South America Trip - Day 9

Torres del Paine National Park Day 5!  In my Active Adventures Itinerary, there was an option scheduled for this morning called “Touch the Ice”.  It cost extra but I, like the rest of our group, had hoped to get up close and personal with Grey Glacier.  However, Alvaro told us that the experience didn’t involve anything more than a cursory visit to the ice.  A few days ago, he mentioned that there was another option (an ice hike) and that he might be able to coordinate it for us.  We all agreed and awoke with high expectations after learning (last night) that the upgrade was approved.  I was awake by 0545 and quickly got ready, excited to try yet one more amazing activity in Chile!  Our group convened for breakfast (cereal, yogurt, scrambled eggs, bread) together, starting at 0700.  We encountered our first truly rude person (Karen?) of the whole trip, an English-speaking lady who was harassing the staff.  Alvaro attempted to smooth ruffled feathers but was then asked “are you the police?” Our group sat, uncomfortably, until the lady stormed away - sheesh… Everyone else was soon ready to get the day started!  Unlike other mornings on this trip, we didn’t have very much extra time to relax. I did get to talk briefly with a young guy who was getting close to finishing his full circuit of the O Trek - he seemed to have had a great time.  Soon afterwards (0730) our group convened (with all our gear) outside the Grey Refugio so we could make the 10 minute walk down to the Big Foot Adventure Center (“Base Camp”).  The air was crisp (40s) but the sky was clear.  At 0745, we checked in for our Ice Walk on the Grey Glacier!  After filling out more waiver forms, we paid a small fee to upgrade our “Touch the Ice” experience to “Hike the Ice”.  We were issued a small backpack with our gear: helmet, harness and crampons.  Our transportation (open Zodiak boat) arrived at the rocky “harbor” by 0800 and we quickly boarded.  By this point, I had layered up (three, including my winter coat).  Actually, it was nice to use more of the equipment I’ve been lugging around for several days… The ride was very quick because there was (again) almost no wind at all and the water was almost perfectly still.  As we had yesterday, dodging icebergs was required to traverse the lake safely.  The “landing” was a steep (45 degrees!) slab of scratched granite but we were able to get off the boat without mishap.  Only 20 years ago, this location was deep under the glacier but (like the Torres and Frances glaciers) it had dramatically receded in recent years.  Perhaps the most impressive thing within view from our granite perch was the deep blue edge of the Grey Glacier - jagged, craggy icebergs leaned precariously over the water only about 100 yards away.  Obviously, avoiding this kind of danger had dictated the location of the place were passengers could disembark… Our next challenge was to climb across the rocks and start a steep ascent to the (northeast side) of the glacier surface.  This probably took about 15 minutes and then our group paused in a muddy clearing to begin putting on our gear.  Figuring out how to don the helmet and harness was not too difficult.  However, we each needed assistance in putting on the crampons.  With my big feet, this was even more challenging for the poor guide… We received a safety brief, which included a lot more detail once we were issued our ice axes (yikes).  But, after only another 15 minutes, we stepped a few feet away and we’re on the ice.  What an amazing sensation!  I’ve been on an iceberg that was floating in the ocean and seen some glaciers from scenic viewpoints but have never tried navigating or walking on the surface of one.  It took a while to get used to the equipment but we mostly stayed in a long conga line of ice trekkers.  Our guides were very friendly and helpful - one (Simon) was very interested in traveling to Yosemite and quizzed me about it.  In several places, we saw deep, water filled holes in the ice and peered deep inside them (bottomless!).  Even bigger crevasses posed problems for us but, again, our guides kept us on a safe course.  At one point, we encountered a Patagonian Dragon (scientific name is andiperla willinka), a tiny insect that loves the glacial water and is a sign of its purity.  We saw a few pretty waterfalls on the vast expanse of ice and a few people filled up their bottles with some of the water (it had almost no taste).  As we continued across the ice, we were joined by a large bee (black, yellow and white) that checked out the backpacks of each hiker, right on down the line.  Alvaro told me later that this bee was an invasive species (from Argentina) that was wreaking havoc in Chile.  After walking a long way across the glacier, from the eastern edge of the ice to a place close to a large landmass (Nunatak Island) in the middle, we started our backtrack.  I was feeling quite comfortable with the equipment by this point but then one of my crampons broke.  Fortunately, Simon was carrying a spare and I soon rejoined the group.  By then, we’d reacted a cool ice tunnel that allowed each of us to try a bit of glacier spelunking.  From there, we quickly made our way back by to the gear staging spot.  By then, another tour group had arrived and a different Zodiak was waiting at the base of the ravine to take us back towards the Grey Refugio.  Somehow, we all made it safely to the bottom of the rocks and boarded our boat.  After that (1200), it was a very quick ride back to Big Foot Adventure Center.  We disembarked and returned all our gear and I also left tips for the Big Foot guides’ outstanding support yesterday and this morning (1230).  After retrieving my backpack, I enjoyed some “alone time” while I ate my box lunch (chipped beef sandwich, orange, Toblerone) on a bench under a shady tree.  It was nice to relax after over three hours on the ice!  At 1315, our group got back together and walked a short distance to the Ferry Landing (I should say “Beach”) to wait for our ride.  The boat was late but we enjoyed sitting in the sand and talking about all our great memories of Torres del Paine. Catamaran “Lago Grey” finally arrived at the beach at 1350 and we quickly boarded (we loaded our own gear and stacked it on the deck near the bow),  The seven other members of our Active Adventures group were standing on the upper balcony when the boat initially “beached” - they started waving and cheering for us as we climbed aboard.  