I have been to Patagonia a few times in the past, but I always heard about Torres del Paine in Southern Chile , with the iconic towers. Located at the end of the world in the stunning Chilean Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, named a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and the 8th Natural Wonder, is a world of unique contrasts. It’s magnificent mountains hide turquoise lakes, evergreen forests, and vast ice fields. So when Dawson asked about having a father son trip , this location popped right up in my mind. I also have heard about the *“W “ *_circuit in that park, but just vaguely. I knew I did not want to stay in tents for a whole week, and I also did not want to hike for a whole week. While searching the Internet ,I found “Ecocamp Patagonia”-and after a few email exchanges the trip was booked .Frankly, I did not read all the details . I was happy to know that we will sleep comfortably during the typical cold and windy Patagonian nights. I also envisioned a casual effortless , pleasant walk on well maintained trails. I was wrong! So we flew to Santiago via Miami-the flights were significantly les costly.Our flight to Miami was delayed, and was worried that we won’t make the connection.Luckily we did. In Santiago we had a very short connection time , yet we were lucky again, and boarded the 3 hours flight to Punta Arenas , the most southern town in Chile. It reminded me of Ushuaia, which wasn’t very far-in Argentina .We spent the night at Hotel Alamsur. We walked on the promenade in front of the Strait of Magellan, looking across to Tierra del Fuego. This is the place that Shackelton started his doomed expedition to Antarctica .Actually we had a drink at the namesake bar, located in a mansion where he used to visit many times .Therefore There were lots and lots of cormorant birds, that from a distance look exactly like penguins. Next morning we were picked up by a large van , and drove through very flat steppe for 3 hours to Puerto Natales .We were right on the border with Argentina . We had a nice lunch in this lively town , surrounded by mountains located in front of Almirante Montt gulf. And experienced the wind…The name of the road is aptly name _“Fin del mundo “-end of the world. From there we drove 2 more hours to the park. Saw lots of Guanacos, which are camelids , closely related to Llamas . The Eco camp is situated very close to the park entrance.Ecocamp Patagonia is located in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park in Chile with views of the majestic granite Paine Towers. Patagonia’s glaciers slowly molded this jagged landscape over millions of years, inching down from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field that borders the park to the northwest. Approximately 225,000 hectares / 550,000 acres of pristine, untamed natural beauty sits in one of the most remote places in the world. The granite towers for which the Park is named stand out on a horizon scattered with mountaintops. We stayed in a geodesic dome like structure, which however did not have heat. It was nice under multiple covers…but otherwise cold. The bathroom and toilet were outside, also in a dome , and were very nice and warm. The common areas were very nice and comfy with a restaurant serving great food. Interesting to note what was written on the camp website *”This is the right trip for energetic people who like to be active and have a spirit of adventure and a positive attitude. During this trek you will walk a total of 61kms /38mi. On the map, in the itinerary section, click on the walking person icon for daily information.To enjoy this trek it is essential to be in shape before you arrive. It is not wise to regard this trek as a means of getting into shape or losing excess weight. Start a program of conditioning well before departure. “ * I of course did not read it . We were assigned to a group of 10 hikers, and had with us 2 guides. First day hiking we started very early. It was cold and dark and windy. We got in the van and drove towards Pudeto dock, and saw a puma crossing the road ! We boarded the catamaran to lake Pehoe., and had amazing views of the mountain peaks covered in snow during our cruise. Saw the “Cuernas” peaks-the name means the “horns “. We started the trek to Valle Frances (French Valley) along a steep trail that leads to the very heart of the Paine Massif. The weather was unforgiving :windy, rainy and cloudy ,.We planned to get to the “Mirador Frances “-French out look, however Mother Nature did not agree. We passed the old Italian camp ground in the upper sections of the valley and to turned around .It was rainy and no visibility . We camped outside Refugio Paine Grande .It was cold, wet and muddy and we spent an unforgivable night in that tent. Quite the experience .I won’t forget Dawson’s laugh when he realized that will have to sleep in that moist and cold tent with mud all over us with wet clothes . Luckily they served some hard liquor in the Refugio . Next morning we started trekking towards the glacially beautiful Lake Grey. We took in the unreal views of this beautiful glacier. At guarderia Lago Grey we boarded a boat, and saw more of the icebergs floating around .When we landed the winds were extremely high and it was a major effort just to walk against the wind. We slept in our dome, which seemed now very luxurious compared to the tent. The goal of the last day of trekking was to complete the most famous trekking trail in Torres del Paine National Park! We ascended to Ascencio Valley on the Tower’s eastern face. Mountain ridges, beech forests, and small rivers line the scenic walk towards the valley. The “fun “ part was the steep moraine, a huge mass of boulders which lead us to that iconic base-view of the Towers, three gigantic granite monoliths that are the remains of a great cirque sheared away by glacial ice. After a tough uphill climb, the Towers eventually come into full view, rising majestically before us with the glacial lake visible below. When we came back to camp we had a great surprise .Turns out that I booked for the last night the really , really nice dome, with a wood oven and private bathroom. I am happy we did not have it from the beginning, because I would have refused to get out.. We made friend with the people in our group , all in the 30s and east 40s. After an awesome dinner and a few bottles of wine with our new found friends Daws played the ukalele . Last day we drove back to Punta Arenas, where we took the plane to Santiago, The night was spent at La Plaza San Francisco Hotel in the center of Santiago. We had a great sea food dinner. Next day we walked all over town , about 12 miles. We took a gondola to Cerro SanCristobal , the highest hill in town, where there is a huge statue of the Madonna and sweeping views of the city , and than we continued to Torre Gran Costanera,the tallest building in South America where we went to the top. We had dinner in Lastarria, which is a bohemian neighborhood. Lots of people on the streets, performers and restaurants. And at midnight we flew back home . The best part of this trip was spending it with Dawson !
