Day 4 was the John Gardiner Pass day. The John Gardiner Pass is billed as the hardest day of the Paine circuit with the most eleveation gain, and it didnt disappoint. We tried to wake up early, but ended up sleeping in. Classic Ry and J move there, haha! Eventually we got up, had some oatmeal in the tummy and got on the trail. The trail started out with the mud pits of death. No bridges here like the previous day. We had to shimmy on slippery logs over knee deep mud. Not too fun. I almost got stuck at one point, and definitely got my boots dirty. But eventually we made it past bog land without being sucked down to the muddy depths.
We continued going up, and up and up. And up. We got above the tree line and then you guessed it, continued going up. Luckily it was a beautiful day with sun and not too much wind, so the views were incredible and we had no problem enjoying them. There were snow capped mountains on either side of us, a beautiful valley behind, and our destination at the top.
After about 4 hours of hiking up, we made it to the top of the pass. As we came over the top of the mountain on the gravelly rocky slopes, we saw the most beautiful scene I have ever seen in my life. All the hard work of the day had been worth it.
The view isn't even really possible to describe, but I'll try. There was a mountain range in the distance which was a bit reddish at the base and snowy at the top and above that was a blue sky with a few puffy clouds. In front of the mountain range was the biggest glacier I've ever seen! It was stretching for miles and miles seemingly with no beginning and no end. The blues and icy whites of the glacier were beautiful and almost made the mountains appear as if they were floating in space, or heaven. It was breathtaking.
We took in the view, had a lunch break, and then began the descent. The trail went straight down and I mean straight down. They seriously could have added a few more switchbacks here I think! It was so steep! This part nearly killed me! Hopping over huge boulders, sliding down nearly vertical slippery slopes of loose rocks, dodging big tree roots with meter drops below them, was not fun for me. After hiking UP all day and then going down this, was my worst moment. My legs did not want to function. Every step felt like I was 80 years old and my knees were going to give out any minute. I really questioned why I was putting myself through this?! I was also hoping for a massage therapist to be permanently stationed at the next camp! No such luck though, damn.
We reached camp, made cup-o-soup and munched on some chocolate and life seemed better. Remembering that amazing view and snuggling with my guy in the tent made it all worth it.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Torres Del Paine Day 3
Day 3 was arguably my favourite day on the Paine circuit. We slept in because it was really rainy and windy when we woke up at first. By the time we actually got up, it was nice out and the tent was dry, so that was amazing! Oatmeal breakfast again. We set out and hiked all day through native Chilean forest. It was beautiful walking through the trees and beside glacial streams and waterfalls. The water there was so clean and clear, you can just drink the water straight from the streams because you can usually see the glacier the water is coming from in teh distance. Plus it is so cold and fresh tasting, delicious!
This day was full of highlights. First we saw a pair of Magellanic woodpeckers in the forest in a tree right in front of us. We were hoping to see this bird on our trip at some point, so seeing a pair so close up was spectacular. They are really cool looking, the male with a bright red head and the female with a black mohawk. Love em! We continued on and had lunch beside an amazing waterfall and river going through a rocky canyon. We continued to criss cross the Rio Los Perros over hand built wooden bridges. We started to gain elevation and eventualy popped out of the forest on to the terminal moraine (thank you Dr. Nick Eyles for my glacial knowledge!) of Glacier Los Perros. It was so incredibly windy that we could barely stand up straight, but the glacier was amazingly beauriful since it looked like a waterfall of ice cascading down a mountain pass so we had to stay and snap a few pics.
We settled into camp and had tea with some new friends from the hike and called it a night.
