South America Trip - Day 8

Torres del Paine National Park Day 4!  I slept alright but woke up to Shoawen packing his bag at 0550.  Not wanting to disturb our other roommates, I got my own stuff and took it out to the common area to get organized.  When I went outside, I found that the day was crisp and windless.  By 0645, other members of our group arrived and we got in queue for breakfast.  The buffet line took a while and wasn’t really very exciting: cereal with warm milk, cheese and ham on a roll, runny scrambled eggs.  One nice thing, though, was that they had good orange juice.  Alvaro again shared his special coffee and we all had a nice conversation.  By 0730, we were given some time to decompress before our hike - we didn’t depart Paine Grande Lodge until 0815.  It was strange (and a bit sad) to be starting the last leg (west side) of “W Trek”… The morning weather was cooler and I started the day with a long sleeved shirt and light jacket.  As we headed north, I initially spent time near the back of the group.  We hiked into a long box canyon that quickly blocked views of Lake Pehoe; we still had the massive image of Paine Grande as picture perfect scenery, though. After about a mile, the trail transitioned to a definite incline and we began to make our way towards the ridge above Lake Grey. It wasn’t windy at first and I started to really dread the increasing temperatures… We leap-frogged several other hiking groups and it was funny to be saying “hi” (most spoke English) to the same people over and over - we’d also been around a lot of them for the previous three days.  Actually, I’ve forgotten to mention that Chilenos are very friendly so it is considered rude not to say “hola” when passing on the trail.  That is a lot different than my experiences on the AT… While climbing, I asked Alvaro lots of questions about our surroundings.  He told me a lot about the geology of the canyon and pointed out more flowers and birds.  Alvaro later explained that he studies all kinds of sciences throughout the year in order to be able to answer members of the group.  Meanwhile, we started to see higher peaks (Punta Bariloche and Cumbre Central) high overhead to the east - the whole scene was quite pretty.  It started to warm up (60s) so we were able to shed a layer.  In a few places, we stopped to rest in the shade of small trees.  However, we didn’t get any water for over an hour because Chris said it wasn’t truly drinkable.  As we finally reached the crest of the hill we’d been climbing, we could once again view (to the south) Lake Pehoe.  Further on, we started to gradually see a series of glaciers to our east and north.  We wound through groves of trees and hiked up and down over rocky ledges.  In the distance, the snowy peak of La Sentinela, a huge mountain above Lake Grey and its glacier, became visible - this meant we were getting close to the end of the W Trek. One good photo stop in this area was at Laguna Los Patos.  There were many upland geese there but none of the cool steamer ducks, unfortunately.  More impressive, however, was when we (suddenly) reached a place where we got our first view of a large section of Lake Gray.  It was littered with many, many small icebergs (all a pleasant shade of light blue).  The wind in this area steadily increased until Chris stopped the group and advised us to layer up again (we all complied).  This was wise because, a short time later, we rounded a large hill and were faced with a full fledged gale!  But the views from this point were even more spectacular so it was worth braving the elements.  Gradually, the Grey Glacier (and another, distant ice field to the west) became visible - wow!  In places, we had to struggle to keep our balance as we fought our way forward against the wind.  However, the completion of the W, rest at the Refugio and a planned kayak excursion kept us moving.  At one viewpoint, we got photos and videos of the amazing scenery - like many others on this trip, this was an unbeatable image.  From there, we started downhill along an extremely rocky path.  It was so treacherous that Alvaro moved forward in our group to instruct us on the best hand and foot placements.  Eventually, we made our way into a more sheltered area and were greeted by little splashes of color: Calefate Berry Blossoms, waterfall flowers, sweet pea buds and many dandelions.  We also encountered some puma scat (but didn’t see any of the big cats).  The trail became much more gradual along the way but continued descending all the way to the end. We stopped a few times for glacial water (I’ve been really loving the whole experience of skipping the filter!). Finally, we caught a glimpse of the rooftops of the Grey Refugio.  After a little more walking (total for the day was around 12 km, or 7ish miles), we reached the front porch and realized the hiking was over.  I’m definitely feeling quite accomplished after walking around 40 miles (60+ km) in the wilds of Chile!  We got a high five from stoic Chris and, later, a fist bump from Alvaro.  Since we hadn’t brought a box lunch with us this morning, the next major order of business was to get some food.  