FlyerTalk Forums - Trip Report: Torres del Paine, Patagonia (Chile)

Hey guys! Greetings from Greece and have fun with the 5th and final part of this series :)

The Final Days!

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16/04/2015 It was the fifth and final (full) day of my trek through Torres del Paine. The weather conditions remained the same; a freezing cold morning, followed by a great sunny day. I would make my way through an impressive canyon before attempting an early morning sunrise hike towards the Torres Lake, hoping that the weather would stick around for just a bit longer as rain was dominating the forecast in the next days..

The hike during the first half of the day was not as spectacular as the ones before until I reached the canyon, leaving me yet again astonished by the beauty of the landscape. I was also joined by three other guys and together we made our way downwards to the river and then into a forest, which would eventually lead us to the camp site for the night. I found a nice spot next to a small stream and could collect some moss for more comfort again. Meeting up with the British guys from yesterday was not only great for the brilliant company they provided, but also for the dinner they kindly shared with me after losing about 20% of my food supply due to the rat attack in the first night.

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Everyone went to bed early and we all had the same plan: Get up around 6AM to see the famous Torres peaks close up from the Lake. It was only a good hour of walking in general, but you want to be there early enough just in case. I knew that I would beat that time though, giving me some more time to sleep until 7AM. Sadly enough, the weather forecast was correct and I was faced with a lot of rain going uphill. The rocks were slippery and I had to be careful, but I made it up quickly anyway in about half an hour and joined the waiting group at the lake. You could not see a lot of change during the sunrise time, too many clouds were blocking any light. At least, after half an hour waiting around 8:30AM, the clouds just in front of me disappeared again and I could see the Torres finally. The rest of the group had already left the lake by the time as they were probably being cold from waiting here too early. I could make some pictures and witnessed the impressive sound of ice crushing down the glacier before heading back as well.

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The rain stopped as I reached camp and I could enjoy a nice last (and long) hike back towards the starting point of the circuit. Everyone else decided to wait for the shuttle taking them there, but I still had enough energy left to finish the hike by walking. Some nice views came up on the way back and I made it there way ahead of the shuttle buses, allowing me to dry my gear a little bit in the sun before boarding the bus that would take me back to Puerto Natales. Hiking in Torres del Paine has been absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to get to New Zealand next, probably one of the few places that could potentially top this experience…

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Day 5 Statistics:
Distance hiked: 20km
Time spent: 5h 20m

Day 6 Statistics:
Distance hiked: 18,2km
Time spent: 4h 36m

Total Altitude..
..gain: 7426m
..loss: 7364m

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