This day was full of highlights. First we saw a pair of Magellanic woodpeckers in the forest in a tree right in front of us. We were hoping to see this bird on our trip at some point, so seeing a pair so close up was spectacular. They are really cool looking, the male with a bright red head and the female with a black mohawk. Love em! We continued on and had lunch beside an amazing waterfall and river going through a rocky canyon. We continued to criss cross the Rio Los Perros over hand built wooden bridges. We started to gain elevation and eventualy popped out of the forest on to the terminal moraine (thank you Dr. Nick Eyles for my glacial knowledge!) of Glacier Los Perros. It was so incredibly windy that we could barely stand up straight, but the glacier was amazingly beauriful since it looked like a waterfall of ice cascading down a mountain pass so we had to stay and snap a few pics.
We settled into camp and had tea with some new friends from the hike and called it a night.
Torres del Paine Day 2
Torres del Paine Day 2
We got up pretty early and made our first oatmeal breakfast that we described as mediocre at best. Even the cinnamon and raisins didnt make up for the lack of brown sugar and milk. Oh well, it filled our bellies! We packed up and left Seron campsite and began the day heading to Camp Dixon. We started off great, on a nice flat trail and even saw a family of Upland Geese with 10 babies. Baby Geese, sooo cute!! My head was exploding with cuteness! But then the reality of Torres del Paine set in with our first big ascent. Straight up for half an hour. In my mind I was doing the "one foot, two foot" and felt like I was going at a snail pace. Little did I know what was to come in the days ahead... but finally we reached the top of the hill, walked a few paces on nice flat ground and turned a corner, and then...
THE BEST VIEW EVER!!! It was like angels were singing and the heavens opened up, and the pain in my legs subsided. There was our first view of beautiful snow capped mountains and a winding river in the valley below. Absolutely stunning.
But of course the Paine hike made us pay for the view yet again. We soon entered the Bog of Eternal Stench.. After hiking down the mountain, we found ourselves on a low bridge crossing a boggy wetland. A nice bridge. Sturdily constructed with 4 boards that were securely fastened together. No problem, right?! But that bridge gave way to two planks, which turned into one plank kinda mud covered, which turned into a single log precariously sticking out of the bog. Shimmying across and praying not to fall in to the murky mud below was the only option for crossing. Thankfully we made it through safely, this time.
After a few more hill climbs, we finally saw Camp Dixon in the distance, and after a super steep climb down, we reached camp. The hiking boots immediately came off and sandals came on! And to make things better, they sold chocolate bars!!! Best chocolate bars of life. The Snickers had no chance. They were annhilated in less than a minute! All in all a good day.
We got up pretty early and made our first oatmeal breakfast that we described as mediocre at best. Even the cinnamon and raisins didnt make up for the lack of brown sugar and milk. Oh well, it filled our bellies! We packed up and left Seron campsite and began the day heading to Camp Dixon. We started off great, on a nice flat trail and even saw a family of Upland Geese with 10 babies. Baby Geese, sooo cute!! My head was exploding with cuteness! But then the reality of Torres del Paine set in with our first big ascent. Straight up for half an hour. In my mind I was doing the "one foot, two foot" and felt like I was going at a snail pace. Little did I know what was to come in the days ahead... but finally we reached the top of the hill, walked a few paces on nice flat ground and turned a corner, and then...
THE BEST VIEW EVER!!! It was like angels were singing and the heavens opened up, and the pain in my legs subsided. There was our first view of beautiful snow capped mountains and a winding river in the valley below. Absolutely stunning.
But of course the Paine hike made us pay for the view yet again. We soon entered the Bog of Eternal Stench.. After hiking down the mountain, we found ourselves on a low bridge crossing a boggy wetland. A nice bridge. Sturdily constructed with 4 boards that were securely fastened together. No problem, right?! But that bridge gave way to two planks, which turned into one plank kinda mud covered, which turned into a single log precariously sticking out of the bog. Shimmying across and praying not to fall in to the murky mud below was the only option for crossing. Thankfully we made it through safely, this time.
