The Flyin' Liz Ryen

 10 March 2024 With one more day to kill before my ferry to Puerto Yungay, I hopped on a bus that whisked me and hundreds of nylon clad hikers to Torres del Paine.  With high clouds and clear skies, the park was stunning and I started up the most popular trail to the three towers. Despite having to dodge around tours, their guides cheer and encouraging them onwards and upwards, the trail was beautiful and the lake more stunning than any picture could do justice. I decided to forgo the almost obligatory yoga pose in front of the lake and instead sat on a rock and ate my empanadas.  Knowing I should get my feet used to miles, I took the long way back along lakes and rivers and felt like I had the place to myself. This was a welcome treat with how popular the park is. Later I found all the people drinking beer at one of the refugios so I felt I had to join my fellow hikers in a pint while I waited for the bus.  A quick rainstorm followed by rainbows and the sun bursting...

 15 March After waiting 2 days for the next boat to leave Villa O'Higgins, all the hikers and bikers were anxious to get moving; what better time to head off into the unknown than 6pm.  A wild hour and a half later, we were all dumped on the opposite shore to spend the night until passport control opened the next morning to allow us to leave Chile. Even though I wanted to get moving, the sunrise over the lake was well worth the camp out.  A dirt road turned into 5km of super fun single track down to the lake to get my stamp into Argentina. I had the option to wait 5 hours for another boat or attempt the infamously difficult 12 km trail. No debate needed, I took the trail.  5 hours and 2 very tired arms later, I popped out on the other side of the lake to be greeted with 40 kms of dirt road in the pouring rain. Knowing a warm shower was somewhere at the end, I pedaled on.  El Chaltén is a funny little mountain town, with some of the most famous climbing peaks in ...

 18 March I left El Calafate with a rippin' tail wind. The landscape changed dramatically from mountains and glaciers to dry, open plains dotted with guanacos. My easy riding came to an abrupt halt when I had to turn right. Suddenly, slammed with 35 mph head and crosswinds, my forward progress slowed to a drunkard's weave as the wind pushed me across the road and I heaved my way back. With the sun getting low and a large ditch providing a welcome windbreak, I called it a day.  I pitched my tent close to a pool of water surrounded by hoof prints. In the morning I woke up to... Snow! I was really hoping for guanacos. The wind was still howling and I had to be in Torres del Paine, 130 miles away by next day. I scraped the ice off my tent and pushed my bike back up onto the road.  Thankfully the day was sunny and the sky was full of dozens of Chilean Condors riding the heavy winds The wind was so strong I found it easier to push my bike instead of ride it. Even so, the wind w...

 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...