to be very careful because even though it had been nothing but rain where we were, it fell as snow higher up. This news pretty much had us figuring we would not be making it to the top and I think honestly left us with a mix of feeling relieved and disappointed.
As luck would have it, by the time we had driven the hour plus to the other side of the park, the rain had stopped and the slight outline of the Torres were beginning to appear through the parting clouds.
We knew this was going to be a tough hike without any added complications of snow, so our plan was to hike as far as we could, then turn around. The first two miles of the trail were essentially straight up. It was a brutal climb on a completely exposed trail but the views were breathtaking, both literally and figuratively. By the time we reached the top of the first ascent, we had a 180 degree view of the park and its rolling green hills dotted by lakes each their own shade of blue. The Rio Asencion, though now easily more than 1,000 feet below us, could still be heard roaring through the steep canyon walls and its blue color was even more vivid looking down on it against the black rock it had carved its way through.
Since we made it to the top of the first difficult climb, we decided we should at least go on the half mile to the first camp in hopes of catching a glimpse of Los Torres. Up to this point the trail, while ridiculously steep, had seemed more like an area carved by frequent washout than one carved by human hand, but all of that was about to change.
As we rounded the first bend in the trail, all aspects of it appearing nature made changed. The trail from that point on to the base camp, which we could see sitting on the river bank in the valley below, clearly had been carved by humans.
The wind, which had been unfortunately almost nonexistent during our sweltering climb up, hit us with such force we dropped to the ground for fear of literally being blown off the edge which at this point was no more than a foot beside us. As I sat there pinning myself against the rock, clinging to my daughter, it took everything I had to keep myself calm and not let her see how horribly frightened I was. I was ready to admit that there was no way I would be able to continue on but realized once again, I couldn't deny our dreams because of my fears.
There was a "lull" in the wind, so we scrambled to our feet and continued around the bend. I just kept telling myself, "Look at the trail, one foot in front of the other, don't look down over the edge, one foot in front of the other...breathe." Thankfully, our daughter didn't seem to be the least bit bothered by the unguarded precipice to her immediate right.
It turns out the trails in Torres del Paine are very much like the roads are-they are built with completely blind corners, into the sides of mountains with no guard rails and they are barely wide enough for safe passing, especially if one is a wide load (ie carrying a huge trekking pack). Thank goodness we did not come upon one of the horses that also share the trail with you. Our daughter was very funny in acknowledging that she was extremely thankful we had not opted to do the first part of the trek by horseback as she made it very clear that there was no way she would have been able to ride once we hit that pass! She likened it to how we felt watching the people travel down the Grand Canyon on mules-no way!
As we continued to wind our way down to the camp, our daughter confided to me that she didn't think she could go beyond the camp. I think the physical and mental challenges were a bit taxing for her, they certainly had been for me. I told her not to worry, that would be fine, we'd have lunch then head back.
By the time we had finished lunch, we were all feeling refreshed. The tips of the towers could be seen over the steep green hills and it left us wanting to see more. We decided to continue on a bit to where we might get a better glimpse. The trail from here was fantastic. It was a rolling trail through forests seemingly so alive, you half expected the trees to reach out and tap you on the shoulder. We made our way across wooden foot bridges that had been cobbled together from fallen logs and passed waterfalls by the hundreds, some crashing thunderously down, others merely trickling from fissures in the rock. The forest floor looked as though a green blanket had been laid down upon it from the thousands of ferns that grew. We commented that it felt as though we had entered a forest that one might see in a Disneyland ride. It was truly enchanting!
We stopped numerous times to fill our water bottle from the rivers and creeks that flowed. The enjoyment our daughter got from this was obvious. I think she takes great pleasure out of doing something that is so simple and pure and so strongly connected with nature. She commented many times that water will never taste the same to her again.
The views of Los Torres were completely blocked by the heavy canopy above our heads so we agreed to walk to the next camp, still searching for a better glimpse. We made great time and reached the next camp faster than expected. We could still only see the top quarter of the towers but they were clear as could be, not a cloud anywhere. We decided we had to continue on, up to the top.
