I put myself in a tricky situation with very few Chilean Pesos in my pockets, which ultimately limited my stay to only one night camping in the park. Therefore, instead of doing the famous "W" which incorporates some of the most impressive landscapes in the park, I decided to do the first hike in the "W", to the actual Torres del Paine.
I located the camp ground near the mountain and cooked some pasta with a delicious tuna tomato sauce before hitting the hay. I decided to wake up early the next morning to make most of the day, ...which implied a rise before the sun rise. After the legendary battle against the heavenly-soft-and-warm-sleeping-bag was won, I hadn´t lost too much time, thus ate some oatmeal, dismantled the tent, and prepped the bike for departure. (Early rises are less enjoyable not only because of the hour, but the dew outside which makes everything wet). |
| Fellow Honda Tornado Rider at the parking spot |
The morning was foggy, I put my hopes on that it would clear up. The hike started with a steep climb, and then moved into a valley, with a river, with some small huts built deeper into the valley. ...you get it, I was entering the valley of Imladris (Lord of the Rings ref.). I think the expected duration of the trail was 4 hours one way, so I marched on.
Eventually I made it to the glacier lake in front the the impressive Torres del Paine... except that I couldn´t see it. But I tell you, it would have been epic!.
For those of you as disappointed as myself:
As some people were waiting for the winds to change and chase away the fog, I decided to save the time to explore the park on my bike instead. I must admit that was a little sad to have come this far and not have the time to do the "W", nor actually see the Torres del Paine.
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| Art made by creative hikers |
On the hike, I stumbled upon someone I had met in El Chaltén. He told me he had already run into 4 groups of people randomly on this hike, that he had already met in La Patagonia previously. I thought about what he said when we departed, and right then did I run into the forth random person I had met before on my trip through La Patagonia. Coincidence! hahaha
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| The Japanese Crew |
Sometimes I am torn between just enjoying the moment riding on the bike through epic landscapes, and interrupt "the moment" to take pictures (and make the memory eternal). This day I was forced to stop and take some photos, and I really should have stayed another day to further explore the park. I made frequent stops through out the day, and then cruised on at minimum speed.
At the end of the day, I was exhausted and almost desperately looked for a spot to camp before the sun set. I did find a spot on the side of the road, of the side of a lake, magically reflecting the light from the fullmoon above. Fortunately I was outside the park, as the fine and possible jail time for camping outside of camping areas, would have been extremely unnecessary.
The next day proved tricky, since this road was under construction, and the next day I came to realize that the traffic was directed only in one direction. I can only say that they were confused to see me drive by at the various check points, ...not to mention the surprised drivers I had to creatively dodge in the sharp turns. The destination for the day was Punta Arenas, the last "city" in Chile on my route southbound.
I was determined to keep up the pace as the cold weather and winds were starting to really freeze my bones.
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