Torres Del Paine

Off we headed to Chilean Patagonia to do the "W", a classic trek in el Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. We started with a boat ride to the trailhead and were immediately impressed by the incredible views.











The peaks and rock spires were peaking out from the clouds and fog hovering above. People on the boat reported that the previous day when they had entered the park they couldn't see anything, again making us realize what buen suerte we were having with the weather!








Yes, the lake was really this color. Coming straight from the glacier gives it this milky aqua color.












And we were off for five days and four nights in the park!










We met two other people from Denver (small world!) on the bus to the park, and ended up hiking the whole time with them. Here are Steve, Laura, Cameron and I- with Glacier Grey in the background.




We knew we were getting closer to the glacier when we could see these huge icebergs floating in the lake.











Cameron doing some "ubication" with the map, Glacier Grey in the background.













After a tiny bit of rain on our hike in, the skies cleared and we were treated to an incredible sunset overlooking Glacier Grey- just a couple minutes from our campground. We could periodically hear chunks of ice breaking off and falling into the lake below.







We met four other people from Colorado on the way into the park, and the eight of us Coloradoans sat together on the rocks taking it all in. We enjoyed pasta-a-la-Cameron in quite possibly the most incredible place I have ever had dinner- absolutely surreal!!










A view from our hike the following day. We were pleasantly surprised by how lush the trail was. The trees, flowers, fruit, and waterfalls made the views of the snowy peaks even more impressive.














On our morning hike up to Valle Frances, we started the trip with this sunrise-splashed mountain, blue sky, and the moon hanging on above. Although it is hard to imagine the scale here, the peak is towering about 9,000 feet above us!















Here is the same mountain later in the day. Chunks of the glaciers were constantly breaking off, sending a thundering sound up the valley. The snow and ice falling looked like mini waterfalls as it crashed down on the ice field below. It was hard to keep hiking and leave the view of this dynamic mountain!







Here are Cameron and Laura taking in the view of the top of Valle Frances where it opens up to a huge bowl surrounded by peaks. (I promise this wasn´t posed:)











Here is the view down the valley that we climbed up-to the opposite side of the peaks.














One section of peaks in the bowl- the section on the right is called "Cabeza del Indio". I couldn't quite figure out where the indian head was- let me know if you see it!









More peaks to the left of the previous picture. Some of the rock formations were very Moab-esque.

On our way to our next campsite, Steve, Laura and Cameron with "Los Cuernos" in the background. These rock formations form the right-hand side of the bowl (put these four pictures together to get an idea of the panoramic view:)

Here is one of the signs on the trail, with Los Cuernos in the background. The whole trail is very well-signed, and the times were quite accurate (a slight blow to our confidence or pride that assumed we could do it in less time!)

Here is our next campsite, beneath the opposite side of Los Cuernos. You can see our tent in the lower left-hand corner. Again, the moon was there to greet us in the morning.













...and a few minutes later as the emerging sun painted the rocks. I stood lakeside in silent awe, watching the fog rise up through the mountains and the wispy clouds float past the pinkish peaks.











Here we are at a lunch break on the way to our final campsite, at the base of the towers. Laura, Cameron, myself, Steve, and our two new friends from Germany- Robert and Matias. There were refugios (huts) along the trail where you could stay. We opted for the free campsites, but didn't hesitate to take advantage of the refugios and buy some wine and chocolate (essentials for the trail:)





That afternoon we headed up to see los Torres del Paine, the namesake of the park. We wanted to assure ourselves a view of them just in case our luck with the weather changed and it was cloudy the next morning. Here is Cameron gazing out at the massive rock towers, glaciers, and two toned rock descending into the greenish glacial lake.














This tree pose is for you, Mom!
























Fortunatly our luck didn't change and we climbed up the next morning to see the Torres in a different light.
We were finally able to rave about the weather without fear of jinxing ourselves. Seeing the Torres at sunrise was a perfect conclusion to our trip. This is truly an enchanting place!