Torres del Paine: The Towers of Blue

The inspiration for our entire trip began with a desire to experience the magnificent spires of Torres del Paine National Park. In addition to its distinctive peaks the setting is known for its icebergs, glaciers, photogenic lakes and grasslands. Like most hikers we chose the W route which requires five days. We added an extra 24 hours to provide flexibility that would improve our chances of clear views at the main lookouts. Fair skies and a glimpse of the famous granite towers greeted us.          

Paine is an old Aboriginal word that means blue, a colour that is on display throughout the park. After registering at the entrance we boarded a bus to where we'd catch a catamaran across Lake Pehoe to the Paine Grande ranger station. Along the way we saw some guanacos, the rarest South American camelid. They're closely related to llamas.    

  

The hike to Refugio Grey is 11 km, mostly up and down until the very last climb. There were pockets of foxgloves and lots of streams. The water is so pure it can be safely consumed just about everywhere in the park. Hiking beside Lake Grey we marvelled at the glacial chunks that had broken away from the ice field further on. One was a veritable work of art! 

At about the halfway point in the hike the views of Grey Glacier begin to be revealed and become increasingly dramatic the rest of the way to the hostel. After that, a half hour walk brings you to a suspension bridge that affords a bird's eye view of the glacier which flows southward. Near the front end it is as much as six kilometres wide and thirty metres high. 

A second suspension bridge is about half an hour past the first one. For those who don't mind the feeling of dangling in the air it allows you to study some of the steep hillsides and ravines which flank Grey Glacier.     

Our second day involved a reverse hike back to the Refugio Paine Grande. The weather was a little brighter and mostly calm. Even with the ice field behind us there were some beautiful features and creatures to appreciate, including a pair of Ashy-Headed Geese.  
   

Refugio Paine Grande is large and busy because people can arrive by boat without hiking. The sea of tents are filled with people from around the globe resulting in some interesting conversations. The refugios are very expensive; we didn't want to carry camping gear so we compromised and rented tents, sleeping bags and mats that were set up and ready to go.  
    

This is one of the most beautiful spots in the park. It begins with a sweeping view of Peho Lake. A short walk to a ridge provides a vista that takes your breath away. Cerro Grande Paine is twinned with Cuernos del Paine's unique salt and pepper formation which we fell in love with immediately.  We would observe it from several angles in the coming days.    

  

After two days of good weather we braced ourselves for the evil twin that was forecast to arrive the third day. We headed for the French Valley hoping to make the best of whatever came our way. Another superb look at Cerro Grande Paine, the tallest peak in the park, soon appeared. Within two hours we had reached the Frances River at the entrance to the valley.
  

Some parts of the trail were closed just days before our arrival. Poor weather often funnels down the French Valley, one of the most idyllic sections of the park. To the chagrin of many hikers, it's often misty and people can go no further than Frances Lookout. It would still be a memorable experience as you listened to the thunder of exploding glaciers!  
  

The continuation of the trail to the Britanico Lookout is gradual but longer. The sun was disappearing in and out of the clouds as we clambered higher, our hopes for blue sky at the summit rising in unison. The sights and sounds of the tumbling river competed for our attention. The hardy leaves of the beech trees were beginning to turn autumn colours.

The landscape opened up as we neared the head of the valley. After a scramble up a knoll we felt like we'd reached the promised land! The guide at Erratic Rock described this as the best mirador on the W trek. It was an amphitheatre with a progression of multi-coloured mountains, pinnacles and hanging glaciers cloaked in sporadic sunlight.

Grateful for all we'd seen so far we agreed that even if it poured rain and blew the whiskers off my face the rest of the way the trek would have been a success. We awoke the next day to a mild breeze and no sign of rain. Having scheduled an extra day for the French Valley we now wanted to move on while the conditions were good. Every campsite ahead turned out to be full so we took a day to rest and have some fun at Camp Frances. Here's Nancy pointing out the shortest kilometre on record: a sign on one side of the road indicates 4 km to Refugio Cuernos while on the other side it's posted as 3 km.     

The trail from Frances to Cuernos offered more mountain spectacles. The Aleta de Tiburon (Shark's Fin) pokes out from between Cerro Paine Grande and Los Cuernos. From this perspective I think it looks like the nose of a disoriented crow watching us! The Cuernos are the "Horns of Paine", an apt name for our two new friends. They were formed when fingers of granite were interjected between sedimentary layers of sandstone, heating them to create dark metamorphic crowns.      
  

We had a quick peek inside Refugio Cuernos, which looked cozy and well-maintained. Apparently we aren't the only ones who like to stick our noses in where they don't belong.  

Most of the day the trail paralleled Lake Nordenskjold before ascending to Refugio Chileno. Windy Pass is notoriously blustery and turned out to be one of the few spots where we encountered significant turbulence. 

                                                                                  

People who bring their tents have to nail them to the platform here or risk waking up in a different time zone. The altitude is a little higher at Chileno which is used as a base for those wishing to get up very early to visit The Towers at sunrise.     

   

Once again the forecast was for rain and a low pressure system settled in by that evening. It was getting colder and there was even a risk of snow. The next morning it was dreary but not wet so we decided to head to the most famous location in the park anyway. If we couldn't see much at the top we could at least gauge the time that would be required for our second attempt in the dark the next morning. Low and behold, about forty minutes from the lake the skies partially cleared and we enjoyed a slice of Torres del Paine nirvana.  Half an hour later the clouds rolled back in for the rest of the day.     
    

The final morning we said goodbye to the chincol sparrows and made our way down the mountain. Along the way we had a final panoramic view to nourish our souls. I'm not sure how many ways you can spell the word lucky. Most people get soaked in the park and we'd felt nary a drop. You win some and lose some and our time here was certainly a triumph. The memories which will last forever more than made up for our disappointment at not having seen Cerro Torre at El Chalten.