Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Well Kids...we are officially survivors of the infamous 'W', a 76km four day trek in Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile!!
If someone had of said to us a week ago, that we would trek for 4 days, carrying all of our gear (including food), enduring every weather type known weather type eg hail, sleet, gale force winds, and we would get completely soaked and consequently frozen to the bone...we would have seriously laughed at them and probably given them the big 'Whatever'!!!
However, that is exactly what we did!! We arrived in Puerto Natales from Ushuaia late one night, the lady who owned the hostel that we booked with, was their to collect us...bless her soul!!! She was full of knowledge and information and by 11.30 that night we had gone from just doing a day hike, to this full on 'W' trek!!! We left early the next day (after a stop at the pharmacy to buy enough 'medication' to put my knees to sleep for a week), and a couple of pairs of well over priced gaiters (worth every penny as they really saved our feet!!)
Day one was a 8hour trek to the infamous granite 'towers' (see picture) that the park is most famous for. We had pretty bad weather most of the way but luckily as we reached the top the cloud and fog lifted enough for the towers to come into view...it was like watching something out of Lord of the Rings..very majestic!! Coming back down is where the fun began..we honestly encountered every kind of precipitation known...hail blown into your face by gale force winds is not fun!! When we finally arrived at our Refugio (lodge) we looked like a pair of drowned rats..but luckily so did everyone else so we felt part of the whole 'trekking club' thing!!! Some people were camping..I really take my hat off to them..putting up a tent in those conditions..and freezing!!
The next three days we had pretty good weather...no more 'precipitation'!! Each day we had different scenery to gaze in awe at...it really was nothing short of spectacular!! The stunning views really made our aching muscles seem insignificant! In fact, we've now got the 'bug' we're looking up places to do our next trek...it's looking like the Fitz Roy mountain range!!
We head back into Argentina tomorrow, where we will exchange our shoes for crampons and try a bit of ice climbing!!
Ciao xoxo
- comments