Southern Patagonia, "W Trek", Chile
December 1-5, 2015
Southern Patagonia and hiking the "W Trek" in Torres del Paine National Park was a goal of ours since our travels began in South America. Torres del Paine is a Unesco world biosphere reserve and is one of the most pristine and remote places on earth. Despite the almost constant winds, this is some of the finest trekking in Chile and contains colossal glaciers, formidable mountains and turquoise lakes. Most of our timeline centred around getting to this area of Chile by the beginning of December to beat the hordes of trekkers that infiltrate the park come mid-December, January and February. We knew the trek would be challenging but that we would be rewarded through the process of stretching our own limits, the amazing scenery and being able to complete the trek together was the most wonderful part.
Our Accommodations in Puerto Natales - Hostel Donde Kike
Puerto Natales is the base town from which to explore the national park and where prices are pretty high as you near the end of the world. A fellow traveler recommended a cheap place called Hostel Donde Kike centrally located on O'Higgins Street. It was pretty basic and didn't have much in terms of facilities but the owner was helpful and it filled the need to prepare our trek.
W Trek Preparation
We did a lot of our own research ahead of time and a simple google search will provide hours of reading on the subject from bloggers and past trekkers. After arriving in Puerto Natales we also decided to attend the helpful information session provided by the Erratic Rock Hostel everyday at 3:00pm (for free) on the bar side of their establishment. It was a good basic introduction to the trek, what to prepare and what to expect. Armed with our list of supplies that we needed to find we set out like every other trekker in town to search for our goods.
Equipment Rental: Most importantly and we can't stress this enough, its crucial to rent quality equipment! The patagonia winds and typical cold nights can potentially ruin your trek if your your tent breaks or leaks, your stove doesn't work or your sleeping bag isn't good enough to keep you warm. You won't get a decent sleep to restore energy and that's vital when you're trekking all day long. There are many rental places in town but we can recommend three who we know rent quality brands, regularly check their equipment and stop using it when it becomes too old: Patagonia Adventures, Erratic Rock Hostel, Casa Cecilia. Tip: Its still important to test all equipment before renting it: Check tent for holes, poles and pegs. Connect the stove to gas and make sure it works. Check sleeping bag for cleanliness and condition.
Equipment Needed: A good quality tent preferably with metal pegs to hold up against the winds, warm sleeping bag rated at least to -3, sleeping mat, tiny portable stove, 1 can of gas for two people for 5 days, 1 pot, bowls, cups, utensils. Tip: Its actually cheaper to buy your pot, bowls, cups and utensils instead of renting them. We went to a store called "M y M" for everything except the pot (we asked the locals and they directed us to this store). The pot we found at a hardware store along the same street as Unimarc heading towards the centre plaza. Tip: Its not necessary to buy more than 1 can of gas because you can pick up a free partially used can from Erratic Rock Hostel or from the campsites along the way left by other trekkers. Tip: Whether you carry your equipment inside or on the outside of your backpack wrap your tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat separately in garbage bags to keep them dry in case of rain. Also wrapping your extra change of clothes and other toiletries in bags or ziplocks will protect them from the elements and be easier to locate.
Food: There are two stores in town where most everybody shops: Unimarc (a large chain supermarket) and Don Bosco (a small family run store). Our meal plan included the following: Breakfast: Instant oats topped with dried fruit and nuts, coffee. Lunch: One wrap each with cheese and jam, granola bars, chocolate bars and other cookies for energy. Dinner: Pasta with salami or tuna and powdered soup mixes for flavour. Tip:Go early in the day to shop for food as Unimarc starts to run out of basic food items by late afternoon. Tip: There is a guy who sets up around 4 or 5pm outside Unimarc and sells pre-packaged dried fruit, nuts and candies and it was the cheapest in town. Tip: Buy more food than you think you'll need because you'll be hungrier than normal due to trekking all day.