The climb up was more of a rock scramble than a hike. We were glad we didn't have hiking poles this time as we frequently used both our hands to maneuver over the boulders. The first half was forested and protected from the wind but once we gained elevation the trail turned into an exposed scree field. There we saw the first bits of snow and suspected that this morning it was probably quite treacherous but by now, at almost 4:00, it was fine. When we rounded the last bend and cleared the last massive boulder, we could finally see the majority of the towers. We continued forward with much anticipation to take in the whole of our surroundings. A resounding "Wow," was declared almost in unison by the three of us. It stopped us dead in our tracks. The three, 12 million year old towers with their sheer red tinted faces rise up from a milky green lake straight into the sky like three fingers shooting up from the grave. The scene was beyond anything we ever imagined and could most assuredly inspire even the most die-hard city-phile.
We found some shelter from the wind behind a huge boulder and sat in silence staring at the majestic view before us. Shortly thereafter, the silence was broken by a loud cracking noise, like the sound of a tree snapping before it falls. We looked around to see a small avalanche of rocks come crashing down the side of the hill, plunging into the water.
We spent about 45 minutes up top reveling in the beauty before making the long descent. By the time we got down to the base camp, our knees were aching and muscles shaking. Looking on the bright side of things, we joked what good shape our legs would be in for ski season this year.
By the time we reached the "WIndy Pass" (as we later learned it was actually named) we were relieved in knowing it was nothing but downhill from there. By the time we reached the bottom we were hurting! This hike was definitely more difficult than the Fitz Roy hike, even though it was two miles shorter, at 11.2 miles. We limped our way to the car and our daughter said she was going to put her head down and to please only wake her if we saw a puma. "Of course," we assured her.
We headed out, watching the Torres get smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror but still never losing their majesty. As we headed up a hill, I noticed a herd of guanacos all running full speed across a hill. I told my husband to slow because there was a reason they were running so rapidly and sure enough we rounded the corner and the road was blocked by a huge group of people standing there with their binoculars and cameras. We stopped, rolled the windows down and questioned what they were all looking at, even though we knew the answer... pumas... three of them! We had missed them by seconds!
Our daughter was a little bummed that she missed that opportunity but having been so lucky to see Los Torres, clear as could be, she assured us it was OK.
We had planned on a hike that we knew would be a similar challenge to the one we did to Fitz Roy but would hopefully be just as rewarding. There was some concern on our part on whether this hike was going to be too difficult but as a family decided if we didn't attempt it, we were denying ourselves the opportunity to succeed.
When we checked in at the ranger station and told the ranger where we were headed, she told us we needed to be very careful because even though it had been nothing but rain where we were, it fell as snow higher up. This news pretty much had us figuring we would not be making it to the top and I think honestly left us with a mix of feeling relieved and disappointed.
As luck would have it, by the time we had driven the hour plus to the other side of the park, the rain had stopped and the slight outline of the Torres were beginning to appear through the parting clouds.
We knew this was going to be a tough hike without any added complications of snow, so our plan was to hike as far as we could, then turn around. The first two miles of the trail were essentially straight up. It was a brutal climb on a completely exposed trail but the views were breathtaking, both literally and figuratively. By the time we reached the top of the first ascent, we had a 180 degree view of the park and its rolling green hills dotted by lakes each their own shade of blue. The Rio Asencion, though now easily more than 1,000 feet below us, could still be heard roaring through the steep canyon walls and its blue color was even more vivid looking down on it against the black rock it had carved its way through.
Since we made it to the top of the first difficult climb, we decided we should at least go on the half mile to the first camp in hopes of catching a glimpse of Los Torres. Up to this point the trail, while ridiculously steep, had seemed more like an area carved by frequent washout than one carved by human hand, but all of that was about to change.
As we rounded the first bend in the trail, all aspects of it appearing nature made changed. The trail from that point on to the base camp, which we could see sitting on the river bank in the valley below, clearly had been carved by humans.
The wind, which had been unfortunately almost nonexistent during our sweltering climb up, hit us with such force we dropped to the ground for fear of literally being blown off the edge which at this point was no more than a foot beside us. As I sat there pinning myself against the rock, clinging to my daughter, it took everything I had to keep myself calm and not let her see how horribly frightened I was. I was ready to admit that there was no way I would be able to continue on but realized once again, I couldn't deny our dreams because of my fears.
There was a "lull" in the wind, so we scrambled to our feet and continued around the bend. I just kept telling myself, "Look at the trail, one foot in front of the other, don't look down over the edge, one foot in front of the other...breathe." Thankfully, our daughter didn't seem to be the least bit bothered by the unguarded precipice to her immediate right.
