Patagonia: Thoughts On Getting Offline As Well As Trying To Camp
I came to Patagonia to melody out, clear my mind, hike, in addition to larn to camp. I abhor camping, though, in addition to tin count on ane manus the release of nights I’ve spent inwards a tent. As an insomniac, I much prefer beds, hot water, in addition to even out toilets. Even every bit a kid, when my friends in addition to I went camping, I never enjoyed the sense — I only went to live alongside my friends. But I signed upwards for the Intrepid Patagonia tour (with beau blogger Hey Nadine, no less!) every bit a mode to ease myself into the sense again.
After a nighttime inwards Santiago, my tour grouping flew downwards to Patagonia, where nosotros geared upwards for the famous “W Trek” inwards Torres del Paine National Park. The park, founded inwards 1959, is habitation to tons of glaciers, glacial lakes, deep valleys, famous granite mountains, in addition to beautiful pino forests. More than 100,000 people see each year, making it ane of the overstep destinations inwards South America. The westward Trek is hence named because it follows the natural formations of 3 valleys, thereby forming a westward shape. It’s the most pop circuit inwards the park, every bit it hits all the major sights: Glacier Grey, the French Valley, in addition to the picture-perfect Torres Towers.
As nosotros approached the commons on the commencement day, giant grayish mountains rose high inwards a higher house us in addition to a cloudless bluish heaven stretched to infinity. Everyone on the motorcoach gave a collective gasp. While our guides stopped to acquire our camping ground in addition to hiking permits, nosotros piled out for photographs. The crisp air, grass waving inwards the wind, in addition to sheer mountainsides made me excited to acquire connected to nature again.
The paved route in addition to hence became dirt, in addition to the motorcoach — lacking whatever shocks — jostled us similar a carnival ride. After a choppy ferry ride, nosotros arrived at Paine Grande camp, our habitation for the commencement 2 nights of 4 days of hiking. Instead of doing the westward inwards a continuous line, nosotros would hike 2 portions from this camp, doubling dorsum each nighttime to relaxation our bones.
We dropped our bags in addition to laid off on the commencement trek, to Glaciar Grey, hence named for its grayish hue produced from calorie-free beingness reflected yesteryear the soil in addition to the dirt it smashes in addition to carries every bit it proceeds downwards the mountains in addition to into the lakes. Behind us was Lake Pehoe with its deep, crystal bluish water. The current of air picked upwards in addition to nosotros came to a sentry signal high inwards a higher house Lago Grey. Battling gusts that kept pushing us off balance, nosotros took photos of the glacier earlier scrambling downwards from the lookout. After a quick snack amid the rocks, nosotros stepped dorsum on the path, in addition to the current of air died downwards every bit nosotros descended into the pino forest.
My lastly sense setting upwards a tent, on a trip to Africa, didn’t acquire well: I couldn’t acquire my tent poles to arch in addition to oft seemed to have got ane left over. Now, I was hoping for about practise when nosotros got dorsum to camp, hence I could cut my tent-pitching fourth dimension from thirty confused minutes to something to a greater extent than reasonable. Alas, it was non to be. When nosotros returned to Paine Grande hours later, it turned out the campsite handlers had laid the tents for us!
After dinner, nosotros retired. I tin run into why our ancestors of yore were the “early to bed, early on to rise” types: when there’s no ability or light, there’s non much to do. But every bit an insomniac, it’s hard for me to slumber inwards a normal bed, allow lone a tent. With the temperature dropping, the current of air whipping, in addition to only a sparse mattress pad underneath me, it took me hours to autumn asleep. When my eyes finally closed, I wondered if I would ever have got it inwards me to autumn inwards dearest alongside camping.
The adjacent morning, nosotros woke to a warm in addition to clear day. On our 22 km hike through the French Valley, nosotros ascended through burned forest, across rivers, in addition to along a valley earlier arriving at Glaciar Francés. There, melting H2O ice came crashing off cliffs similar intense thunder. We stood inwards the glacier’s shadow, eating tiffin in addition to waiting to spy the peachy ice.
