After an 8 hour delay in JFK, we finally departed for Chile and eventually made it all the way down to Punta Arenas in what ended up being a long, unanticipated travel day. Bright and early on day 2 we headed up via bus to Puerto Natales to run some last min errands before heading into Torres del Paine National Park to start the W trek.
Puerto Natales is a cute, coastal town that is the jumping off point for Torres del Paine.
Last min packing mess
Day 1 of the W Circuit: We finally made it into the park and decide to do the circuit from East to West, so we started the hike with a boat ride across Lake Pehoe and then began hiking up to Refugio Grey and Glacier Grey.
The first of many selfies on this trip
Glacier Grey
Day 2: We backtracked down the trail from Reguio Grey and headed over to Campamento Italiano. One of the great things about hiking in Patagonia this time of year is the 15+ hours of daylight that allows you to take a leisurely pace and still have time for side day hikes once you arrive at camp. Sunset was at 10:23.
Day 3: From Campamento Italiano you can hike up into Valle Francis without your full pack for amazing views of more glaciers and towering mountains. Then it was time to put the packs on and head over to Refugio Cuernos.
Patagonia is known for its winds….
Day 4: After packing up our wet tents in the rain (rained steadily all night long), we started the second to last day of the hike over to Campamento Torres, nearing the famed towers that the park is named after. The clouds were dense and it was super rainy, but by 3:30 they had started to clear and so we headed up the rock scramble to see the towers (Torres) in the afternoon.
Time lapsing in the iPhone
Day 5: The last day is a pretty easy day: wake up to ice on the tent, see golden sunrise on the towers, pack up, hike out, see fox, catch the bus back to Puerto Natales from the visitor's center, and enjoy local microbrew in P. Natales after the first hot shower in 5 days.
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