When your 40th birthday rolls around it can be a big milestone for some and I do like a good birthday extravaganza. We wanted to do something epic so we went as far South as South goes. There are a number of ways you can experience Torres Del Paine Park in Patagonia – from roughing it to glamping. We chose glampling at the EcoCamp and the W-trek. If this is not on your bucket list, put it on immediately!

We splurged with our Aeroplan points for a business class flight to Santiago, (and are now completely ruined from flying in economy forever). We arrived in Santiago during Holy week which is kind of a big deal. Almost everything was closed for Holy Saturday so we hopped on the Metro to wander around the Plaza de Armas. We found an open liquor store so went back to the hotel to enjoy a beverage and some Tragically Hip on the rooftop. Very Canadian moment.

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After only a day in Santiago it was time to head on to step one of our actual destination, Punta Arenas. This is pretty much as South as you can get before Antarctica. It’s a small city overlooking the Strait of Magellan. We spent one night there. We were picked up by a van to take us through the Patagonian steppe with its guanacos and snow-peaked mountain horizon, arriving at Ecocamp, which would be home our base.

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We were greeted with a pisco sour and were treated that night to an amazing natural star showing of the Milky Way over head.

Even though our ‘living arrangements’ were somewhat soft, the hiking was very real. This trek is not a stroll on crushed rock paths – it is a proper trek.
Altitude is not a factor in Patagonia but hiking boots (more on that later),  poles, and a determined spirit are necessary. But we were blessed with near perfect weather for hiking, which is rare in Torres Del Paine (the wind is notoriously bad).

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The Hiking

Ecocamp to the Frances refugio.
And here we go. After a hearty breakfast our incredible guides Paz and Felipe herded our group together to start the journey. From the word vamos, the views are eye-popping. After some Patagonia flat (which is anything but flat), the path starts to climb: get used to it, it’s pretty much uphill from here.
We started off with a rather “easy” 13 km leg to get us warmed up and into the hiking rhythm. The trail ran alongside Los Cuernos passing through a valley. We ended the day at the Frances refugio. The weather couldn’t have been better.

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Frances refugio to Campemento Britanico. On your left hand side you will see Glacier Frances, where frequent small avalanches take place. The noise booms like Thor’s hammer throughout the valley, although the ice that breaks away seems much smaller than it should considering the noise. After ducking in and out of the forest, with sporadic views of Rio Frances below, we eventually reached Campemento Britanico, in time for a drink. Once again great weather, no wind and sunny.

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The last leg, from Italiano to Paine Grande was mostly flat, once again Patagonia flat, but it was anything but a walk in the park. This was the part of the park and trail that saw the most damage from the 2011 fire so half of the way back we hiked through a surreal desolate setting with bare trees, a gruesome reminder of the damage done caused by a careless tourist. Once at Paine Grande, tired, dirty and in need of a drink to soothe our aching muscles, I discovered this.

Somewhere along the way my boots split across the toe box. Not good going into Day 3.

Refugio Paine Grande to Lago Grey
It was going to be a short day as we were only going to hike about 11km northwest to Refugio Grey, busted boot and all. As we got closer to Refugio Grey, we got a first glimpse of spectacular Grey Glacier.
As we walked by the lake, you can also see small icebergs that got detached from the glacier.

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Now we’re on a boat. This was a nice break after our shorter trek from the refugio to Lago Grey, but it was treat to get on a boat and have a pisco sour with glacier ice cubes while you get great views of Grey Glacier. Up close, you can appreciate the 30 metre height of this enormous river of ice as it towers above you and that blue colour is just incredible.

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On the bus ride back to camp our guide Filipe broke out his sewing tool he was dying to try out and tried to fix my boot.

Success! Filipe did a great job and it held together for the rest of the trip. Considered making a sacrifice of the boots but going to try for a warranty return.

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Drinking water: There’s no need to lug extra water with you on the Torres del Paine circuit. You’ll pass pristine mountain streams regularly throughout the journey and fill up at nature’s tap and enjoy some of the purest water you’ll even drink.

The Main Event – The Tower’s Trail We hoped to have clear weather for the Towers but we didn’t (this is Patagonia). This was a beast of a hike, 11km up, 11km down and 900m of elevation gain over the last kilometre. About 30 minutes from the trailhead, the trail starts climbing and doesn’t really quit. The route is arduous but rewarding as you climb to the Torres. You will climb up into the Ascending Valley and through old growth beech forests to a rock moraine just under the Torres. A steep climb over the moraine reveals one of the most spectacular views in the park. While you take photo after photo of the Torres keep in mind the view back across the valley are equally spectacular.  
The towers soar nearly 2,000m upwards from the Patagonian steppe below, the granite pillars of Torres del Paine dominate the surrounding landscape.  From here you hike back down to and have a celebratory beverage or 3. The last 500m felt like a scene from the walking dead.

We met some great fellow commonwealth trekkers along the way and witnessed the magic of Patagonia in its sense of remote, untouched wildness. I’ve probably missed so many things and not added enough pictures but they truly don’t capture the scale of the beauty of Patagonia.

Assorted Musings

• The coffee situation is odd. As far as we could find it was mostly instant, which wasn’t terrible but strange.
• Hiking poles are a must
• Bring snacks
• Neck buff
• Zip-Loc bags are great for keeping electronics dry as well, plus, they are see through meaning it’ll be easy to find what you’re looking for.
• Go during the shoulder season, less crowds
• Your knees will take a pounding on the descents