Alright, I’m back and alive, for real this time. Sorry about the joke post mom… I had originally planned to do the O circuit but after a terrible night with stomach cramps (whether from the giant pork ribs I had for dinner or just from anxiety I don’t know) I decided I couldn’t head out to the park on 1 hour of sleep and skipped the morning bus. At breakfast that morning I got the idea from a couple of fellow hostelers to head out in the afternoon and start the Q instead, which is the O circuit with a little extra part (get it?) that adds one night of camping after only about a 2 hour hike on the first day. So that’s what I did. I kept a brief journal while I was hiking of what I did and how I was feeling, and I figure that, along with loads of pictures, is about as good a way to talk about the trip as any. As a quick preface, it’s worth noting that this trip hit a couple of firsts for me – it was the first time I had gone backpacking longer than 4 days, and my first time backpacking solo. “Solo” is relative in Torres del Paine given that you constantly cross people on the trail and there are hundreds of people in every campsite, but I still planned alone and walked mostly alone, so I’m counting it. As you’ll see I had some pretty serious apprehensions about the trip. In retrospect they were pretty silly, especially since thousands and thousands of people complete the circuit of the park each year, but hey, it says “an idiot abroad” right there in the subtitle…

On to the journal! Pretty much all the place names are campsites along the way. You can look up a map if you want or just use your imagination, I’m pretty much always just talking about the next campsite.

Day 1:  Feb 13

The bus had some nice views but was generally uneventful. Had to transfer, which was lame because we waited a while, I was hoping to camp early. Drizzling the whole time. 1.5 hour walk to Las Carretas with David, Franco-German, super nice, and Kyle, Seattle anthropologist/sociologist. It was nice to have company, I was feeling very discouraged walking into the wind and drizzle. Got to camp around 7:30, set up tent, got water, made pasta. Feeling quite discouraged – strongly aware of my inexperience, cold, wet, ugh. But managed to pack up before nightfall, wind seems to be gone (!), and drizzle is very light, so who knows. Bon courage!

Day 2: Feb 14

Started out riding high – nice weather, had breakfast and packed up ok. First 2.5 hours across open fields, very windy. Trying to move fast, near the end of 2.5 hours get light cramps in quads. Uh-oh. It really is beautiful though, seeing the park from far away. Setting off again it’s more mountain and forest. Cramps come back quite bad, after a while I’m stopping every 10 minutes. During first part I was thinking I was too worried last night, I can definitely do the whole thing – now I’m having serious doubts about the hiking and the camping. Lots of just being alone with my thoughts means mood changes are fairly dramatic and it’s easy to start worrying. Tried to remind myself to just enjoy but I do wonder a bit if camping just isn’t my thing. Got into camp ok (had to walk doing butt-kicks for a while because of cramps), set up in a nice spot, had lunch, dozed, it’s only 4:30. So that’s nice. — Tried walking an hour and 15 minutes to mirador, weather getting worse and I’m exhausted so didn’t make it. Think I’ll try tomorrow and then just go to Cuernos. Would try Chileno but am very scared after cramping…

Day 3: Feb 15 (written Feb 16)

Slept in late, woke up thinking I might have a cold but turned out to just be cold night air. Path even just to Mirador Frances was closed so headed out close to 11. Very careful about pace, eating, and drinking. But feeling good. Got to Cuernos early feeling good so push on, try for Chileno and if I can’t do the last climb there’s always Las Torres. Beautiful weather, hot, shorts and t-shirt. Meet Walker, from Georgia, and Morgan, from Indiana. Walk the last part with them. Up to Chileno it gets exposed, crazy wind all day but this is worse, pissing down rain. Everything is soaked, have to walk over hill and across river from checkin to camp, find mediocre spot. Feeling low. But cooking area is warm and lively, people blaring music and dancing, go to bed feeling ok, surprisingly dry.

Day 4: Feb 16

Get up, unsure what to do. Weather looks bad again, torres all cloudy. Breakfast and hang around, decide to go up later. Ran into Mel (Aussie nurse I met in Ushuaia) last night, again today, we decide to head up to torres a little later. Sandwiches look huge but are 8k. I look covetous, she (very nice) says 6k, deal. Beautiful, heavy, wholegrain bread. Head up to torres with Adar, tall Israeli, and Jakob, Dutch physicist writing a scientific calculating program. Torres completely fogged in and it snows the whole way, but sure glad I went, saw cute foxes. Down, beer, then book it to Las Torres. Moment of elation going down – weather beautiful, feeling empowered, been managing to camp ok and regaining confidence in my legs. 10 minutes from camp it starts raining medium hard. Everything is wet and this campsite doesn’t even have an indoor cooking area. Also turns out the rice Erica gave me needs to simmer 20 minutes. Fuck. Make pasta in occasional drizzle, wolf it down, chill, now bed. Feeling medium but no doubts that I want to continue. Hopefully find some nice weather. Excited about hiking.

