And then we went south, waaaaay south

After exploring next to the equator in the Galapagos and in Quito, Ecuador, we hopped a series of flights and were soon all the way down past 50 degrees South in Chile, headed for Patagonia, the land of amazing mountains, glaciers, and legendary wind and cold.

We made our way to the little town of Puerto Natales and stocked up as best we could on a Sunday (all the shops were closed). We found some decent camping gear to rent and bought some basic supplies at the grocery store. With 10 days of oatmeal, a few days of pasta (we would buy some more food along the way) and just a couple of shirts each (9 days, 2 shirts!), we headed for Torres del Paine National Park and its Circuito Grande, a 7 to 10 day trek that takes you all the way around the famous Towers. We were ready for the cold and wind that Patagonia is famous for, and were caught off-guard: the first two days were sunny and hot. Neither of us bothered to pack shorts, and we had minimal sunscreen (we expected to be covered by warm clothing, except for our faces), so we soon felt overheated. We picked our way through a less-than-glamourous first day that followed a double-track road past endless piles of cow manure to get to our first windy campground. There, I was immediately treated to the free opinions of the German "smart asses" (who soon became great friends of ours for the rest of the trek) who loved to comment on how I was setting up our rental tent. Lutz and Frank soon became both the source and target of much sarcastic wit and humourous insult that flew back and forth for 9 days. We also met some other Canadians, one of whom was carrying the biggest, heaviest pack on the trail, yet was faster than anyone. The other, Jenny, was the grateful recipient of a birthday chocolate bar during the trek, complete with a couple of wooden matches as candles on the "cake". And finally, we met a Chilean local who twisted his knee on the first day and then decided to go for the rest of the 9 day circuit. Campgrounds varied from windy to unlevel to mosquito-infested to sometimes pleasant. Hot showers at a few campgrounds were a pleasant surprise. The scenery was always spectactular (except for the cow manure day) and the variety was incredible. Rolling hills, forests, mountains, lakes, rivers, and more. While the Torres steal the main credit, the biggest highlights of doing the full circuit (most people just hike the front side) were the great scenery in the cirque at the top of the Valle del Frances (amazing mountains in every direction) and the mind-blowing view when you reach the top of Gardner Pass and see the entire massive Grey Glacier open up below you. The glacier is huge, and to see a glacier from above is a really spectacular vantage point. The glacier was always below us off one side of the trail for about 2 days. Everywhere you looked, you could see a blue colour in the ice that truly seems unnatural, impossible, absolutely beautiful. And from the campground just past the toe of the glacier, you could look off the shore and see huge icebergs floating by on the lake, ice that you had just heard break off the glacier minutes ago.

The packs were heavy, especially with the rental gear and food that weren't ultralight. We supplemented our food supplies from a few small food kiosks along the way, but by the end of the trip, we probably won't crave salami or pasta for quite a while. Still, it was well worth it to enjoy the views over Glacier Grey and enjoy the solitude of the less-travelled back of the circuit.

After the trek, we were treated to a ride all the way back to Puerto Natales with Lutz and Frank in their rental car. An interesting sight, considering this Fiat would barely fit the two of them and their backpacks, nevermind four people and four packs. After some clever packing, we all fit in, but for the drive out of the park, Veronica got to see the scenery from one side of the car and I could see out the other side, but the stack of backpacks between us in the back seat prevented any other views. We would pass the camera back and forth over the piles of packs to show the other person what they were missing...