Torres del Paine – Introduction

 A few years ago, Kate had given Dan a map of Torres del Paine park for Christmas. Guidebooks to Chile mention Torres del Paine as the best trek in South America. Kate searched hikers blogs describing the trek and read stories about the “Towers of Pain:” gale-force wind, rain, long days of hiking, views obscured by clouds. Which was it to be, an unforgettably beautiful hike or an unrelenting epic?

We chose to hike “the W,” which reportedly takes 4 or 5 days and whisks you past the three highlights of the park: Glacier Grey, the French Valley and the Torres del Paine. There are “refugios” scattered through the park that offer meals and bunk beds. The refugios need to be booked several months in advance. Since our trip was planned last-minute we would tent camp. Camping was limited to paid sites near the refugios or designated free sites.

Park map with the "W" outlined in green.

At 7:30AM we hopped on yet another bus and rode three hours to Torres del Paine park. As we neared the park, the mountain towers came into view, reflected in turquoise-blue glacial lakes. After the bus ride we took a ferry to Refugio Paine Grande.

Salto Grande is located near the ferry station where Lago Nordenskjold flows into Lago Pehoe.

Ferry ride.

We are clearly not the only people planning on hiking in Torres del Paine. A pile of backpacks:

After three bus rides, one flight and a ferry ride, we were ready to start traveling on our own two feet. We hoisted fully loaded pack on our backs and hit the trail. 3.5 hours and 11 km to Refugio Gray camping.