Date of Entry:March 27th 2016

Date of Writing:  May 21st 2016, Blue House Hostel, Sao Paulo, Brazil

I wake up early. Around 4 am and I’m out of my tent by 430, leaving it set up and  doing my best to hike up the slick and dark trail, lit only by the moon, stars and headlamps of the 100 plus trekkers heading up.  My legs are aching and sore and soon enough I’m asping for breath, but I know what’s waiting for me up there.  After yesterday’s visit there’s no way I’m going to miss it.

The walk the second time around is much tougher as it’s dark and my legs are nearing the end of their usefulness, but truth be told it’s still not as hard as I expect it to be and I make it up to the lake in plenty of time to watch the sunrise, sadly as light creeps into the night sky it becomes increasingly clear the suns not going to be very visible this morning.  Shitty luck, but I can’t complain about the weather I’ve had the last 6 days at all.  It’s been excellent.

I find myself a hidden somewhat sheltered sitting spot right down by the lake and set up my sleeping bag as a pillow to settle down and watch the sunrise, or what little of it I can hope to see.  Every trekker seems friendly so we also take some photos of each other as some colour starts to creep through the thick but mercifully high blanket of clouds, colouring the scene and adding to the beauty of this place.

A little rain comes in and I bundle up in my rain jacket two amazing things happen, a ray of light hits the rock just below the towers changing the scene entirely, and then I almost can’t believe my luck as a rainbow blooms in the sky linking the lake and the towers together in a mystic moment of magical perfection.  Almost as good as a blue sky.  The rainbow is short lived, some people don’t even notice it, but it’s there, and here’s the pictures to prove it.

Eventually the rainbow disappears and I head over around the lake a bit to meet up with some friends met at various points along the trail, and Taro and I take more photos of each other, me stripping down again and beginning to feel like a movie star with all the cameras clicking.  I’m sure I broke more than a few lenses.

I’ve still got some distance to cover to get back for the mid-afternoon bus, and that sounds ideal rather than arriving in puerto Natales in the middle of the night.  I’ve done pretty well with trekking food but my belly is definitely itching for a Barros Luco Tocino from Masay sandwiches back in town, so… when the rain starts falling briefly it provides the perfect excuse to head back down to the campsite, pack up my tent, and head back towards campsite Chileno.

As I go, following the river down I pass through the same beautiful green forests and the sky slowly begins to clear, the sun fighting it’s way through clouds and yielding a beautiful day, just a few hours too late for my purposes.

I reach Chileno but opt not to have a long rest instead hurrying past the refugio and back up another steep section of uphill which I’m surprised to find not that difficult, my body having now fully adjusted to the demands of trekking.

I reach the top of the pass and look back the way I’ve come staring down at the picturesque valley which is now lit by a mostly blue sky.  In fact it’s downright warm and soon after taking the pictures below I’m stripping some layers to cool down.

The rest of the way is downhill, but with still, after heading down from the lake in the past 24 hours my knees are killing me and it’s actually somewhat difficult.  I wind down towards the huge Torres Del Paine Hotel passing by some tired looking trekkers and encouraging them as well as some people opting for a very expensive horseback ride.

I reach the lower levels of the park and cross over the beautiful glacial river which I’ve been following all day.  The views are stunning still and though I’m very tired I’m also immensely sad to be leaving this incredible park.

I eventually get to the cozy but expensive hotel where the bus leaves from and snap a few final pictures looking back the way I’ve come. It’s been an incredible 6 days.  Very Challenging at times, but also a ridiculous experience and one that made putting in the work and losing weight all worth it.  I don’t think I could have done this walk last year, certainly not carrying all my gear.  It’s been truly incredible and though I’m exhausted I feel sad I did not choose to do the full circuit as I think my body could have handled it and who wouldn’t want to see more of this stunning park.

I see the shuttle bus to the park entrance (2,500CLP) leaving and for some reason cram my bag into the crowded luggage space even though I have lots of time and figure out there’s not a seat there so its a bumpy, sweaty standing 30 minute ride over to the park entrance where I then spend several hours waiting for the 230 bus back to puerto Natales (15,000 CLP return).  I pass the time taking a few final photos which continues on the comfy bus ride back, me snapping photos of flamingoes and the ridiculous patagonian scenery as I dream of a nice greasy cheeseburger type thing.  Camping has been incredible, I’d love to do it for longer, but a part of me is certainly aching to get back to society.

I roll back into town after three hours on the bus and decide that after all the trekking I’ve done I can walk the 1 km or so back to one of my favourite hostels in the world, Yagan house, where a beautiful shower, comfortable bed, and warm hospitality await me. It’s weird to be back in civilization, even in a town so small, but so long in nature lends me a new appreciation for things like houses. So here’s a picture to end the day.  Next up is more of southern argentine, which I’m quite sure will be tons of fun.

I’ll be putting up more technical posts about how to get the best out of Torres Del Paine, but this is the last story entry from there, so I hope everyone enjoyed the series.