Patagonia: Torres del Paine

If there's one name attached to Patagonian Chile, it's Torres del Paine. The park is probably Chile's most famous attraction. It was half the reason I came down south. Normally I would have done its star attraction, the 'W' trail. Unfortunately, 1) it's closed in the Winter and 2) When open it takes four days for an experienced hiker. I opted for a guided tour instead. The tour and entrance fees would cost more than all three days in Atacama did. I hoped it was worth it. I knew deep down it wouldn't be.

Just forty minutes in I discovered deep down Hillel was a goddamned idiot. We had come to the first attraction in the park, the Myrmidon. That's science speak for saber-toothed tiger. We officially went in to "learn more about the history", which is guide speak for "check out this huge-ass cave." The last time I had been in a large cave was when I still lived in New Jersey. That time was already a dim memory, and I looked upon the cave with completely virgin eyes.

I'm sure they say it's the Myrmidon cave to make the tigers more interesting, not the cave. We had not even reached the park yet. The mountains were still a backdrop on the landscape, and we couldn't even see the main towers yet.

Then we arrived in the place proper.

I took eleven pictures of this. Different lighting, options, positions, trying to find some way of capturing the majesty of what I see. It's no use. The stark mountains are mirrored almost perfectly by the water below, The lake and landscape are individually impressive, but together they blow me away. I'm looking at something straight out of a faerie tale. Nestled in the mountains are the Towers.

We did not hike them. That's something for a group with more time and skill than we have. More importantly, a group that can come in the summer. We head a different way.

After some more driving our guide let us out and told us to hike. So we did. It's not a long hike. Maybe ten minutes until we reach the end of the path.

I clambered over the railings and get as close as I dare.

More driving. We reach Lagoon Azul, a small lake carved out by the retreating glaciers. I mentioned the glaciers. right? Glaciers are responsible for the entire park.

After this we split up. Most of the group headed with the tour guide into a hotel that's for some reason lodged within del Paine. They got lunch there for 60 USD. The remaining tourist and I hoisted our backpacks and started our long trek. We had stood upon the Blue Lagoon. It was now time to cross the Grey one.

The retreating glacier left a beach of gravel. It's a long and exhausting walk, but we moved through it. Then it's up the steep path for an hour, until we finally reached the end of our trip.

Looking back I realize how facile this all sounds. How was this any different from the hikes or the tours of Atacama? I can't convey the sheer power of the place in pictures. I can't make you feel overwhelmed with a stream of purple prose. I can't describe what made me take dozens of pictures of the same scenes, trying to place in bytes the images burned onto my eyes. The photos I put here are less than a tenth of the total ones I took, many of them of things not covered here. There's just so MUCH. I spent more here than all three days in Atacama, yes, but this made the desert look like a cheap tourist trap. Crown jewel of Chile, indeed.

We barely scratched the surface of the park. A full tour of the places, seeing and doing everything around, would take two weeks. And you know what? It'd be worth it.