At Camp Grey, Maggie and I only had 31 miles of trail left on the O circuit. Our itinerary split that nicely into two halves: seven miles to Paine Grande Camp, followed by twenty four miles to the car. We leaned into the relaxation on our easy day, then pushed hard to finish the trek in six days.
1 February 2023
Maggie and I decided that trying to hike all the way to the car, 23 miles, was not the best idea for this day, so we opted to go for our next camp just 7 miles away. We were able to sleep in till 8 am, which was quite nice. There was lots of commotion in the morning, but only about 1/3 of the people had packed up by the time we emerged from the tent. We made breakfast in the refugio and packed up around 9:30. It was mild and mostly overcast, which made for nice hiking weather.
I felt amazing compared to the day before, so we were moving at our usual 3 mph again. A few small hills provided the last views of Glacier Grey. The peaks to our left stood tall with their heads in the clouds. We passed through an old burn scar. A small canyon revealed some geological secrets.
Seven mile hike views
Day hikers, coming the opposite direction, were becoming more numerous as we got closer to the front side of the park. As we rounded the last corner, the quintessential view from Torres Del Paine became visible – The Cuernos del Paine. Dramatic off-white walls and spires capped by ragged black cap rock. It is so unique and gorgeous, and this was just the preview. By 12:45 pm we had made it to Paine Grande Camp and our hike was done for the day. We got first choice of camp sites, which was great because all the rumors said this was the windiest campground. We got a protected spot next to a big hill.
Lunch time was upon us, and rather than reaching for the tuna and tortillas again, we went into to the restaurant for pizza and beer. The Cuernos were visible through the large windows while we ate. It’s safe to say we were happy campers in this moment.
After lunch, we just had to go walk some more, since 7 miles wasn’t enough for us. We strolled along the shores of Lago Pehoé, watching the wind race across the blue water until it churned it into small white caps. A handful of Great Grebes were out, floating and boating on the water.
Great Grebes
Only a couple people were out on this trail, so we basically had it to ourselves. The view of the Cuernos only got better as we got further away. I snapped way too many pictures of these mountains. It took hours for the light to hit the mountains just right as the clouds danced overhead.
We found a tiny beach to sit and watch the world turn. Not much else to do, and we were enjoying the view and the solitude. We laid for an hour, and I nearly dozed off to the sound of small waves lapping on the rocks.
We had gotten our fill, so we returned to camp to take advantage of yet another luxury – showers. It seemed like most folks had been showering at every campground, but after 5 days, it was time for us to bathe.
Alas, the daylight was far from over. We lounged some more, then made dinner in the refugio. Maggie and I didn’t make any new friends on this night, even though the refugio was bustling with hikers. We were in our tent again just before 8, enjoying the relaxation before a big day ahead of us.
2 February 2023
Our Torres Del Paine trek was coming to a grand finale with 24 miles and 4,800 feet of vert to complete the circuit. We were up at 5:30 again, shoveling cold oatmeal in our mouths. A steady drizzle was falling on our tent. I was skeptical about going to the next viewpoint, Mirador Britannico, which is a side trip we could bypass to save 7 miles of effort and time. Although, after all the work we put into getting to Torres del Paine, it would seem foolish to pass up some extra hiking, even in bad weather. We packed up the wet tent and got on trail at 7:40 am. Seems we were in the early crowd leaving Paine Grande camp.
The rain had ceased, and the sky was showing signs of clearing as the cloud ceiling rose above the mountains. The Cuernos looked especially moody in the purple overcast, slinging small clouds on the leeward side the peaks. The cool temps and cloud cover again made for nice hiking weather, so we cruised through the first 5 miles over several small rolling hills to the Italiano ranger station.
We heard a deep rumble sound from the valley ahead, and we looked at eachother with concern and confusion. “Did you hear that?” It sounded like a massive avalanche, and I imagined blocks of ice and snow burying the trail ahead. Another rumble would roar before we got to the side trail.
The imposing nature of the Cuernos and Paine Grande only grew as we got closer. The clouds cleared and the sun was suddenly beating down upon us and a growing crowd of hikers at the ranger station. Our fears for bad weather allayed, we topped off our water and started up towards Mirador Brittanico. There was no indication that the trail was closed for avalanches.