After a few more hill climbs, we finally saw Camp Dixon in the distance, and after a super steep climb down, we reached camp. The hiking boots immediately came off and sandals came on! And to make things better, they sold chocolate bars!!! Best chocolate bars of life. The Snickers had no chance. They were annhilated in less than a minute! All in all a good day.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Torres del Paine: Day 1
We scheduled a prep day in Puerto Natales to get organized for the trek. This mostly involved organizing our food. We found an awesome Patagonian version of Bulk Barn and stocked up on snacks. If you are ever here, definitely get the candy coated toffee peanuts with seasame seeds, delish! Breakfast every day was going to be oatmeal and dinner either rice or pasta. Lunch, salami and cheese. We put each day´s food into a ziploc bag for easy access later on. We packed up everything in our packs (mine was about 35 lbs, Ryan´s over 40!) and tried to get a good night´s sleep.
The bus picked us up early the next morning, and we hurried out to meet it after our scrambled eggs breakfast at the hostel. It was a 2 hour ride to the park entrance, and we got to take a little nap which was nice. We woke up close to the park entrance and could see the terrain getting more mountainous around us. We saw Guanacos, which look kinda like camels with no humps browsing the patagonian foothills, and saw birds called Nandu´s that look like small ostriches roming around as well. I knew the wildlife viewing was going to be amazing.
We got to the park entrance, paid the fee, watched a video on the park rules, and then set off. Right as we were taking our first steps, we spotted Andean Condors soraing high up above around the mountain peaks! The gravel road we were on eventually gave way to a sub-antarctic tundra pathway with more mountains in the not too far distance up ahead. The path followed the Rio Paine, an icy blue glacier water river, with tons of rapids and little waterfalls. We ate our first salami and cheese lunch right beside a pretty cool rapid. I could tell Ryan was dying to paddle it! We hiked this path for 10 k until we reached Campamento Seron where we spent the first night. We set up the tent with Chilean Swallows dodging around us, made pasta dinner and settled down to our first night camping in Patagonia.
The bus picked us up early the next morning, and we hurried out to meet it after our scrambled eggs breakfast at the hostel. It was a 2 hour ride to the park entrance, and we got to take a little nap which was nice. We woke up close to the park entrance and could see the terrain getting more mountainous around us. We saw Guanacos, which look kinda like camels with no humps browsing the patagonian foothills, and saw birds called Nandu´s that look like small ostriches roming around as well. I knew the wildlife viewing was going to be amazing.
We got to the park entrance, paid the fee, watched a video on the park rules, and then set off. Right as we were taking our first steps, we spotted Andean Condors soraing high up above around the mountain peaks! The gravel road we were on eventually gave way to a sub-antarctic tundra pathway with more mountains in the not too far distance up ahead. The path followed the Rio Paine, an icy blue glacier water river, with tons of rapids and little waterfalls. We ate our first salami and cheese lunch right beside a pretty cool rapid. I could tell Ryan was dying to paddle it! We hiked this path for 10 k until we reached Campamento Seron where we spent the first night. We set up the tent with Chilean Swallows dodging around us, made pasta dinner and settled down to our first night camping in Patagonia.
Friday, 15 February 2013
Here we go!
Ok the bus is here to pick us up to begin our trek at Torres del Pines... see you in 9 days!
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Hello Patagonia!
Hi everyone! So we have arrived safe and sound in Chile!
The journey began on Monday with 3 flights totalling a 24 hour travel time. Needless to day we were pretty tired when we got here. Sleeping on the plane didn´t really happen. But the nice surprise was how posh the LAN airlines planes are. We totally lucked out and got the row with the most footroom and mini TVs that came right out of our arm rests with so many movies to choose from! So that definitely eased the pain of not being able to doze off. Score!
We flew into Punta Arenas in southern Chile yesterday, and were met at the airport by a super nice guy from our b&b. He drove us about 10 minutes to our place just outside of town, and we passed some old military tanks and stuff like that, and he explained it was from the war with Argentina. There are still land mines here in some regions! Then we arrived to an amazing spot, a few log cabin type buildings nestled in the Chilean woods. We immediately dropped our bags at our cabin, had a glass of wine and sat down by a wood stove fire, ahhhhhh! Then we had a nap. A looooong nap!