It turns out the trails in Torres del Paine are very much like the roads are-they are built with completely blind corners, into the sides of mountains with no guard rails and they are barely wide enough for safe passing, especially if one is a wide load (ie carrying a huge trekking pack). Thank goodness we did not come upon one of the horses that also share the trail with you. Our daughter was very funny in acknowledging that she was extremely thankful we had not opted to do the first part of the trek by horseback as she made it very clear that there was no way she would have been able to ride once we hit that pass! She likened it to how we felt watching the people travel down the Grand Canyon on mules-no way!
As we continued to wind our way down to the camp, our daughter confided to me that she didn't think she could go beyond the camp. I think the physical and mental challenges were a bit taxing for her, they certainly had been for me. I told her not to worry, that would be fine, we'd have lunch then head back.
By the time we had finished lunch, we were all feeling refreshed. The tips of the towers could be seen over the steep green hills and it left us wanting to see more. We decided to continue on a bit to where we might get a better glimpse. The trail from here was fantastic. It was a rolling trail through forests seemingly so alive, you half expected the trees to reach out and tap you on the shoulder. We made our way across wooden foot bridges that had been cobbled together from fallen logs and passed waterfalls by the hundreds, some crashing thunderously down, others merely trickling from fissures in the rock. The forest floor looked as though a green blanket had been laid down upon it from the thousands of ferns that grew. We commented that it felt as though we had entered a forest that one might see in a Disneyland ride. It was truly enchanting!
We stopped numerous times to fill our water bottle from the rivers and creeks that flowed. The enjoyment our daughter got from this was obvious. I think she takes great pleasure out of doing something that is so simple and pure and so strongly connected with nature. She commented many times that water will never taste the same to her again.
The views of Los Torres were completely blocked by the heavy canopy above our heads so we agreed to walk to the next camp, still searching for a better glimpse. We made great time and reached the next camp faster than expected. We could still only see the top quarter of the towers but they were clear as could be, not a cloud anywhere. We decided we had to continue on, up to the top.
The climb up was more of a rock scramble than a hike. We were glad we didn't have hiking poles this time as we frequently used both our hands to maneuver over the boulders. The first half was forested and protected from the wind but once we gained elevation the trail turned into an exposed scree field. There we saw the first bits of snow and suspected that this morning it was probably quite treacherous but by now, at almost 4:00, it was fine. When we rounded the last bend and cleared the last massive boulder, we could finally see the majority of the towers. We continued forward with much anticipation to take in the whole of our surroundings. A resounding "Wow," was declared almost in unison by the three of us. It stopped us dead in our tracks. The three, 12 million year old towers with their sheer red tinted faces rise up from a milky green lake straight into the sky like three fingers shooting up from the grave. The scene was beyond anything we ever imagined and could most assuredly inspire even the most die-hard city-phile.
We found some shelter from the wind behind a huge boulder and sat in silence staring at the majestic view before us. Shortly thereafter, the silence was broken by a loud cracking noise, like the sound of a tree snapping before it falls. We looked around to see a small avalanche of rocks come crashing down the side of the hill, plunging into the water.
We spent about 45 minutes up top reveling in the beauty before making the long descent. By the time we got down to the base camp, our knees were aching and muscles shaking. Looking on the bright side of things, we joked what good shape our legs would be in for ski season this year.
By the time we reached the "WIndy Pass" (as we later learned it was actually named) we were relieved in knowing it was nothing but downhill from there. By the time we reached the bottom we were hurting! This hike was definitely more difficult than the Fitz Roy hike, even though it was two miles shorter, at 11.2 miles. We limped our way to the car and our daughter said she was going to put her head down and to please only wake her if we saw a puma. "Of course," we assured her.
We headed out, watching the Torres get smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror but still never losing their majesty. As we headed up a hill, I noticed a herd of guanacos all running full speed across a hill. I told my husband to slow because there was a reason they were running so rapidly and sure enough we rounded the corner and the road was blocked by a huge group of people standing there with their binoculars and cameras. We stopped, rolled the windows down and questioned what they were all looking at, even though we knew the answer... pumas... three of them! We had missed them by seconds!
Our daughter was a little bummed that she missed that opportunity but having been so lucky to see Los Torres, clear as could be, she assured us it was OK.