Unlike the Paine Grande Lodge (buffet line), Grey Refugio set up a relaxing spread for our meal.  We started eating at around 1330 and enjoyed asparagus soup, Porotos con Riendas (beans and reins) with sausage and a good mousse.  Everyone was in excellent spirits and we chattered on for about an hour about our good memories from the W hike.  Afterwards (1500), Alvaro showed us to our rooms; this time we were in two bunk rooms that located right across the hall from each other (the two couples in one room and Shaowen and myself in the other). Alvaro then released us to our own devices for several hours and everyone took advantage of the time to get some rest.  By 1645, we reconvened in the lobby and walked down to the Big Foot Adventure Center (“Base Camp”), by the waterfront, so we could begin our kayaking trip to the Grey Glacier.  After signing some release forms and getting instruction on using the equipment (wet suit, waterproof jacket, cockpit seal, helmet, paddle), we headed down to the water.  We found tandem sea kayaks there - these are bigger and balanced differently than my normal ride (“Tequila Sunrise”).  Up to this point, I hadn’t really cared who was in the front or back but Janice (who’d been on this activity previously) suggested that I sit in the back because I had more kayak experience.  Shaowen enthusiastically agreed (he said he hadn’t enjoyed his only previous experience on the water).  As a result, I had to learn the process of moving the rudder pedals in conjunction with synchronized paddling.  After they launched us, I quickly got the hang of things but was now using a large number of different muscles than I had while hiking earlier in the day.  Fortunately, I’d done enough kayaking that I could keep a good rhythm and help Shaowen feel comfortable.  Our group of eight kayaks (there were also guides and several other folks who went kayaking with us) soon departed the launch area and paddled north towards the face of the glacier.  The sun was shining, the sky was clear and there was almost no wind at all.  As a result of the latter (unexpected) benefit, we only had two instances with waves: when boats passed.  Otherwise, the lake was smooth as glass and it allowed us all to float peacefully along and adjust to the sensations of being in a warm cocoon amidst ice cold water.  One of the guides, Joaquin, told me that my life expectancy in the water was only 10 minutes - I believe him because I submerged my hand to see how cold it was (brrrr).  We made our way through a maze of bright blue icebergs and smaller floating ice “rocks” - it was awesome to be so close!  However, we also had to keep our distance due to the constant threat of falling ice debris.  We pulled all the kayaks together at one point and made a big raft.  Joaquin later took photos of me and Shaowen then the group moved towards the eastern shore of the lake.  We got really close to a nice waterfall and some brave folks (not me) tried to paddle underneath.  Nearby, we saw a place where the melting icebergs seemed to go to “die” - there was a small field of broken pieces piled along the shore. Shaowen told me he’d had a great time on the trip because I’d made it fun for him - that made my day, actually.  The group returned to the Base Camp in single file (a bit of a challenge).  We were finished with our paddling adventure by around 1910 and spent a little time (after talking off our gear) with the staff, enjoying tea and cookies.  Soon after, we returned to our bunk rooms so we could shower and get ready for dinner.  At the bar, Alvaro bought me a beer (Astral Patagonia 508) and thanked me for encouraging the other members of the group throughout the W Trek and kayaking.  He told me that Chileans have a slang name for a person who has let themselves become wild at heart - “Bagual” - and he added that he believed I’d earned that title.  The whole group (including Chris) sat down to dinner (asparagus soup, beans and corn, chipped beef over rice, chocolate pudding) at 2000 and continued the happy, cheery celebration of those who have accomplished a rewarding task.  It took a bit of struggling with my limited Spanish to get the next round of Astral Patagonia 508 for myself and Alvaro (2045) but it was well worth the effort.  We’d seen (and discussed) a sign we’d seen on the W that said one hadn’t really been to Chile without drinking some of their wine.  I guess Shelly and Tony took this to heart because they later insisted on buying me a glass Chilean Cabernet-Sauvignon - it was quite good!  As the night was winding down (2200), I got help from the front desk (speaking Spanish) on where to look for the Southern Cross.  It wasn’t completely dark yet so I didn’t leave the bar immediately.  Instead, I talked more about dogs and travel with Kirk and Janice.  A bit later, I went outside to stargaze but found too many clouds.  Oh well… Returned to the room to find that no one else was coming to stay there and it was just me and Shaowen.  This was an unexpected bonus and I got to bed nice and early (2230), at least for this trip.  What a day!