Packing The Gear: We didn't want to rent larger backpack to carry our stuff so we used our 40 liter and 33 liter backpacks to carry all of our equipment, food and clothing and amazingly it all fit with no problems! We couldn't imagine what people were carrying in their huge overstuffed 70 liter backpacks..It looked so heavy! We were extremely happy that we packed so efficiently because it was a huge help not having a heavy burden on our back while we were trekking all day. Tip: We separated our tent pieces and packed them individually so it was less bulky and Doug carried that inside his bag. We each carried our mats on the outside of our bags (rolled in garbage bag) and we each carried our sleeping bags inside our bag (rolled in garbage bag). We rolled all our clothing to save space and packed "things" inside of "things" to get the most out of our packing.
Costs: We stayed at two paid campgrounds (Refugio Grey $6,000 pesos per person and Refugio Cuerrenos $7,500 pesos per person) and two free campgrounds (Campo Italiano and Campo Torres). Round trip bus to and from the national park is $12,000 pesos per person if you go to the main bus terminal (a few minutes walk) and buy it there, otherwise, everyone in town charges $15,000 pesos per person. National park entrance fee is $18,000 pesos per person. Catamaran ride at the east end of the trek is $15,000 pesos per person. Shuttle bus at the west end of the trek back to the main bus pickup area is $6,000 per person. Food cost $25,000 pesos total for 5 days. Tip: Brings some extra cash in case you need to buy replacement supplies at the paid campgrounds or treat yourself to a beer or glass of wine...all of which you pay a premium but sometimes its worth it!
Route Planning: The recommended route is to do the trek west to east because your gear is heaviest at the beginning and the trek is less challenging if starting at the west end first. This is what we chose to do and it was a perfect option for us.
Day 1: Moderate to challenging sections with 4-5 hours of hiking and stayed at Refugio Grey Campground (paid campground with showers, small store and cooking room). Day 2: Moderately flat but long day with 6-7 hours of hiking and stayed at Free Campo Italiano. Day 3: In the morning optional hike to lookout point for Glacier Grey (6 hours return) or for easier and shorter day with 3-4 hours of hiking heading straight to next campground and stayed at Refugio Cuerrenos (paid campground with showers, small store, cooking room). Day 4: Toughest and longest day with moderate to challenging sections and 7-8 hours of hiking and stayed at Free Campo Torres. Once here your first option is to set up camp and then continue 1 more hour to see the famous towers of Torres del Paine (we chose this option). A second option is to also get up the next morning at 4:00am and hike back up to see the towers at sunrise. We opted out of that one! Day 5: Downhill most of the way with 3-4 hours of hiking to the Hotel Torres where we catch our final shuttle back to our waiting buses and say goodbye to Torres del Paine!
Equipment Needed: A good quality tent preferably with metal pegs to hold up against the winds, warm sleeping bag rated at least to -3, sleeping mat, tiny portable stove, 1 can of gas for two people for 5 days, 1 pot, bowls, cups, utensils. Tip: Its actually cheaper to buy your pot, bowls, cups and utensils instead of renting them. We went to a store called "M y M" for everything except the pot (we asked the locals and they directed us to this store). The pot we found at a hardware store along the same street as Unimarc heading towards the centre plaza. Tip: Its not necessary to buy more than 1 can of gas because you can pick up a free partially used can from Erratic Rock Hostel or from the campsites along the way left by other trekkers. Tip: Whether you carry your equipment inside or on the outside of your backpack wrap your tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat separately in garbage bags to keep them dry in case of rain. Also wrapping your extra change of clothes and other toiletries in bags or ziplocks will protect them from the elements and be easier to locate.
Food: There are two stores in town where most everybody shops: Unimarc (a large chain supermarket) and Don Bosco (a small family run store). Our meal plan included the following: Breakfast: Instant oats topped with dried fruit and nuts, coffee. Lunch: One wrap each with cheese and jam, granola bars, chocolate bars and other cookies for energy. Dinner: Pasta with salami or tuna and powdered soup mixes for flavour. Tip:Go early in the day to shop for food as Unimarc starts to run out of basic food items by late afternoon. Tip: There is a guy who sets up around 4 or 5pm outside Unimarc and sells pre-packaged dried fruit, nuts and candies and it was the cheapest in town. Tip: Buy more food than you think you'll need because you'll be hungrier than normal due to trekking all day.
