O My The O Trek! (#5/6)

 22 March- The O Circuit of Torres del Paine

Day 1- 20.5 miles: camp is tightly packed cluster of tents where you can hear your neighbors talking, snoring, farting, breathing. Thank goodness I never do any of those things. It does make it easy to wake up early once you hear all the zippers zipping and the air mattresses deflating. The day was supposed to be drizzly and grey, but the trail was fast and easy. Passing lakes and small herds of horses, I made it to Dickson camp in the afternoon giving me a chance to really see what kind of food I hastily bought. With 2 pound cakes and a handful of empanadas, I think I'll make it. 

Day 2 - 5.4 miles: Crystal clear morning and a tent covered in I've. The mountains are stunning and I'm surrounded by snowy peaks. A mandatory short day today gave me a lazy morning with extra cups of tea. The hike climbed up to a glacier moraine overlooking the lake I camped by last night.

Ahead was the high point in the trail, the pass was supposedly thigh deep, but that was tomorrow's adventure. Today was for gawking at more glaciers.

Day 3 - 20.5 miles: Everyone was up before dawn for a mandatory 7am start. It wasn't my plan, but I was the first one out on the trail. The pass was rocky, wet, snowy, and above treeline, the wind picked up considerably. Every now and then I would posthole up to my knee in a snow drift, but mainly I walked on rocks. 

Kicking steps and trudging upwards into the driving snow/rain, the pass went quickly and on the other side, the massive Grey Glacier stretched as far as I could see. 

Quickly down to warmer and drier climates, this was my favorite section of the whole trail. Walking along the side of the glacier the trail climbed and dropped and best of all, crossed 3 giant, swinging suspension bridges. For hours I had the whole trail to myself.

I knew I was getting closer to Grey camp when a few people passed smelling like perfume and fresh laundry. On this hike you can shower every night and drink a beer. I did one of those things. 

The day kept getting nicer and almost warm. I felt like every mile took me through a completely different landscape. 

I stumbled into the Paine Grande camp, set in a grassy field next to a lake and kicked my feet up while I watched the light play across the towering peaks. 

Opting for a hot shower, a stranger left me her towel to use. I had been using my scarf as a towel so far on this trip, who knew that a slightly damp used towel would feel like such a luxury. With dry shoes and fresh socks, I felt ready for one more long day.

Day 4 - 20 miles:

Hanging glaciers and two toned rocks dominated this section. The trail was packed with people since I had joined the shorter more popular W Trek. Repeatedly I asked if I could pass hikers on the narrow trail and ate my last pound cake. The day was as beautiful and calm as it could be. I felt almost naked as I stripped down to my long sleeved shirt. 

Then finally, back to my starting point. I gave myself a pat on the back as I repacked my bike and stopped at the cafeteria to celebrate with a brownie and a bag of potato chips. 

I had the option to take the bus back to Puerto Natales, but the day was so beautiful I decided to bike the 35 miles out of the park and camp one last night. The body kept cooperating so off I pedaled.