Jan 14th, 2014, 02:59 PM
#24
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Thank you so much for including your blog link. I was home with a cold today and able to read the whole report. Your photos are great. We often travel with our daughter, aged 18, and my son and his wife. We took our daughter to Manu in Peru for a week when she was 14. Her motto is still if she could spend a week in Manu with all of the bugs, snakes & sweat, she can do anything! It is a really wonderful experience to travel together, make decisions together, and endure the wonders as well as the discomforts of travel together. I hope we can follow in your footsteps as your trip is pretty much exactly how I would like to do Patagonia.
Jan 18th, 2014, 10:05 AM
#26
Great memories. I think it took me 10 hours roundtrip to the towers, but I survived. We had just the tips in cloud,
https://picasaweb.google.com/kiwifan...17446769713954
https://picasaweb.google.com/kiwifan...17446769713954
Jan 18th, 2014, 05:22 PM
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colduphere-It's a good thing I hadn't heard about that before otherwise I might not have made it to begin with. In Hindsight, it probably wasn't quite as bad as it seemed at that moment but still...
Jade15-I can guarantee you that my trip report does not begin to do it justice...just you wait!
cjon-So glad you were able to read the blog. I relish every trip we take with our daughter. I hope you can do Patagonia. it truly is remarkable.
yestravel-We too were very lucky and just tonight, as the slide show was playing on our TV, I was almost ready to say, "ooh, we have to go there." when a photo came across.
mlgb-I remember reading along with your trip. I just looked at your photos and laughed so ahrd when I saw the sign for the bridge. That bridge is now closed, they have built a new one, but it is still standing. I actually took a photo of it as it made us howl in disbelief when we saw it. I don't know what we would have done if we had come to it this trip. I think my daughter and I would have about dies first watching my husband cross in the car, then us to have to follow. It also seems as though the trail up to the Torres, is a bit less of a a scramble.
Jade15-I can guarantee you that my trip report does not begin to do it justice...just you wait!
cjon-So glad you were able to read the blog. I relish every trip we take with our daughter. I hope you can do Patagonia. it truly is remarkable.
yestravel-We too were very lucky and just tonight, as the slide show was playing on our TV, I was almost ready to say, "ooh, we have to go there." when a photo came across.
mlgb-I remember reading along with your trip. I just looked at your photos and laughed so ahrd when I saw the sign for the bridge. That bridge is now closed, they have built a new one, but it is still standing. I actually took a photo of it as it made us howl in disbelief when we saw it. I don't know what we would have done if we had come to it this trip. I think my daughter and I would have about dies first watching my husband cross in the car, then us to have to follow. It also seems as though the trail up to the Torres, is a bit less of a a scramble.
Jun 16th, 2014, 05:19 AM
#28
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Hello, odie1, I have traveled a lot (48 countries), but I have never been to South America.
I am nearing my retirement and planning a trip/adventure to South America mostly on buses once I get to S.A. possibly Ecuador. I am looking for forum(s) where I can get some information on hiking Patagonia.
My concerns are:
1. I am not going S.A. just for Patagonia. I am going to several different countries with my backpack and when I get near Patagonia, I would like to hike/trek. You mentioned about renting a car, is it necessary? Are there any public transportation I can use to do hiking?
2. I have just finished El Camino de Santiago (600 mile hiking in 37 days with 17 pound backpack) in May, 2014. Not knowing how hard it is to hike Patagonia and how long it takes to see a minimum or recommended hike, I would like some info on this.
3. Good time of the year to go. Not the busies time, but not busy, but still a good time.
4. Is it okay to combine travel/visit and hiking in one trip? Because what I need to pack maybe different.
5. Where to start. The recommended course, etc.
Can you recommend me a forum(s) where I can ask all these questions?
Thank you in advance.
I am nearing my retirement and planning a trip/adventure to South America mostly on buses once I get to S.A. possibly Ecuador. I am looking for forum(s) where I can get some information on hiking Patagonia.
My concerns are:
1. I am not going S.A. just for Patagonia. I am going to several different countries with my backpack and when I get near Patagonia, I would like to hike/trek. You mentioned about renting a car, is it necessary? Are there any public transportation I can use to do hiking?
2. I have just finished El Camino de Santiago (600 mile hiking in 37 days with 17 pound backpack) in May, 2014. Not knowing how hard it is to hike Patagonia and how long it takes to see a minimum or recommended hike, I would like some info on this.