Packing The Gear: We didn't want to rent larger backpack to carry our stuff so we used our 40 liter and 33 liter backpacks to carry all of our equipment, food and clothing and amazingly it all fit with no problems! We couldn't imagine what people were carrying in their huge overstuffed 70 liter backpacks..It looked so heavy! We were extremely happy that we packed so efficiently because it was a huge help not having a heavy burden on our back while we were trekking all day. Tip: We separated our tent pieces and packed them individually so it was less bulky and Doug carried that inside his bag. We each carried our mats on the outside of our bags (rolled in garbage bag) and we each carried our sleeping bags inside our bag (rolled in garbage bag). We rolled all our clothing to save space and packed "things" inside of "things" to get the most out of our packing.
Costs: We stayed at two paid campgrounds (Refugio Grey $6,000 pesos per person and Refugio Cuerrenos $7,500 pesos per person) and two free campgrounds (Campo Italiano and Campo Torres). Round trip bus to and from the national park is $12,000 pesos per person if you go to the main bus terminal (a few minutes walk) and buy it there, otherwise, everyone in town charges $15,000 pesos per person. National park entrance fee is $18,000 pesos per person. Catamaran ride at the east end of the trek is $15,000 pesos per person. Shuttle bus at the west end of the trek back to the main bus pickup area is $6,000 per person. Food cost $25,000 pesos total for 5 days. Tip: Brings some extra cash in case you need to buy replacement supplies at the paid campgrounds or treat yourself to a beer or glass of wine...all of which you pay a premium but sometimes its worth it!
Route Planning: The recommended route is to do the trek west to east because your gear is heaviest at the beginning and the trek is less challenging if starting at the west end first. This is what we chose to do and it was a perfect option for us.
Day 1: Moderate to challenging sections with 4-5 hours of hiking and stayed at Refugio Grey Campground (paid campground with showers, small store and cooking room). Day 2: Moderately flat but long day with 6-7 hours of hiking and stayed at Free Campo Italiano. Day 3: In the morning optional hike to lookout point for Glacier Grey (6 hours return) or for easier and shorter day with 3-4 hours of hiking heading straight to next campground and stayed at Refugio Cuerrenos (paid campground with showers, small store, cooking room). Day 4: Toughest and longest day with moderate to challenging sections and 7-8 hours of hiking and stayed at Free Campo Torres. Once here your first option is to set up camp and then continue 1 more hour to see the famous towers of Torres del Paine (we chose this option). A second option is to also get up the next morning at 4:00am and hike back up to see the towers at sunrise. We opted out of that one! Day 5: Downhill most of the way with 3-4 hours of hiking to the Hotel Torres where we catch our final shuttle back to our waiting buses and say goodbye to Torres del Paine!
Torres del Paine National Park - Our "W Trek" Adventure
Torres del Paine National Park is a Unesco world biosphere reserve and located in Southern Patagonia in Chile. Its one of the most pristine and remote places on earth and one of the few places left where the water from streams is pure and safe to drink. Despite the almost constant winds, this is some of the finest trekking in Chile and contains colossal glaciers, formidable mountains and turquoise lakes. There are two circuits you can complete: The "W" circuit named for the shape of the trail and takes 4-5 days to complete. The second is the "O" circuit named also for the shape of trail and takes 8-10 days to complete.
Below is the W trek map with our campground sites circled in red:
Day 1: We wake up to a perfectly sunny and calm day in Puerto Natales and as luck would have it, this will be our perfect weather for the next 5 days! During our bus ride from Puerto Natales to the park we see guanaco's (wild llama) and nandu's (ostridge family) and after 2 hours reach Torres del Paine National Park entrance. After paying our fee the bus continues onward to the west and stops at Lago Pehoe. Here we must take a catamaran across the lake 20 minutes to the start of the trail head. This lake is such a vibrant turquoise that people crowd the stern of the catamaran mesmerized by its surreal color. Tiny particles of silt from glacial erosion causes the lake to appear cloudy and lends it a turquoise colour which is known as “glacial milk.” After landing on the opposite shore full of energy and optimism, we set out for Glacier Grey. The first hour or so of this trail is fairly flat but as the walk progresses it fluctuates in elevation along a rocky ridge that follows Lago Grey.
