Patagonia, Torres del Paine, Chile

Patagonia was never a place Jim and I had ever talked about going to. But when Brooke announced she was going in March 2023, we booked tickets.

Jim and I rented a car in Punta Arenas, walked the city, picked up groceries, and headed to Puerto Natalus where we would meet up with Brooke.

We rented a small AirBnb in Puerto Natalus for 12 days. We would use it as a base camp. We had two days to explore the area before heading into Torres del Paine National Park for a classic 8 day trek.

Jim and I explored the nearby Milodon caves on our first day. The big cave could easily house 200 people and it probably did. Archaeologists have had a blast digging pits and finding artifacts.

On our second day, Brooke joined us for a drive through Torres del Paine National Park. We all were anxious to see the mountains and begin our Patagonia experience.

Brooke had to get some work done so Jim and I decided to hike up to a high point. As we hiked, the clouds started to clear.

Before long, we were enjoying the beautiful mountain range that makes up Torre del Paine. Jim and I were giddy.

On the summit, we got our first taste of the famous Patagonia winds. They did not disappoint.

As we hiked back to the car to rejoin Brooke, we enjoyed the blue lakes that make up this area. 

As we drove back to Puerto Natalus, we discussed our strategy for the next morning. We still had to pack our backpacks before catching a 7am bus back into the park. Good thing the first day on the “O” track is fairly easy.

After a minor mishap on the way to catch our bus, we were on board and heading for adventure. As we neared the park, the limestone towers appeared in the distance. I could only hope that I would see them up close in a week. There is no guarantees down here. The weather is wild and some people never get any views during their trek.

We checked into the park and caught a shuttle bus to the visitor center where our “O” trek would start and finish.

For the “O” trek, everyone hikes counter-clockwise starting in the lower right building titled “Central”. 

The “W” trek is much more popular than the “O”. Most sane people prefer to do 4 or 5 day trips instead of 8 days. The “W” trek can also be done with day packs, staying in huts every night. I can definitely see the appeal in that.

To help with any confusion, the “W” trek is included in the “O” trek. “O” trekkers get to see the backside of the mountains as well as the front and get to have a less touristy experience. The blue line is both the “W” and “O” trek.

After getting lost in the campground at the Central station, Jim, Brooke, and I were hiking along the trail in grey skies. Occasionally meeting other trekkers who would soon become old friends.

We reached camp 1 ahead of schedule and pitched our tents before it started to rain. This camp offered half-board (dinner and breakfast) which we took advantage of to save some pack weight.

It rained off and on during the night but thanks to the Patagonia winds, we woke to a dry tent and some beautiful views.

In less than an hour, the clouds moved back in. As we hiked along, we visited with the other hikers. We soon began to identify people based on their pack and the country they were from. It was quite a mix of cultures.

The clouds never quite lifted but we did get some glimpses of the surrounding terrain. 

When we crested the high point only 1/4 mile from camp 2, we were treated to views of Camp Dickson. This must be beautiful on a clear day.

All through dinner, we kept an eye out for cloud clearings hoping to get a better view of our surroundings. When we went to bed, the clouds were still camped on top of the peaks.

After another rainy and windy night, we woke to drizzle and lots of clouds. We all hiked along trying to find picture opportunities in the foreground.

By mid-afternoon, the sun was trying once again to break through the clouds.

Though the sun made many appearances, it never quite won the battle against the clouds.

Just before camp 3, we got our first glacier view which was accompanied by a brisk Patagonia wind. Not sure which Jim and I enjoyed more the view or experiencing the winds.

Tents at Camp 3 are very tight. There is little flat, dry ground around. This camp is the last camp before John Gardner pass above the Grey Glacier. 

We all prayed the weather forecast for the next day would hold and we would have blue skies for our crossing.

In order to guarantee everyone has time to reach camp 4, Grey Campground, the hosts at camp 3 make everyone leave by 7am. 

Hiking in the dark under headlamp is not my favorite thing to do. Add wet ground, swampy trails, and slick logs. And you have our morning hike out of camp 3. All 30 of us at the same time. Working our way up the hillside in the trees.

Then it happened. We started to break out of the trees and the morning light was hitting the mountain tops. Not a cloud in the sky.

Most of the mountains around us reminded Jim and I of the Pacific Northwest. 

As we neared the pass, everyone began to leap frog one another. People were stopping to take layers off, take pictures, and snack. There was one group who decided it was the day to wear shorts. I added another layer instead.

We came to John Gardner pass sooner than we thought we would. The winds weren’t bad and the view was amazing.

How lucky we had got on the weather. This is a picture from the group that did John Gardner Pass the day before we did. They never got a view and dealt with a blizzard most of the day.

It took us quite awhile to descend down the other side. We kept stopping for pictures and to take in the view. This maybe our only sunny day. We were not going to hurry through it.

My first view of the Grey Glacier didn’t really impress me. But the closer we got to it, the more I was taken back by its size.

We had 4,500 ft of elevation to lose from the pass to camp. The majority of the drop came in the trees on a very steep trail. It seemed to take forever. Then finally we were out of the trees and on the most beautiful view point. Not a puff of wind and zero clouds. Not sure I would believe it if I wasn’t there.

