it's all about Las Torres

Here I am back from the park.

I met an Israeli guy at the hostel in Puerto Natales and we both took the same bus to the park (still 150km from Puerto Natales). He was planning to do the whole circuit (locals call is the O), I was doing the W (usually done in 5 days; my plan was to do it in 4). As I travel with panniers I don’t have any backpack with me. I had to rent a pack and walking poles (so I wouldn’t damage my knees in the park). The pack I got was pretty crap and heavy on its own. With food for 3 nights in the park and all my camping equipment it was really heavy. I wouldn’t mind if it was my own pack but with this rented one I was less than happy.

Anyway, we got to the park and the mountains were still in the clouds. We started walking and the closer we were the layer of clouds became thinner. And finally for the first time I could see Las Torres sticking out in between clouds. This view woke me up and helped fully realise where I actually was.

on the way from the entrance to the park to the Refugio Las Torres - the towers sticking out on the right

slightly wider angle approach to the park's landscape

After 1.5h we made a break by Hosteria Las Torres and started climbing to the ‘refugio’ Chileno. After another 1.5h we got there and had lunch.  Last hour took us to the free campsite Las Torres – the base for the viewpoint for Las Torres.

The park has 3 types of accommodation within its borders. Hotels/refugios with rooms and/or dorms, campsites by refugios (for which you need to pay) and a few free ‘campamentos’ with a simple toilet and a stream/river next to it to get water from. Las Torres was a ‘campamento’ in the forest an hour walk from the viewpoint. The whole idea of seeing Las Torres is to get to the viewpoint for the sunrise – the rising sun for a few minutes gives the towers an orange colour. Alarm set for 4.35, Alex and I ready in 20 min (too early for breakfast) and we started walking up. When we got there it was still dark but after some time of freezing our asses off (it wasn’t though that dramaticly cold as we didn’t go into our sleeping bags which we had with us for that reason) we finally saw the towers in orange.

before the actual sunrise

las Torres lit by direct sun

sunrise by Torres del Paine

massive faces of las Torres

We got back to campamento, picked up our stuff and started walking down. Alex was going to the left to start his O, I was going right to do the W. More less from that moment I started feeling pretty weak. I had about 3-4h to a refugio and another 2h to campamento. After an hour I needed to make a break, after another 30 min another (very unusual for me). I got to a stream and fell asleep for 20 min. I was feeling nauseous. I kept going but I was so weak that various options were crossing my mind including wild camping or returning to Hosteria and camping Las Torres at the entrance to the park (not campamento las Torres) and coming back to Puerto Natales. I had to stop every 15 min and keep thinking not to start throwing up. Before a small climb I made another break, felt better after 5 min, put my backpack on and almost puked straight away. I only managed to take it off and make a few steps. I was puking badly. I realised I must have got some sort of food poisoning. The previous night I was cooking gnocci and sausages with tomato sauce and even now, quite a few days later the sole thought of that meal makes me feel bad. So I was sick 3 times but straight away I felt better. I carried on and after 2 toughest hours of walking in my life I got to regufio Los Cuernos. I was shivering, I was super weak and still not feeling right in terms of food. I managed to put a tent up (I gave up an idea of walking to campamento Italiano long time ago) and just went inside, covered myself with a sleeping bag and fell asleep. After two hours I woke up feeling a heat wave. 30 seconds later I knew that I had about 30 more seconds to leave my tent. I puked again 3 times 1m from my tent. Again I felt a bit better and awaken enough to try to take a shower. I went inside the refugio and sneaked into showers for their guests so I could have hot water. I met some guys the other night and they were on the campsite too. One of them gave me some Ibuprofen. I was still not quite sure if I was done with throwing up so I held off taking the pills. I went to my tent and slept again. Now familiar heat wave woke me up again but this time with a massive effort of my mind (only equal to the one of a person levitating) I managed to keep it all inside of me. I got prepared – took my headtorch (it was after 10pm), bottle of water, toilet roll and went for a walk. I sat down on a log and was awaiting some action. I was getting cold but nothing really was happening. I really hate it but in some cases one has to do it – I stuck my finger in my throat. I had hardly anything to puke with but I did another few times. That time I finally did clear my stomach totally and I was pretty proud of myself. I was then ready for the pills and a long night’s sleep. Two Ibuprofens (by the way, one pill in Chile has 600mg of the active thing in it and not 500 like in Poland or UK) and I woke up the next morning feeling much better. I forced myself to eat a relatively big breakfast and left the camp to get to the campamento Italiano only (2h). I left at 2pm – it took me that long to get up, put my tent down, wash myself and eat breakfast. I was still pretty weak but at least I was not feeling sick anymore. I got to Italiano with some breaks, put the tent up, went inside it and inside my sleeping bag and was ready for some reading (that meant I felt way better than the day before). I had tuna with bread and instant noodles for dinner (it finally tasted good). I however gave up any brave plans for the W.

the view 50m from the campamento Italiano towards the Paine massif

Normally it would be a relatively easy trek (the only real obstacle being the weight of the pack) but not when you are so weak after some sort of food poisoning (it wasn’t the standard tourist stomach upset as I didn’t have diarrhoea). I had enough food to stay one extra day in the park but I thought that if I did I would then later pay for it on the bike. On the last day I was feeling pretty much normal, I was walking strong and a section that on the map was described as 2.5h I did in 1.5h. From the refugio Paine Grande I took the catamaran to a point where buses were picking trekkers up for the ride back to Puerto Natales.

Lago Nordenskjöld as seen from a path

I guess I can say I was pretty unlucky with this trek. I would normally have really enjoyed it but instead I almost had to fight for survival (well, exaggerating but not a lot). I did however see the symbols of the park – las Torres and los Cuernos. I wish I could have got to the Grey Glacier but then there are still some other glaciers in front of me.

I am resting today, doing some hand-washing (don’t want to pay for laundry plus they would probably sooner or later damage all my merino wool clothes), writing this text for my ‘dear followers’. The wind today is so strong that if I had to cycle against it I would probably give up after 5 minutes.

Tomorrow I am off towards El Calafate. It is about 240km and I suppose I won’t manage to make it in 2 days. The winds should be for the very first time on this trip finally kind of helping me. El Calafate – a break for the Perito Moreno glacier. Then to El Chalten – another 2 days of cycling I suppose and a hike to FitzRoy and more importantly to me – Cerro Torre! From there a pretty difficult crossing to Chile (2 lakes to cross by ferry; 7km of pushing a bike uphill) and finally the beginning of the Carretera Austral – as many cyclists I’ve met say the most beautiful section of my journey through Patagonia.