We stop somewhere along the way and dip into the stream for the first time and fill our water bottles...A first for us! The water here is one of the last places on earth where its pure and safe to drink. As a precautionary measure we also use special water bottles called Water-To-Go which we ordered from the UK/Europe and apparently filters 99% of all virus, bacteria and protozoa from the water. We also carry a SteriPen which uses ultraviolet light to scramble the DNA of virus, bacteria and protozoa rendering it harmless but this is not necessary to use in the park. Luckily there is a water source about every 30 minutes along the entire 5 day trek which saves so much weight not having to carry or boil your water.
About half way into the hike we come to a spectacular lookout point and see Glacier Grey looming at the north shore of the lake. It’s the third largest ice sheet in the world after Antarctica and Greenland. We stand in awe of this sight and the thought that this trek feels magical runs through our mind. After a total of 4-5 hours of hiking we reach Refugio Grey (a paid campground with showers and a cooking room) nestled below the mountains. It couldn't have been a minute too soon because Deb's feet were in complete agony from her hiking boots. We quickly set up camp realizing we're short 3 pegs for our tent which isn't good if it gets windy but luckily a nice couple lends us their extra pegs and all is good! We have our first meal of pasta, salami and cream sauce...tastes like heaven at this point! That evening we discuss the shoe dilemma with some nice guys we met from New York and who we continue to hang out with during the next 5 days. We decide the only way Deb can continue the trek is to cut out big chunks of her boot and let her toes hang out to relieve the pressure...TaaaDaaa...it works and it saves the whole trek!
Off to bed by 8pm we're exhausted.
Day 2: We wake to another beautiful day and leave camp at 9:00am hiking back the way we came towards Lago Pehoe. This time we notice things we never saw the first time including waterfalls pouring over cliffs in the distance. As we pass again by the lookout point from the day before we're accosted by the famous "Patagonia winds" which almost knock us off our feet! We have to bend over to prevent from being blown over but it doesn't last long and that's as bad as the winds get during our whole trek.
We reach where we started the day before and take a quick break for lunch. We then continue onward through the meadows with Glacier Frances in the distance and two of the most beautiful lakes we've ever seen flanking us along the way for hours. We stop frequently to stand in awe at the vistas. At some point our trail leads through a "dead forest" where thanks to huge fires in 1985, 2005 and 2011 this section of trees went up in flames when the Patagonia winds blew away a spark from tourists with an open fire in all three cases. The park has now banned campfires.
Though the trail today is moderately flat its a long day with 7-8 hours of hiking by the time we reach the free Campo Italiano. We cross a swinging bridge over a raging river with Glacier Frances so close we can almost touch it. This is a nice location for a campground but more rustic than the paid campgrounds with pit toilets and only a rough shelter for cooking. We set up camp and then head over to the cooking shelter where we whip up instant soup with tuna wraps. We have some great conversation with various people at the cooking area and then meet up again with the boys from New York and the nice couple who lent us their tent pegs for a quick swig of pisco. Perfect way to end the day, then off to bed. The night is quite warm and we both sleep very well.
Day 3: We wake to a calm and clear day. This morning we have an option to hike to a lookout point for closer views of Glacier Frances which we hear is great but will require an extra 6 hours round trip on a challenging trail. We opt to give ourselves a little break and only walk 15 minutes to a closer lookout point where we feel the views of the glacier are rewarding enough. We sit there on a rock for a long time and listen to the glacier crack and thunder which is really pretty awesome! As we sit there in the shadow of this massive glacier we both feel insignificant - just a tiny dot among this terrain. Doug yells "Look!" as a huge chunk of ice breaks off and we witness an avalanche right before our eyes....In Patagonia you're constantly reminded that the earth is alive.