As we climbed higher, the cause for the rumbles became evident – Glacier Frances. Clinging to the steep cliffs of Paine Grande, walls of ice were hanging precariously, and we did briefly see a small release of snow from high on the mountain. The trail was a safe distance away on the opposite side of the valley.
We climbed and climbed, my legs aching from the last five days of hiking. At least our packs were light, and we were able to move at a decent pace. We paused for a moment at mirador Frances to gape at the insanity of this hanging glacier. Maggie and I had no time to waste, so we walked on through the lenga forest. The slope eased up a little, but the last couple miles dragged on for us as lunch time hunger was setting in.
At last, we emerged on a small out cropping of rocks that stood above the trees. A 360 view of the valley now in full view, we feasted our eyes upon the improbable geology all around. We found a semi-comfortable spot to sit and make lunch amongst the boulders. While the view wasn’t quite as poignant as the prominent towers at the Base Torres viewpoint on Day 1. The view was, however, more encompassing with interesting ridges, strange spires, and the vertical backside of the cuernos. Something was grabbing our attention in every direction.
A nice Dutch couple we had been seeing along the circuit took pictures for us before we descended back down the valley. This was, in a way, the climax of the O trek, but we were far from finished. Fifteen miles still stood between us and the car.
We reached the bottom of the Britannico side trail and rejoined the circuit to complete the loop. I had low expectations for this stretch of trail, but there were a few gems and nice views along the way. Mainly, looking back at Paine Grande, Glacier Frances, and the Cuernos proved to hold our attention until they were out of view. Mushrooming clumps of rime ice atop Paine Grande. A waterfall seemingly pouring out of a giant chasm between two of the Cuernos. The glacier shining bright in the midday sun. The awesomeness of this place is unrivaled.
The heat was cranking up as we hiked on. A couple of miles after Italiano, the trail dropped down to a stoney beach on Lago Nordenskjöld. Maggie and I couldn’t resist the water, so we unsaddled our packs and stripped down to our undies. Fresh off the glaciers above, the cold water was invigorating. Despite having showered the day before, it felt great to wash away the half a day of sweat we had already accumulated. It was wonderful, but we couldn’t linger for as long as we would have liked.
Onward, we walked through Camp Frances. This would have been the ideal stopping point rather than Camp Paine Grande. Alas, we weren’t able to reserve a campsite at Frances, so here we were, nearly hiking a marathon. The miles passed and the environment shifted from forest back to shrubby grasslands. There was no relief from the sun, so we kept our heads down and maintained a steady pace.
The last few miles dragged on, and we were both ready to be done. A tall blonde fella, wearing backpacks both on front and back, caught up to us. It’s uncommon for people to pass Maggie and I on trail, especially carrying so much weight. We ended up hiking the last mile or so with him and learned that he was Chilean. The extra backpack belonged to his mom, who was a little ways behind. The conversation helped pass the time for the final stretch of trail, and we made it back to the visitor center eleven and a half hours after we set off. We were beat, but satisfied with our effort, fulfilled by the six day adventure.
Now the tough part – where to sleep? We hadn’t arranged anything for this night, so we contemplated camping near the visitor center again. The sun waning, we decided to drive back towards Puerto Natales. We would be getting in after dark, and there was no cell service at Torres del Paine to try booking a room. We turned to the trusty iOverlander app, and sure enough, there was a dispersed camping area right outside of Puerto Natales. Two hours of tired driving later, we found the somewhat wooded pull off next to the road. No one else was there, so we pitched the tent, scarfed down some dinner, and went to sleep. It was kind of an odd finish to this epic adventure, but we were proud of ourselves for keeping the dirtbag spirit alive when hunger and exhaustion pull our desires in other directions…
All in all, I am very happy with our hike around the Torres del Paine O trek. Yes, it comes with strange rules, fees, crowds, and development, but in between those relatively minor inconveniences, the trek itself was spectacular. I definitely benefitted from the restaurant food that was available. I credit that burger on Day 4 for bringing me back to life. When I think about all of the places I’ve been in North America, nothing else compares to the mind-blowing mix of glaciers and geology in Torres del Paine National Park. I would certainly recommend this hike to anyone who’s interested. That said, there are comparable adventures on my bucket list that are more affordable, involve less of a time commitment, and are logistically simpler. It was totally worth it, but once was enough. I’ll close with JFK’s famous quote when he committed to putting a man on the moon:
“We [do these things] not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
-John F. Kennedy, 1962
Distance Over Time 