As we dropped more, the Grey Glacier over took all other views.

Eventually we came to the first of our three suspension bridges. They were even more exciting than I thought they would be.

And the view looking up from mid-span took my breath away.

How did we ever get this lucky on the weather? Totally unbelievable. By the  time we reached camp, I was in short sleeves and Jim was in shorts. 

This would be our last camp with Brooke in Torres del Paine. The “O” and “W” treks now share the same path. Brooke had already done the “W” twice; once 9 years ago and then again 9 days ago. 

Brooke would head back to the AirBnb in the morning. Her plan was to get a few days of work in before her cousin, Josh, was due to arrive. He would be joining us for our Argentina adventure in a week.

In the morning before heading on to the next camp, Jim and I hiked up to Grey Harbor to enjoy the floating icebergs.

Today’s weather was cloudy again with 50mph winds. Great day for a ridge walk. The wind pitched us around like ping pong balls.

When we reached camp at Paine Grande, the winds were still whipping but the skies had cleared. Now if we could get our tent up in this craziness. Good thing Jim added more guidelines before we left home. We would need all the help we could get keeping our tent upright in this gail.

Jim and I enjoyed a long dinner supplemented with a bottle of wine purchased from the Paine Grande camp store. The “W” trek is so civilized.

Then we were treated to an amazing sunset bouncing off the clouds. So beautiful!

Jim and I got up to an early alarm the next day. Our forecast was for a clear morning but afternoon clouds. I wanted to enjoy the mountains while I could see them and we had a side trip up to the Britanico viewpoint  planned.

Just as we were leaving camp, the sun decided to bounce off the sky. Letting us know, today was going to be a good one.

Jim and I enjoyed a quick paced hike around Paine Grande mountain. It is the tallest mountain in the area and rarely seen without a cloudy top. And here it was. In all its glory.

In record speed (for me), we reached the turn off and Italiano Camp where we could store our big packs while we hiked up to the Britanico viewpoint.

As we climbed, we kept looking back at the view behind us. Man, that water is blue!

The first view point heading up valley is of the Frances Glacier. Later in the day as we were hiking out, several people stopped to watch the glacier calve (chunks fall off). This glacier is very active.

First view up valley was fabulous! We were in for another great day of mountain views.

When we arrived at our lunch spot, we found that we were not alone. There were people all over the two rocky high points.

We were still able to squeeze in next to some other “O” trekkers. Now that there were 5 times the number of people on the trails (no exaggeration), it was great to see people that felt like old friends.

Jim and I took in our lunch view. Jim told me climbing stories of the famous towers we were staring at. 

This area was impossible to photograph. I tried several panoramic shots but they just didn’t do the area justice. You will just have to plan a visit for yourself.

Camp that night was kind weird. They built it on a very, very steep slope. The campsites were platforms. 

The bathrooms were new with fancy hot water showers. Jim and I had paid for half-board so we had to hike from our platform, down a steep road, past the bathrooms, down an even steeper road, to the bar and yurts which we were told were very comfortable inside. Took us 15 minutes to get from our platform to dinner but it was worth it.

The next day was a relaxing day of hiking along the lakes. We took several breaks and visited with anyone who wanted to talk.

We hiked most of the day on the leeward side of the mountain which meant no wind. Jim was in shorts again while I was in my short sleeve shirt.

We had no idea the winds were 50+mph until we crested Windy Pass and were almost stopped in our tracks. What a difficult last mile to camp. Walking straight into a stiff headwind.

Camp was on platforms again. We all spent the afternoon resting in our tents getting ready for the morning. We would be leaving camp at 5:30am in order to reach the three towers, Torre de las Tres, before sunrise. Once again, we had a favorable weather forecast. How did we get so lucky?

We left camp around 5:15am under headlamps.

We arrived the lake below the towers with 20 minutes to spare. Time to put on every layer of clothing we had brought on this trip. It was cold and we weren’t 30 years old like everyone else running around in the dark. 

We all waited as the sky lightened and the towers came into full view.

When the sunrise hits the towers they turn orange. We all waited and waited. Surely the sun was up. 

After 40 minutes, we all decided the sun must have rose behind a cloud and we were not going to get the colors. Our luck had finally run out.

We all went about taking pictures. The area was still incredibly beautiful and we had been lucky enough to see the towers. We heard stories of people sitting for hours waiting for them to appear behind the clouds.

We were all about to leave when the towers lite up. Bright orange. Completely unbelievable. It was time for everyone to retake all the photos they had taken over the last 30 minutes.

Once everyone was satisfied, we took one more picture. Our “O” trek hiking group. Super fun! Patagonia even tried to knock us off the rock with a stiff wind gust.

Jim and I hike backed to camp with several “O” trekkers. This was our last day on the trail. Jim and I were voted the most inspirational “O” trekker. They didn’t say so but we are pretty sure it’s because we were the age of their parents and still doing crazy things.

After Jim and I picked up our big packs from camp, we began our last hike in the park back to Central and the buses to Puerto Natalus. 

As we were hiking down, Brooke and Josh were having some cousin time in the park. Determined to get a good selfie of the two of them despite the Patagonia winds.

That night at dinner, we caught up on our adventures in the park and discussed our plans for a morning departure to Argentina.