After we have our fill of staring at Glacier Frances we head onward along our trail and what feels like a leisurely trek today...yahoo! Our trail winds along another turquoise lake of amazing color and we end up on its beautiful beach covered completely in black and white pebbles. We stop here and have our lunch and stare out into the vista. We're both pretty quiet - thinking about things that this kind of beauty and this kind of trip makes you contemplate. After lunch we continue our hike and after a total of 3-4 hours we reach Refugio Currenos (a paid campground with showers and a cooking room). Its good we arrive early because there's only a few camping spots left so we score a good spot and then head into the cooking room to prepare our meal. We eat instant soup and salami wraps followed by an expensive beer we share together. Its really hot and sunny but we head to bed anyway at 8pm and chat for a while reflecting on our trek so far. We comment on how grateful we feel to see and experience something like this...We laugh at some of the mishaps...We talk about how good it will be to have pizza and beers when we're done!
Day 4: We wake up to another sunny and warm day. People keep telling us this will be our longest and hardest day of the whole trek so we pack up and head out with a mental ready attitude to give it our best. We walk along Lago Nordenskjöld and this portion of the trek includes some of the most varied and beautiful vistas thus far inlcuding: rocky shores, arid land with dust and stones, forests of trees and vast golden prairies. The scenery changes so quickly and every view is more beautiful than the last. This helps to keep Deb's mind off the frustrating horse flies that plague us today. Just when we think it can't get any better we reach the top of an incline and turn a corner to see the immense Ascencio Valley below. We stop in shock at its vastness and depth and in the distance we spot people like tiny insects. Its quite amazing.
We chug on and eventually come across a nice hotel called Refugio Chileno where we see people outside enjoying wine and relaxing. We want to stop, kick off our boots and have some wine too...But we keep going mostly uphill (to our chagrin) towards our camp. After a total of 7-8 hours of hiking we finally reach the free Campo Torres! The camp is rustic with pit toilets and a rough cooking shelter. It feels a bit colder here too or maybe we’re just exhausted.
Since the weather is calm and clear we decide its best to set up camp quickly and then continue 1 hour more to see the granite towers all trekkers come here to see! We set off along a rocky incline which requires all our concentration to remain careful as we navigate over boulders and rocks. As we climb higher, it gets colder and it feels like we’re racing the sunset…we push on. We finally reach the top and we catch our breath and then it comes into view: The three looming granite towers stands before us. We have conquered Torres del Paine! There is an immensity and a majesty about this landscape but also a triumph of getting here. We hug each other and congratulate ourselves on completing such an amazing experience together. We stay for a while admiring the towers and its almost hard to walk away from them. We both want to somehow hold onto this fleeting moment. When it gets too cold to stay any longer we turn back for camp.
Once we're back at camp we quickly make our last dinner of the trek. Most people sit on rocks and cook in huddled mini groups. We eat our last meal of pasta with salami and taco seasoning and then go straight to bed.
Day 5: Our last day. We wake to a sunny and clear day and since we chose to skip the sunrise trek back to the towers we have a more leisurely morning and slowly pack up camp for the last time. We’re feeling dirty and ready for a good meal and a hot shower. Today is an easy day with most of the trek being downhill and heading partially back the way we came and then down into the valley where the posh Hotel Torres is located and where a shuttle will take us back to our bus. We pass a lot of poor trekkers who just started the W at this end of the trail carrying their heavy 70 liter backpacks uphill in the heat and we think to ourselves how good it feels to be finishing! It’s a bit hard on the knees but we finally reach the bottom after a total of 3-4 hours of hiking. We spot the New York boys and the nice couple who lent us their tent pegs and we high five and get their updated story about their adventures. As a final gesture to our trek, we go find ourselves a private spot in the meadow, drop our backpacks and do our own little dance to celebrate the end! Just as Patagonia reminds us that the earth is alive, these amazing 5 days makes us too, feel alive and exhilarated!