Torres del Paine circuit

We have been loving the luxury of time. It meant we spent 10 days trekking both the O and the W in Torres del Paine (enlarge the map and you can figure that out). (Some "run" through the whole trek in just 6 days.)
Most people visiting stay on the "front" of the park, hiking up mountain valleys for some impressive views. This makes the backside super appealing for those with more than just a few days and able to handle being "out there." We loved that part of the hike and by the time we got back to the busy parts we were in love with the place so the dayhikers didn´t disturb our fun.

The first day we could see the Torres well; few low clouds

We experienced every kind of weather, from snow to rain, from sun to wild winds. We also hiked from close to sea level up to a 1,200 m pass. There the winds were ferocious ... and fun! When we passed over the pass we got to see the impressive Grey Glacier which is part of the huge Southern Icefield that covers much of southern Chile.

We also had the pleasure of making some fine friends along the way. The nature of the full trek is such that people tend to more or less use the same camps along the way, making for repeated encounters and opportunities for interesting conversations. It also seemed that the little tribe we trekked along side with was filled with people who travel a lot - which inspires thougths of new travels for us :)

Here are a few pics to tell you bits of the story of this amazing trek. By the way, unlike the other two long treks we´ve done, this we did on our own. No guides needed here, as it is impossible to get lost. The trail is deeply groved, ih parts very eroded and thus you really have to work at getting off it. Also, we ate a few times at the refugios and some sell salami, crackers and chocolate allowing us to not have to carry 10 days worth of food, which would have been impossible.

Day 1 of hiking. Fun in the rain, snow.

Lakes, forests, snowy mountains and sun and clouds.

The woods section. There is such a varied landscape.

End of the huge Southern Icefield.

Jan blown over at the super windy John Gardner Pass.

Us. Having fun :)
Jan had a temporary allergy to one of the
beautiful wildflowers that were in bloom.

Evening light from the beach at Grey. Just gorgeous.