We woke up and it was dinner time, so our hosts made a BBQ of steak and sausages that was truly to die for. We ate with two women from Maui who had been traveling for over a year already through all of South America (so jealous!) and they gave us tons of tips and even knew exactly where to see the penguins so I was all ears. We will definitely be visiting them in Maui sometime soon, I hope!
After dinner we walked around the grounds some more and noticed a sauna nestled in a clearing in the woods. After dinner activity, DONE! We took an outdoor shower surrounded by only the wind whistling in the trees, and then went in to the hot sauna to relax in the heat. Amazing. Perfect ending to our crazy day(s) of traveling.
I think we will make time to stay there a few more days before we fly out. Log cabins get me every time.
Today we bussed to Puerto Natales, a bit north of Punta Arenas. This is the gateway town for our hike to Torres del Paine. We spent the day walking around the town, and I got to do a bit of birding! Saw tons of Magellanic Cormorants, Black-necked swans and Chilean Swallows, and lots of other super cool birds I don´t know yet. Need to get a Patagonia bird book ASAP.
It`s such a small world... We went to a talk at our hostel about planning for our hike, and ran into a girl I knew in Newfoundland! Couldn´t believe my eyes when I saw her across the room! She`s here with her boyfriend who I knew in NL as well doing the exact same hike as Ryan and I, just one day apart. Weird or what?!
For anyone who was supposed to be getting our spot updates, apparently it doesn´t work down here. So we`ll try to email to let you know how it´s going.
Love ya all and miss you all!
The journey began on Monday with 3 flights totalling a 24 hour travel time. Needless to day we were pretty tired when we got here. Sleeping on the plane didn´t really happen. But the nice surprise was how posh the LAN airlines planes are. We totally lucked out and got the row with the most footroom and mini TVs that came right out of our arm rests with so many movies to choose from! So that definitely eased the pain of not being able to doze off. Score!
We flew into Punta Arenas in southern Chile yesterday, and were met at the airport by a super nice guy from our b&b. He drove us about 10 minutes to our place just outside of town, and we passed some old military tanks and stuff like that, and he explained it was from the war with Argentina. There are still land mines here in some regions! Then we arrived to an amazing spot, a few log cabin type buildings nestled in the Chilean woods. We immediately dropped our bags at our cabin, had a glass of wine and sat down by a wood stove fire, ahhhhhh! Then we had a nap. A looooong nap!
We woke up and it was dinner time, so our hosts made a BBQ of steak and sausages that was truly to die for. We ate with two women from Maui who had been traveling for over a year already through all of South America (so jealous!) and they gave us tons of tips and even knew exactly where to see the penguins so I was all ears. We will definitely be visiting them in Maui sometime soon, I hope!
After dinner we walked around the grounds some more and noticed a sauna nestled in a clearing in the woods. After dinner activity, DONE! We took an outdoor shower surrounded by only the wind whistling in the trees, and then went in to the hot sauna to relax in the heat. Amazing. Perfect ending to our crazy day(s) of traveling.
I think we will make time to stay there a few more days before we fly out. Log cabins get me every time.
Today we bussed to Puerto Natales, a bit north of Punta Arenas. This is the gateway town for our hike to Torres del Paine. We spent the day walking around the town, and I got to do a bit of birding! Saw tons of Magellanic Cormorants, Black-necked swans and Chilean Swallows, and lots of other super cool birds I don´t know yet. Need to get a Patagonia bird book ASAP.
It`s such a small world... We went to a talk at our hostel about planning for our hike, and ran into a girl I knew in Newfoundland! Couldn´t believe my eyes when I saw her across the room! She`s here with her boyfriend who I knew in NL as well doing the exact same hike as Ryan and I, just one day apart. Weird or what?!
For anyone who was supposed to be getting our spot updates, apparently it doesn´t work down here. So we`ll try to email to let you know how it´s going.
Love ya all and miss you all!
Friday, 1 February 2013
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