Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

Sorry we have been slacking on the blog, i have a week plus of amazing Patagonian adventure to catch up on. Believe me i have a ton of pictures and these are merely a taste...enjoy.

After arriving in Puerto Natales we enjoyed a day of rest, laundry and planning. We planned a 3 day, 2 night trip into the national park, Torres del Paine. Leaving early saturday morning, we drove the 2 hours north into the park, through glacial valleys and milky green rivers. Arriving in the park to rain and clouds...as well as a plan that would not work. The boat we were told was running decided not to run and that meant hiking in, pero Estamos en Sud america! So we geared up in our best "patagonia" gear and set out in the pouring rain (carrying heavy packs with camping gear and food). We talked as we meanandered through fields of yellow grass, swamp and lengua trees, wet and a bit grumpy.

As the sky stopped and the clouds burned back we were awarded some of the best views of the days to come, calm lakes and almost eery, horn-like and craggy granite, with extreme hanging glaciers, WOW.

This is my favorite picture to date!

After 17 Km and 6+hours we arrived to our destination, Paine Grande. We were able to dry some stuff in the fireplace room, cook some soup on our stove and retire to our tent, and the rain began again and continued through the night.

Waking wet and cold we packed our now Heavier gear (borrowing trash bags for backpack covers) and continued to our next destination, through more patagonian rain. This day was especially dificult, heavy packs, wet everything and feet that were hurting and angry. As we pushed on we tried to remain positive, believe me it was hard... but we were in such an amazing place.

Stopping to cook some lunch we re-energized and continued on to Los Cuervos (the horns), 14.1 KM and about 5.5 hours. Arriving to nicely built Refugio at near dusk the horns were peaking out as the sky cleared.

We stayed in the refugio that night where bunks with no sheets were $40, not thinking of cost we needed to dry out. That night our attitudes changed as we tried to find grace in our situation. Sleeping hard and dry!

We set out about 10 the following day as the fog hung around the peaks we felt the sun wanting to burn through. We quickly shed layers as the sun intensified and did just that, revealing the wonderment towering above us. Walking around this massif was amazing! Our tired feet continued the final 11KM to Los torres, in view of the famous towers (torres).

We decided that we had been baptised by the pure patagonian rain for long enough and wanted to return to Puerto Natales, our missing bus told us different. Returning to los Torres we had a budget burst and stayed in the nice Hosteria at the base and ate a gourmet meal, we deserved it! Sleeping long and hard we rested all day.

Torres del Paine was renamed many different things during our trip... such as "Torres del rain and Torres del PAIN. But truly it was a magical place that we will not soon forget.

Back to Puerto natales and then to Calafate Argentina. God is definately talking to us, patience and persistence will bring glory and humility!

The Patagonian Channel

We departed from Puerto Montt, Chile late on Monday evening, just in time to say goodbye to the setting sun and the shrinking city.

Our boat was a a converted ice crusher, nothing great but sufficient.The boat was loaded with many different things: Cargo (anything from large containers to horses), staff and passengers. Our route the southern Chilean channels.

We moved into our small, very small room that was suited with 4 bunks and a very nice swiss couple. Our new adventure allowed roughly four options to hangout: the comedor (dining room turned movie room) the room (tiny), the bridge with the captain and the upper deck. Carrying our new camera i suited up in my best patagonia gear and tried to remain up top as much as possible. Dark came quickly and the full moon rose over the wide inner passage.

The food was cafeteria style and not to bad. We met many new friends, many of them from Europe. Sharing funny traveling stories, beers and time, as our boat wisped us south. The second day awarded a nice, cool morning with glimpses of snowy peaks, thickly forested island 2 orcas and lots of different birds. We also saw our share of quickly changing weather, wind and rain. We dove our heads into books and talking with our new friends.

That evening we heard in broken english "now is the time to take sea sick pill" Which meant we were headed out into the ocean. We knew this going into the trip, so we applied our fancy behind the ear patches, and prayed for a relaxed mind over the next 12 hours. I think maybe 4 people ate dinner that night, some lost it before they even had it...yikes. Em and I crawled into our bunks and tried to find our happy places. Needless to say we had a wild night, ebbing to and fro, and up and down. I can very confidently say my dreams (or it may have been real?) were some sort of crazy. We crossed the "golfo de pesas" or translated the bay of pain or sorrow. Rightly named for some on the boat, however Em and i survived with our lunches.

The next morning looking out the window we could see land, which meant we survived and were back into the calmer channels. This day was pretty mellow, and the mornings and late evenings awarded the best weather. The sunrises and sunsets here were great! However i made it pretty far in my new book "the shack" on this day, the rain during the day was a damper on the somber and calm passengers, mostly tired from wild, awake, moving dreams. We stopped at a small Puerto Eden, a remote dependent village midway through our journey. They love to hear that horn. It means they will survive another week.

The third night brought some toasts with our new friends and joking about the different cultures and each others perception of the others, needless to say the US sure opens itself to misunderstanding, yet everyone loves something that comes from the USA. Going to bed late off course was followed by our early and final morning.

