The Diaries of Torres Del Paine (Part 2)

Ode to the Ant, Torres Del Paine
2/28, Day 1

On the bus, the sun still climbing upward. Goosebumps prick my legs, whether it's the chilly morning or nerves is unsure.

Jagged granite towers -- snow and cloud capped -- grace the scenery at the entrance of the park. Passport numbers and entry fees are given to the uniformed man. The bus continues some thirty minutes to where passengers can be deposited near the catamaran. Tall green grasses shudder against the blowing wind, a group of guanacos are grazing.

The bus stops near the milky, emerald-blue Lake Pehoe. I collect my backpack and walk towards a clearing where trekkers are waiting for the boat said to arrive in one hour's time.

A huge burst of wind hits. It feels like I’ve been shoved from behind. A moment later, the wind has subsided, but I can't move. Is the wind really this strong? Turns out my tent sack's cord got wrapped around a wooden beam. The wind starts up again. It lifts mist off Lake Pehoe. It looks like a wide cloud stampeding towards me. Tied to the wooden beam, the thought occurs, what the hell was I thinking?

On board the Catamaran, the ride over Lake Pehoe feels like a miniature version of the Drake Passage. Some twenty or so minutes later, passengers are deposited at the west end, and starting or ending point for the popular “W” trail.

While walking up the ramp I pass a long line of dirt-stained, greasy-haired, and armpit-smelling people.

Before starting the trail, I have a heart-to-heart with the Expedition Team. It’s explained that no one can get injured, because we can’t carry each other. We hug, high-five, and take off on the 5-day, 70km trek.

*

Some twenty minutes later -
Sitting on a boulder, rubbing my shoulders, and eating Sunny Sabado mix.

*

Sometime later -
Ants are my idols.

*

Some 5.5 hours later.

The pitter-patter of soft rainshowers on the tent tarp. Inside, drinking hot mint tea in the sleeping bag with the Expedition Team, legs slanted. At the opposite end of the tent is a hump -- a big rock is underneath.

The hike here was not so easy - up rocky hills, down steep slopes, cross rivers, bridges, windy passes, light rain, muddy terrain, forested areas, and hills. As I inched upwards, middle aged folks, with huge bags and trekking poles, briskly passed by, "hola" they'd say with ease and cheerful tone.

Alas, an arrival at Refugio Grey, a campground near the massive dirt encrusted Glacier Grey. Lake Grey, studded with blue floating ice broken from off the glacier, borders the campground.




With the company of the Expedition Team we boiled water, drank warm soup, and when it got cold, we went into the tent.




the joy - a roof over the head and building my first tent

This Evening's Reading - SAS Survival Handbook, J. Wiseman
"Even more important is the will to survive...without this, this book is useless.."


Took a photo of this pretty flower. According the reading, Foxglove is poisonous.



...at the moment, Hostel Palahnuk?
It hit in the middle of the night, this wave of illness that had me sprinting for the bathroom throughout the night and today. Suspected culprit -- cheese or fruit. With muscle aches and nausea, I'm waiting for Mo's flight to arrive.