Once the W Trek group was settled in seats, our guides got us each a free “welcome drink”.  I decided to sample a cocktail called “Calafate Sour” (basically, a Pisco Sour with the added flavor of the Calafate Berry).  It came with an ice cube that had been chipped right off a large chunk of the glacier that was sitting on the deck!  We all relaxed and marveled at the sensation of being on our way back towards Puerto Natales after five days “off the grid.”  We also exchanged tales with the other members of our travel group.  As the ferry departed, it initially drove to the northernmost point of Lake Grey, giving the passengers a good look at the entire face of the glacier.  We made a full circuit, from east to west (including to the far side of Nunatak) before turning south. As the ferry proceeded across Lake Grey, I noticed several peaks and viewpoints that we’d passed during our W Trek. The catamaran had to be careful in several places to avoid large icebergs.  It took a lot less time to reach the southern end of the lake than I’d expected (maximum time is advertised at three hours) and we were beached again by 1530.  With the gangway in place, everyone disembarked and we found ourselves in the middle of a huge, rocky beach.  Only then did the talk of a “hike” to the parking lot make sense… Carrying our full backpacks again, we walked for around 2.5 km.  Those of us who had hiked the W Trek, out of habit, followed Chris and soon (unintentionally) found ourselves well in front of our seven “Experience” friends.  We joked later that Chris had been previously holding back (on our account) and had high tailed it for the exit without thinking of us at all (this idea made all of us, even him, laugh).  At Grey Station (1615), we found a convenience store and cafeteria - most of us took the liberty of picking up food to eat during our drive home (1630).  I’d been hoping to get some souvenirs but everything was too big, unfortunately…  By 1645, we were on the bus (with our driver, Gerardo) again, ready to head back to civilization (this made me a bit sad).  It took a long time to get all the bags in the vehicle (and trailer) and several seats needed to be used to fit everything.  As we left the parking area, I noticed that everyone’s phones had started buzzing and chiming - mine had been in airplane mode for almost five days so I switched it on.  I found 300 emails, lots of texts and other notifications (sigh).  Reluctantly, I settled into email triage mode…  Meanwhile, almost everyone else (especially those who had paid for internet each day) settled into a nap.  Fortunately, I was saved from looking at a screen for two hours when one of the guides sitting next to me (Camilla) started asking about our hike.  She’d been with the other group of travelers but had done her own W Trek previously.  From this point, we had a very interesting conversation, ranging in topics between the immediate experience of an Active Adventures Tour (her first), visiting glaciers in Chile and the US, travel, North Patagonia activities, Chilean politics and life experiences.  The drive went by so quickly that I suddenly noticed we were entering Puerto Natales!  The weather there was completely different from our previous visit: sunny, warm (low 80s) and windless.  We got out of the van at around 1845 and immediately were able to check into our (old, same) rooms at Hotel Natalino.  I retrieved the bag I’d left behind and spent a little time organizing and repacking.  I had to return most of my hiking gear (first, I had to check a lot of pockets in the backpack!)… Alvaro also gave us a chance to add money to a tip envelope for our driver (1855).  Once done with the urgent items, I took my first “real” shower in five days!  Overall, I felt rather tired but had to resist sleep until we’d finished our planned activities for the day.  At 1945, the group reconvened in the lobby and we walked together towards the restaurant where our “Celebration Dinner” was going to take place.  Several members of the group had asked Alvaro where they could buy some of the spices we’d been eating at the Refugios and he took us to a nearby wine shop to search for them.  When we arrived, we learned that his wife had been responsible for planning, designing, stocking and managing the store until very recently.  The place was truly impressive!  Since we needed to meet our group and start our meal by 2000, we didn’t stay long and proceeded toward the waterfront.  After seeing so many dogs wandering around Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas, we asked Alvaro if they were community dogs.  He replied that they were well loved and fed (and even taken to the Vet) by the locals.  Watching them wag their tails almost everywhere they go is good for the soul… A little while after this conversation, we were all seated at Cafe Kau for our special dinner.  The menu included (breadcrumb covered) blood-sausage balls, an entre of lamb chops over risotto and a dessert of homemade brownie a’la mode.  Everything was delicious!  The meal included a Pisco Sour for each dinner and a bottle of wine for groups of four to share.  Chris told us the story of the wine we were drinking (“El Gozador” Camenere): all vineyards around the world had supposedly lost the grape during plagues/fungus but one vineyard in Chile had, unknowingly, preserved the variety for many years.  It wasn’t until a vintner from France visited to sample some that the “lost” type was “rediscovered”.  Our guides had arranged the seating so we could spend one more evening with our Trek or Experience friends - but also so we could spend a little more time with our guides.  Our group of six had previously pooled our tips for Chris in Alvaro’s envelope and we also tried to verbally express our gratitude to him near the end of the meal.  Perhaps he does it all the time, but Chris told us he would remember what a great team we all were.  Normally a rather stoic person, he seemed visibly moved by the parting of friends and gave us hugs as we left the restaurant (2130).  It was nearly dark (beautiful sunset) by then and we had a nice walk (watching cats and dogs) frolicking in the streets. By 2200, we were in our rooms for the night (it took me another hour to go to sleep).  This was our last night in Chile - it has been such a great visit to this special country and I really hate to leave.  Tomorrow: Argentina!