The sunrise on the "narrows" was spectacular! The tightest channel surrounded by glacial capped peaks, calm water and beautiful colors. WOW we made it to southern Patagonia!!!!!

Puerto Natales sits on the flat bay south of Torres del Paine, a colorful little town. We were welcomed by an independence day parade and nothing open. This topped are already forming stereo type that South America lives in the midst of a holiday. Regardless we found our way to the Erratic rock, a funny basecamp for the area, chaulked full of local info, the 2 owners from Oregon and lots of gear!

We relaxed and planned, deciding to wait a day before we embark on a trek into Torres del PAine. Tomorrow we will head for the park with our new camping gear (3 day rental) and hope for some good weather and buena vistas of the vertical, chiseled granite spires. I am stoked, and so is Em...but did i tell you i am stoked THIS IS PATAGONIA!!!!!

Puerto Montt and Chiloe, Chile

Crossing the lake district of Argentina over a mountain pass into Chile we are in the land of cone shaped volcanoes and lots of water. The Port City of Puerto Montt is a bustling bay city, a bit dodgy, but overall a very colorful place. PM is where the main land of Chile stops and breaks up into small islands and super gnarly mountains.

We decided to side trip to Chile's second largest island of Chiloe for the weekend. The island boasts a nice, slow pace of life mixed with farms, forests and water. We crossed the channel on a ferry and made it first to the town of Ancud.

The best thing here was the Curanto, a strange eclectic stew of meat, seafood and potatoes, it was yummy.

A bit further South to Castro we were surprised by the conglomerate of materials used to resemble buildings and houses. Apparently this town has seen its share of earthquakes, fires and tidal waves. Well it seems like they have just collected all the leftover stuff from such events and built squatter shacks of houses on not much at all, even the church is just a tin clad structure. The best were the houses dangling over the water on stilts. On a high note: there is no lack of colorful paint here.

Our quick trip to Chiloe was worth the visit. The pace of life was definately a step back in time, we could all take some advice from their ignorance to our fast paced world.

We are now back in Puerto Montt gearing up for our 4 day boat trip. We stocked up on snacks and tonight we called home (GO broncos!). The boat route travels south through the islands that make up southern Chile. Final destination via boat is Puerto Natales in Torres del Paine. I look forward to our next post from deep Patagonia, sud-sud america!

The Beautiful Lake District, Argentina

We are both excited to finally be in PATAGONIA! What an amazing place!

Em and I rendezvous'd in Bariloche (in the heart of Argentina's lake district) and we now have an amazing new camera...among some other great treats.

The new camera is A bit bigger than the low profile one we have been sporting, but wow its worth it. The zoom and the panoramic features are my favorite, among many other features still eluding me. I have been a bit snap happy, but as you will see it has already afforded some sweet shots. I will let the pics tell most of the story.

A few pics of the mountain architecture around these hills.

Catching up on sleep we hunkered down together, then we bursted out full of exploration.

First out to a hotel named Llao Llao, cool architecture and a setting to make it worth the umpteen gezellion pesos it costs to stay there, so for us pictures were more affordable.

Then back down penninsula to Cerro Catedral (the place i skied last week). A bit strange to take a tram then a chair lift in winter with our inadequate (and not near as fun) shoes. The top awarded panoramic views that stretched into Chile, down into deepblue mountain lakes and sugar coated peaks. This camera rocks!!!!!

The Andes, One peak in Argentina and one in Chile. This was really far away.

Today we crossed back over into Chile as we prepare for our boat trip through the Chilean Archipelagos into deep southern Patagonia: Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales. We are praying for managable weather and we are stoked!

Bariloche Argentina

Bariloche the land of lakes and big mountains, much like home. The bus ride to Bariloche was quite confusing, i could have sworn i was near Kremmling, Colorado.
The road is Route 40, next to a big river, dry plateaus and white mountainous background. Bariloche is considered northern patagonia and sits in the spectactular lake district.

Arriving in Bariloche I was a bit taken by how large of a city it is, and bustling with kid groups and tourists. Finding my way to a nice hostal, the supermarket and down to the lake for the alpenglo.


The next day i was up early to go to the local ski area, Cerro Catedral. A really nice sunny day with some new snow to sign. I met a local guy named Feyfey and we skied long and hard all day. There was some great hike to terrain and the south face (not the north like at home) in an area called Laguna was really special.

The ski mountain shares great views of the town, the surrounding lakes, the spiky (cathedral like, hence the name) mountains that seperate Chile and Argentina which is also a national park. Catedral is a really sweet mountain, it is big and it allows for very creative skiing.




After a long day of ripping around the mountain, i retreated to Bariloche. I took A very long shower I put some cream to my rosy sun-kissed nose and headed for some great Argentine steak, ahhh. However the great meal was followed by staying up too late (on energy i did not have) and mingling with tons of people from all over the globe.

Needless to say i then had A lazy day in Bariloche yesterday, laundry and staple stuff. Bariloche has a hidden charm and great access to many great places behind all of the masses of tourists. Headed a bit south today to El Bolson and then returning to Bariloche on Tuesday to meet Em. Back in the mountains and loving it!