We would listen the boom in addition to promise to speedily spot the H2O ice in addition to snowfall cascading downwards the mountain. We stayed an hr earlier descending but looked dorsum at the audio of each novel crash, hoping to select direct keep of simply ane to a greater extent than glimpse of the glacier’s H2O ice falling.
Back at campsite that night, the temperature was colder, the pelting came pouring down, in addition to the current of air whipped hence hard it blew purpose of our tent down, causing Nadine to scramble out in addition to pound the poles dorsum inwards alongside her hiking shoes. I wondered how people got used to this. There would live no slumber for me for a 2nd nighttime inwards a row.
The adjacent day, the pelting continued every bit nosotros made our mode to the ferry taking us to our terminal camp, Refugio Las Torres. There wasn’t much hiking that day, in addition to every bit the current of air blew in addition to pelting came at us sideways, I was glad I had called ahead in addition to booked a dorm bed inwards the campground’s hostel.
After 2 nights inwards a cold, moisture tent, I needed a change. Patagonia was beautiful in addition to the relaxing intermission I needed, but I also needed slumber — in addition to I wasn’t getting any. But inwards bed that night, it was every bit if I was sleeping on a cloud. I was warm in addition to comfy, in addition to fifty-fifty the loudest snorer inwards the populace inwards the adjacent room didn’t ruin my sleep. I realized in addition to hence that I am a camping ground wimp in addition to that staying inwards a tent is non for me. Maybe I should endeavor glamping. As much every bit I dearest the outdoors, I also dearest beds in addition to hot showers!
On the lastly day, nosotros laid out to tackle the park’s most famous hike: the 22km round-trip to the Torres Towers, ane of the most hard I’ve done since the 20km Tongariro Crossing inwards New Zealand. But these 3 towers assault a glacial lake are moving painting perfect, alongside their granite, ice-covered spires laid inwards a higher house an aquamarine lake. I could swear it was a photograph used every bit reckoner wallpaper.
After my grouping ascended to the overstep of the lookout, ate lunch, in addition to started the descent, I opted to remain longer. I wasn’t create to leave. Two hours later, every bit the clouds rolled inwards in addition to the current of air picked up, I finally began my descent dorsum to camp, the lastly to exit the viewpoint. The fourth dimension I spent at that topographic point allowed me to clear my head, withal my heed for a moment, in addition to bask the introduce — something I hadn’t done inwards a long time.
As nosotros headed out of the commons the next day, I was thankful for the trip. Being offline in addition to inwards nature was a much-needed mental break, in addition to Patagonia was ane of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. It’s ane of those locations on populace that makes you lot realize how modest you lot are in addition to simply how grand in addition to meaning nature is. Camping may non have got won me over, but nature e'er warms my substance in addition to brings me perspective.
Logistics
To acquire to Torres del Paine, you lot tin have got a tour or caput downwards on your ain yesteryear going from Puerto Natales, Chile, where buses exit regularly in addition to drib you lot off at the ferry to Paine Grande campsite or the campsite gate itself.
If you’re visiting solo, check out this weblog yesteryear Breakaway Backpacker, who did the trek solo lastly year. He has a lot of data on prices, booking, in addition to what gear you’ll need. (Since I was on a tour, that was provided for me.)
The commons is tardily to explore, but every bit somebody alongside trivial camping ground experience, I was glad to have got a guide who knew the trails, gave us a history of the park, in addition to added data in addition to facts almost the industrial plant life in addition to fauna. You don’t acquire that when you’re alone! If you’re similar me in addition to non big into camping, I advise a tour!
Note: I went on this trip inwards Republic of Chile every bit purpose of my ongoing partnership alongside Intrepid Travel. They covered the cost of this tour in addition to whatever additional costs during the course of teaching of the trip. I received no coin for going on this trip.
Sumber https://www.nomadicmatt.com
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