Torres Del Paine = Towers of Pain!

Torres Del Paine = Towers of Pain!

(Actual translation is Towers of Paine which refers to the surrounding area, but Pain sounds better.) Torres del Paine is a beautiful National Park in the Patagonia of Chile named for the three towers you see below.
Day 1: Sexy but stupid

Armed with our new sexy gloves Pieter and I set off on our trek through Torres del Paine, Chile. We had two options: the more highly visited "W" or the full "Circuit". Thinking ourselves true men we decided that we would attempt the Circuit. We figured it would take us 7 days, so we packed enough food for 5 days and would hunt with our bare hands for the other two days.

We reached the towers the first day after a steep and strenuous climb. Quickly we realized that even though we were a little short on food the packs were far too heavy. Thats when Pieter concluded the liter of red wine, candles, fine china, and dining table may have been a bit of excess. So we shared our box of vino with our new comrad, Barney from England, who over the next several days would continue to plague the mood at camp.

Day 2: The Haul

We woke up early for day two to get a start on the back side of the circuit. It was a beautiful day, with good downhills and flats to help us cut down the time. After 5 hours at a grueling pace we arrived at Camp Seron around 1 completely exhausted. Barney and Pieter´s friendship began to blosom as Barney revealed that he abhorred all of South Africa as a whole and refused to share his Peanut Butter.

It was too early to set up camp, but the next site was another six hour trek and we were already exhausted. Luckily we met up with some good natured Israelis and two Spaniards who knew of an abandonded camp site that was half way between us and the next camp site. We made camp. And luckily although pieter had gotten rid of the fine dining amenities he had saved some incense which somewhat kept the mosquitos away (we really are hardcore trekkers).
Day 3: Heaven........to Hell

Despite Barney making an innapropriate comment to our elderly Israeli friend Zahev (which means wolf in Hebrew) the day started off absolutely amazing. Two hours of hiking through beautiful countryside without seeing any other trekkers we arrived at Camp Dickson. We took advantage of the surrounding scenery and sunshine by stopping for a lunch and a chance to read.

Then the skies opened up and pissed down rain on us for the next 4 hours to our next camp. As I came in view of the Glacier a torrential wind kicked up almost knocking me off the cliff, my camera had ice frozen inside of it, I couldn´t find the campsite and I had lost all the others. I eventually found the trail again and was able to make it to the campsite. Which had a shelter and a fire where we could dry all our wet clothes. It created a good atmosphere as the group of germans, french, canadians, israelis, and spaniards stood by the fire cooking our clothes dry.

Day 4: The Pass

The fourth day was to be the most challenging with the highest climb over the pass that would lead us from the circuit back into the W. Luckily for us we were blessed with wind and snow as we crossed the pass. Pieter´s rain cover was whipped away by the wind, but the views of the glacier as you came over the pass can´t be dublicated. The day felt like a scene out of the Lord of the Rings. And Pieter being a Fantasy fanatic quickly named himself Viruk and dubbed me Touchstone.

Day 5: Routine

By the 5th day we were getting pretty accustomed to packing up in the morning, hitting the trail for 5-7 hours, and then re-making camp. It passed fairly uneventfully with some good weather and beautiful views.

Oh yeah...Before reaching camp Barney managed to piss off a group of 4 Israelis by telling them to stop singing. I sat back and watched as the onslought of curses in english and hebrew began. Unfortunately for Pieter and I, Barney decided to camp at a different site that night. However, we met two chileans with a bottle of Nicaraguan rum who were more than willing to share and the ever generous Israelis provided chocolate and a bottle of Monkey Tale (its like chocolate egg nog with whiskey in it).

Day 6: Good Company, Good Food, No Packs, and NO BARNEY

Day 6 we decided to leave the tents where they were and just take day packs to the nearest peak. Its amazing how much easier a 400 meter assent feels without a pack. Although Barney had moved on, we had our good spirited Chileans and Israelis with us and everyone enjoyed the day. For dinner the Israelis provided us with a 1/2 kilo of rice which pieter and I combined with mushroom soup and cheese to make a risotto. As always the Chileans provided salami, cheese, and nuts for starters and chocolate for desert. Pretty much a perfect day.

Day 7: You Know It!!!

Pieter and I got an early start to make sure we made it back in time to catch the bus back to Puerto Natales. We knocked out a 6 hour stretch in just under 4 hours. Sat and enjoyed a beer before cooking our final rice and tuna meal while waiting for the bus. Returned to Puerto Natales had a nice hot shower, ate like kings with the french couple we had met on the circuit, and settled in to nice, warm, comfortable beds.