Getting here is not easy. Time to break out a map...... Leaving from Santiago, I had a flight to Punta Arenas with a stopover in Puerto Montt, and then a quick up/down flight to Puerto Natales, followed by a 2 hour dirt road drive to the entrance of the park, with my hotel located just inside the park at the trailheads of two of the best parts of the park.
I had a meltdown in Puerto Natales.... I had arranged for my hotel to pick me up, but they never showed. One driver (of another hotel) called my hotel for me (after 3 attempts of me explaining to him what was happening). My hotel said they were coming. I waited 45 minutes. The airport (smaller than Leb!) closed and the doors were locked. Panic set in as everyone was leaving, and all I could see for miles was flat scrub land until the Patagonian mountains way off in the distance. A taxi stopped by (now over an hour into waiting). I talked him into calling my hotel again.... They said 20 more minutes. 20 minutes later the 1st guy from the other hotel shows up (I'm extremely stressed at this point!) and talks me into going back to his hotel. At this point I'm getting desperate, and so I agree. The manager there explained that my hotel had forgotten that they were suppose to pick me up, & hadn't even left yet to come get me (despite those 2 calls & claims that they were on the way!). Their driver had told their manager about me waiting there alone, and the manager called my hotel again, and found this out. They kindly took me in, fed me, and 2 hours later my hotel showed up & drove me the 2 hours to the park & my hotel. Stressful! Believe me, my hotel is now going beyond what is necessary to make it up to me.......
My first day I hiked to Torres del Paine (The Towers). This was a decent climb up to one of the most spectacular grouping of mountains I have ever seen. I think this was the highlight of my trip so far, with Machu Picchu a close 2nd. Truly beautiful & remarkable.
My second day I took a different trail and hiked to Los Cuernos del Paine (The Horns). This was a long day, but relatively flat & easy footing. I was rewarded with this unbelievable view of both the "horns" and a glacier off in the distance. I sat and had lunch while enjoying this remarkable view, and listened to the thunderous noise the glacier made as melting & shifting occurred. Very cool.
Somehow I managed to hit 2 perfect weather days. This time of year Patagonia can be extremely hot, extremely cold, or, the worst, exceptionally windy. Somehow I ended up with 2 blue sky days, 70 degrees, and hardly a breeze. In total, I hiked over 25 miles in the last 2 days!!! And I covered nearly half of the W trek, a 4-5 day route (each trail color on the map below shows what each day's leg of the hike covers) that hits the highlights of Torres del Paine National Park, with refugios (bunk bed shelters for those who "camp" - NOT me!) along the way. The first day I did the green on the right (up to the towers and back), and the second day I went left and did the red (to the horns and back).
Tomorrow I head toward Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's a long haul.... first a 5-6 hour van ride across flat nothingness to Punta Arena (I couldn't get a flight out of Puerto Natales!). At 1:50am I fly Punta Arenas to Santiago, followed by a flight from Santiago to Buenos Aires. Ugh!
Location:Torres del Paine National Park
No comments:
Post a Comment