Torres del Paine. If you don’t know the name, you have certainly seen these famous “towers:” they can be found on almost any scenic calendar ever created from the US to Timbuktu (yes, that is actually a place). Three statuesque towers, brilliant red rock, a deep blue sky behind, sometimes a moon – those are Los Torres del Paine. Jenny humored my number one request for our trip, which was to see these infamous, mighty towers in person. So, after the flight to El Calafate and the bus ride to Puerto Natales, we jumped on yet another bus to Paine National Park. The ride to Paine was beautiful; vast, endless vistas, rocky mountains peppering the landscape, and Chilean cowboys herding cows and sheep with the help of 20+ dogs. After about an hour on the bus, we rounded a bend in the road and could finally see what we were getting ourselves into: Paine National Park came into view like a dark, ominous rock island jutting up from the soft, gentle landscape. Clouds clung to its highest reaches, and the black rock looked cold, sharp, and angry. Mouth agape, staring at this foreboding island of rock, I was reminded of my childhood days watching the cartoon He-man. This was Castle Greyskull come to life, the hideout of the ruthless Skeletor, and we were about to hike into its bowels.
When we actually got to the trailhead later that day, the sun was out, the clouds had dissipated, and the only major weather issue was the wind, which was intense. And, despite first appearances, Jenny and I got extremely lucky with the weather during our three day stay in the park. Many hikers make the long trip to see the towers but never actually get to see them. Weather fronts can hang around the mountains for two weeks at a time in the summer, making it impossible to see the towers through thick clouds.
After reaching the trailhead, we made the 4 hour trek to a primitive campsite. Because it stays light until 11pm in the summer at this high latitude, we had plenty of time to pitch our tent, explore the area, and plan our route to the towers the next morning. We also befriended the young park guard at the camping site, Alvaro, and practiced our Spanish.
Next came the part Jenny loved. On day two, at 3:44am, I woke her up to hike the 45 minutes up a boulder field in the dark to reach the towers. Although the hike got the blood pumping, it was beautiful – dark and mysterious, with the moon and stars shining. Using our headlamps, we were guided by the random reflecting tape the park staff put in place for all the fools trying to reach the towers before the first morning light (recall that we are VERY far south, it’s summer, and the days are insanely long, so one must get up early to beat the ever-punctual sun).
Jenny and I were the first to reach the “mirador,” or overlook, for the towers. We spent 10 beautiful, spiritual minutes communing with rocks 1,2, and 3 before the rest of the world arrived. We learned very quickly how sacred those moments were: once the global community arrived, including the Israelis, Germans, Chileans, Argentineans, Dutchovens, Swiss, Brits, and some random scatterings from other points on Earth, the serenity vanished. So, we snapped a few photos of the towers, the glacier, and the lake formed by the melting ice, and headed down the boulder field to nap in our little tent among the trees. The ten minutes we spent with the rock were worth the hike and the early wake up. This experience can be summed up in a few short words, depending on where you learned your Spanish: que chivo (El Salvador), que chevere (Ecuador), copado (Argentina). Cool. (Stateside).
Some photos from Torres del Paine:
Jenny taking a photo on our way to the National Park
A photo of me on the bus.
A photo of me just past the trialhead. We headed down trail you can see in the photo and then made a hard right turn up into the mountains beyond.
The view after hiking up into the mountains.
Petite Jenny with her not-so-tiny gear.
A photo of me battling the wind on the ridgeline.
A view down the valley. We walked along this valley for several hours before reaching the primitive campsite.
For those who can't handle the hike, there's always horseback.
Me at a glacier-fed river.
Self-portrait. Birding.
Scenery in the valley.
Jenny photographing mushrooms because.....
....fungus is to Jenny what dung beetles are to me.
Self-portrait at our campsite. It was chilly, but sunny.
Photo of us taken while scouting the best route to reach Los Torres before dawn.
Jenny lugged a bottle of the best red Argentine wine all the way up to our campsite so that we could get buzzed and take stupid photos like this one. She's a good friend!
The towers and me before first light.
Torres del Paine, the glacier below, and the glacier-fed lake. Beautiful place.
Closer view of Los Torres. Do you recognize them now?
Photo taken in the opposite direction from the towers. Dry, rocky landscape with very little vegetation.
Even though Los Torres were pretty, they were actually not very impressive in size.
Jenny applying copious amounts of sunscreen. This was essentially a training exercise in preparation for our next stop, the beach in Uruguay.
Our buddy Alvaro, the park guard, in front of his house. He was in charge of monitoring the campsite below Torres del Paine. A hip 24 year old from Santiago, Chile, Alvaro had loads of energy and every kind of tea you could want. Buena onda – literally meaning a “good wave,” but slang for “a cool dude that we liked.”
On our hike down from Los Torres, several young gauchos were bringing supplies to a small lodge. I snapped these two photos of the young horsemen.
Our second night in the park we spent in the valley. Here is Jenny prepping the tent.
Us drinking a hard-earned local brew.
On our last night in the park we took a long walk and snapped some photos of the landscape. First, a photo of Los Torres reflected in a duck pond.
Sunlight reflected on a mountain range to the east.
Me on the road with the towers in the background.
Sunset over Torres del Paine National Park.
Snag at dusk with the towers in the background.
And...the next morning...our last morning in the park, we went exploring. First, a picture of me on top of a hill.
Jenny with the giant mountains rising behind.
Our last morning in the park I found the nest of a Thorn-tailed Rayadito. This mom and pop pair were so curious they let me snap photos within 2 feet of the nest while they brought insect goodies to their youngsters.
No comments:
Post a Comment