3. Good time of the year to go. Not the busies time, but not busy, but still a good time.
4. Is it okay to combine travel/visit and hiking in one trip? Because what I need to pack maybe different.
5. Where to start. The recommended course, etc.
Can you recommend me a forum(s) where I can ask all these questions?
Thank you in advance.
Jun 24th, 2014, 06:56 PM
#29
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tominrm-I will do my best to answer your questions:
1: We only went to the southern part of Patagonia and while you can navigate it by bus, a car for us was wonderful. I think it depends on where you are going. A more specific itinerary for Patagonia would probably be helpful.
2. I am not too sure what the hike is you finished, but I can't imagine that any of the popular hikes in Patagonia could be any more stressful. We did not hike the entire W circuit in TdP, only a part of it, but even that was completely manageable.
3. Nov-Feb are the optimal times but I understand that the very end of Dec-Jan is quite busy. We were there the middle of Dec-end of Dec and it was not crowded at all and we had fantastic weather!
4.Not too sure what you mean by this question. There is much to see/do/experience beyond the fantastic trekking.
5. The Fodors forums are great for some things as far as Patagonia is concerned but I would start on TA forums for more info on specific hikes/routes etc. There are not many forums for this part of the world, at least none that I came across.
I would be happy to try and answer any moire specifics but we weren't overnight trekking.
It truly is one of the most magical places in the world!
1: We only went to the southern part of Patagonia and while you can navigate it by bus, a car for us was wonderful. I think it depends on where you are going. A more specific itinerary for Patagonia would probably be helpful.
2. I am not too sure what the hike is you finished, but I can't imagine that any of the popular hikes in Patagonia could be any more stressful. We did not hike the entire W circuit in TdP, only a part of it, but even that was completely manageable.
3. Nov-Feb are the optimal times but I understand that the very end of Dec-Jan is quite busy. We were there the middle of Dec-end of Dec and it was not crowded at all and we had fantastic weather!
4.Not too sure what you mean by this question. There is much to see/do/experience beyond the fantastic trekking.
5. The Fodors forums are great for some things as far as Patagonia is concerned but I would start on TA forums for more info on specific hikes/routes etc. There are not many forums for this part of the world, at least none that I came across.
I would be happy to try and answer any moire specifics but we weren't overnight trekking.
It truly is one of the most magical places in the world!
Jul 3rd, 2014, 03:23 AM
#30
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Hello Odie 1,
I am planning to go to Patagonia with my family in Nov - Dec 2014. You mentioned about " Travel help-Isabel from Buenos-Aires Tours". Could you please let me know the website or email to contact her.
Thanks
I am planning to go to Patagonia with my family in Nov - Dec 2014. You mentioned about " Travel help-Isabel from Buenos-Aires Tours". Could you please let me know the website or email to contact her.
Thanks
Jul 3rd, 2014, 04:32 AM
#31
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Tien: odie1 is talking about Isabel, an independent local travel agent.
Her website is: http://www.buenosaires-tours.com.ar/
You can research her and draw your own conclusions by typing "Isabel" in TA's search feature here:
http://tinyurl.com/nw9f4
Have a great time in our country.
Her website is: http://www.buenosaires-tours.com.ar/
You can research her and draw your own conclusions by typing "Isabel" in TA's search feature here:
http://tinyurl.com/nw9f4
Have a great time in our country.
Jul 21st, 2014, 05:42 PM
#34
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Tien-
I can't say enough good things about Isabel. She was always available for questions and worked very hard to get us some good deals that are usually hard to come by. She definitely helped out with understanding how to travel from Point A to Point B and secured our transfers ahead of time.
Good luck with your trip!
I can't say enough good things about Isabel. She was always available for questions and worked very hard to get us some good deals that are usually hard to come by. She definitely helped out with understanding how to travel from Point A to Point B and secured our transfers ahead of time.
Good luck with your trip!
Aug 22nd, 2014, 04:52 AM
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@Odie1, Thanks so much for all this great information on Patagonia. I have a question regarding rental cars- How did you manage to book EMSA/Avis ahead of time? I am not getting a response going through their website so have been considering using Europcar instead, but as you probably know, it's quite difficult to find reviews that give me the confidence to do so! Thank you for your help.
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