Day 5: Feb 17

Beautiful sleep ’til 9:45, almost 12 hours. Woke up to gorgeous weather, warm and sunny. Slow morning: tons of oatmeal, clothes out to dry, repack bag, chillin. Left at noon. Bag does in fact feel lighter. Weather was beautiful all day aside from one 10 minute wind and drizzle stretch. Feeling very thankful. Back was hurting a little, tops of shoulders now very tired. Got to Seron around 3:30, set up tent, ate, feeling good and relaxed. Tomorrow I want to go all the way to Los Perros, about 8-9 hours, a little more than 25km I think. We’ll see how I feel at Dickson but I do really want to. It’s only 5:40 now, very happy. Gonna eat more, chill, then get to bed so I can get up early.

Day 6: Feb 18

What a beautiful day. Up early, set out from Seron around 8. Nice weather but looked ominous ahead, turned out to be beautiful and sunny all day. Met Javier, nice Chilean guy, a little outside of camp, and ended up walking together all day. Beautiful, huge views of the valley, and as you keep going one new mountain appears after another. Saw the torres from behind (I think) and an awesome glacier, first far away and then right up close just outside of Los Perros. Long day. 8:20, plus 1.5 hour break for lunch in the hot sun at Dickson, which really is a gorgeous campsite. Glad we kept going though, would be super short to go Dickson -> Los Perros, and fuck the mosquitoes. From Dickson -> Perros the walk is beautiful, through forest, greenest part of the park. I am tired, legs and back sore. Tomorrow is the pass. Up, breakfast, limber up, and then just fucking go for it. Shooting to skip Paso and go straight to Grey because apparently Paso sucks, also that way it’ll be easy to get the early catamaran the next day. So, fuck it. Nothing left to do but do it. I’m tired but excited.

Day 7: Feb 19

Up and at ’em with Javier. Climb to the pass was hard but honestly not that hard. Beautiful though. Out of forest into field of rocks, glaciers in every direction. Hit the pass and it’s big and open and suddenly you see the ice field – incredible. Goes forever, disappears into clouds. Really is windy, but we got super lucky with weather – mostly sunny, and full rainbow over the ice field. Keep walking down and get new angles, stays beautiful. Through woods and to Paso. Couscous and soup for lunch and we’re off after 40 minutes. Stomach hurting and eventually throw up everything. Right ankle been hurting on side and front. Feel better after vomit but starting to feel weaker, very tired after a while. Cross 2 suspension bridges high up which is cool, eventually get to Grey. Very weak. Tent and doze, then wake up to throw up bunch of water and crackers I tried eating. Doze more, just got a pill for vomit from Chilean guy so we’ll see how that goes. Very thirsty. Think I’ll go wait for a shower, maybe just pass out.

Day 8: Feb 20 (written Feb 22)

Woke up feeling normal, thank god. Oatmeal for breakfast and set off early, give myself plenty of time to make the boat out even if I walk slowly. Walk is… meh. Very windy and drizzling most of the time, pissed at Patagonian weather, “why couldn’t it just be nice for my last stroll out of the park?”. Some nice views though and remind myself to enjoy it. Get down in a little less than 3 hours, very tired but feeling accomplished. Have the coffee and Fanta I was daydreaming about but unfortunately no sandwich. Catch boat and bus with no problem.

So, yeah. The whole experience was deeply satisfying. The views really are spectacular, with glaciers, mountains, and forest galore, and some of the most expansive vistas I’ve ever seen. It was definitely a challenge, and I’m (probably too) proud of myself for having stuck it out and done the whole thing. The hiking was hard and I was pretty damn sore and tired by the end, but in a great way. I didn’t get particularly lucky with the weather since it rained 5 or 6 of the days that I was there, but I didn’t really get unlucky either, and I got great weather to cross the pass, the highest and windiest point on the circuit, so I’d have to say I came out ahead. Overall, I’d highly recommend doing it.