Anyway, I rode out along the highway... Which became gravel after about 40Km or so and the gravel lasted all the way to the park. And, I have to say, it was probably some of the worst gravel road that Ive been on, with loads of pot-holes and constant corrugations! Thats really surprising because Torres Del Paine is a very attractive and very popular park... And to top it off, they charge you a hefty entry fee at the park too ($US15), so I would expect they would look after the roads... But no, I guess they are using the funds to support other less lucrative parks or something.
Well before you get to the park entrance, the local native wildlife becomes very abundant. There are herds of Guanacos and lots of Nandus and I also saw lots of the small grey foxes about. I got to the entrance and paid my fees and then drove another eight Km to the point where I wanted to hike from.
I organised my stuff, put my bike up on its centre stand and locked it all up, and put on my improvised backpack and headed off. My backpack was made from two dry bags... One with an integral harness and the other without. I brought the harness one for just this sort of thing, but its got no waist belt so all the load is on your shoulders which at the moment (after my little spill) is a bit of a pain :)
I headed up a valley into the mountains to a camp about 10 Km away. Its at the base of another short valley above which there are some very impressive rock towers which the park is named after. Again, they are rock-climbing icons, though Ive never been up to see them. They were again first climbed in the fifties but I dont know by whom. As with all of the rock peaks Ive posted pictures of recently, they are considered "extreme". To put that in perspective a little, Mt Everest can have more than one hundred people reach its summit in a single day during the climbing season, but these rock spires and towers may be lucky to see only a single ascent in a year... They are only undertaken by the most skilled and dedicated climbers.
The valley on the way up is wooded with lots of Notho-fagus (false Beech) which actually makes for quite an ugly tree around here! The small leaves are a lovely light green and it grows in quite dense groves, but it gets fungus problems in the heartwood and then the branches fall off and the trees get all gnarled. But, it does look really nice when it gets "bonsai'ed" by the alpine conditions and the ferocious winds that come through :)
Its late summer here and some of the Beech leaves are starting to turn to autumn colours ... It must be really beautiful here in another month or so :)
Actually, there are some very nice groves of these Notho-fagus trees around, but they are not here in this park... Its too harsh and they dont get very big (maybe only 5m tall or so), and the nice ones Ive seen are the big ones that are 10-15m high.
I got to camp at about 3:30pm and set up my little tent... Its under the trees so its should be fine if the winds pick up. Then I went for a hike UP the short valley to the towers. I say UP, because its about 500m of height gain in a couple of Km of distance. The sky is overcast but the towers are not in clouds and its a nice view. Then I come back down to camp and cook a quick one-pot meal on my little camp stove.
The next morning I get up early and hike back up to the towers to see them in morning light... Again, the clouds are a bit of a problem, but after waiting around a bit, the light was better.
Then its back down again to pack up camp and head down the valley and along a lake front to another camping area.
I hike along for a few hours, but Im slowing down and feeling tired. The shoes I have are falling to pieces and giving me blisters, and my injured shoulder really does not like the load of the backpack on it...
So, I decide to break park rules and camp on my own and not in a designated camp area. I agree with the rules for a park that is this popular (people camping everywhere whenever they want would destroy the vegetation very quickly). So, I sneak off over a hill and out of site of everyone when I get the chance. I find a spot that is in a bit of a hollow near the top of a hill, and also has some shelter from a few low trees... It also has quite a nice view :)
Its about 5pm by this time anyway, so Im happy just to relax and enjoy the view...
