Torres del Paine: alone with the Patagonia
[tab:Travel]
Se lo dijo Jorge Luis Borges a Paul Theroux, from writer to writer, before he put an Southbound South American continent, who had crossed from end to end: "In Patagonia there is nothing. Not the Sahara, but it is the closest you can find in Argentina. Not, in Patagonia there is nothing ". And that's. Nothing at all.
Maybe that's why, the naked landscape, scrub those horizons pregnant with loneliness, barking dog, woolly sheep and wild horses, for centuries has captivated the imagination of writers, Advice, dreamers, vagrants and even the odd aristocrat less willing to come to rule over so vast and barren territory. Past trips could not resist the call of Patagonia and a long-cherished commitment: admire the landscapes of Torres del Paine, in the Chilean region of Magallanes XII, in the province of Ultima Esperanza, a name that by itself justifies a long journey.
One can arrive by plane from Santiago Chile to Punta Arenas and, thence, bus to Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park. But the traveler prefers to cross the aftermath of the Andes from El Calafate, in Argentina, to have the pleasure of driving on the mythical 40, 5.000 kilometers of gravel (earth and gravel track) crossing South America from north to south. The main obstacle is the weather: in midwinter, any setback can derail everything. The Giardinelli Mempo crudely explains in "Final novel in Patagonia": "The Patagonian know that being stranded on a road it may mean death".
Chasing these dire omens, the traveler is interested in how to get to Torres del Paine just put one foot in El Calafate. The hostel manager does not beat around the bush. "It is impossible at this time of year. The snow closes the pass in winter, but this year it has not snowed much, most of the road is gravel and, if Llueve, the mud can leave you stuck in a place to get help is not easy ". The traveler, as good Aragonese, will not take no for an answer and after travel agents traveled and approach the stop remises (taxis) the municipality, concludes that the most appropriate is to rent a car with driver. End, the price is negotiated in 700 weights (then one Euro equaled just over four Argentine pesos) Omar, a former taxi driver turned into a gaucho.
Hope below zero
Ahead 700 miles to the National Park Torres del Paine, so you have to get up early and half past five we are en route. The owner of the hostel is still blowing minds until the last minute. "A few years ago, Utopia was a move to Chile in winter, because you were in snow up to my ears. Now every time it snows less, but the problem is the mud. The car is stranded in the middle of a muddy and it takes a whole day in rescue ", warns us before saying goodbye.
A few years ago, Utopia was a move to Chile in winter, because you were in snow up to my ears. Now every time it snows less, but the problem is the mud
After spending a control outside Calafate, Route 40 back up to the Pampa High, we tread at half past six. The first snow fences speckle a landscape shrouded in mist and silence. The trip could be much more comfortable if "The Cut", a gravel road that connects the 40 the Torres del Paine, was open. But the river does not respect road Pelque, that's what it was before, and when grown low sweeps everything in its path, daredevil tourists included.
Once in Hope, the priority is to fill the gas tank. Devoid of almost all, in southern Patagonia are also scarce and gas stations running out of fuel in the middle Andean gravel can be very expensive. Addition, there is a pragmatic reason just added: in Chile, the price per liter is much higher across the border with the highest reserves and a full drum in the trunk can save a few bucks. Hope is the coldest area of the province of Santa Cruz. No wonder the thermometer off at this time of year below 30 degrees below zero. Now, fortunately, only marks a negative rating. This is a land of mountain lions and poachers, farmers who pay to finish them before the dreaded feline do with their flocks. And is that a female can kill fifty sheep in one night to teach their young to hunt. The Gauchos are well aware.
Puma lurking outside the, wild hundreds of cows, the splendor of future roasts, roam the pastures of short grass just before the turnoff to River turbid, where the thermometer continues to drop. The imposing Andes first emerges before us, as majestically beautiful as snow.
Career Step Range
The gravel is full of potholes and icy ponds that sometimes span the width of the road. The volantazos are continuous, but the track is dry and the dreaded mud does not appear. Four hours after leaving Calafate reach the border post of Court Race, kneeling at the side of the hill that separates Argentina from Chile. Border formalities on both gendarmerie somewhat slow progress, although no more passengers in either customs. But as in any other place apart from the world, officials are keen to stick the thread.
In the nearby town of Cerro Castillo, a handful of houses scattered throughout the Andean foothills, the traveler tries to change their dollars for pesos Chilean, as the Customs has warned that the entrance to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is payable in local currency. But the only establishment open, the post office, nobody can help us and suggest we get closer to Puerto Natales, making it necessary to deviate 60 kilometers of the route south, to the Strait of Magellan.
In the nearby town of Cerro Castillo, a handful of houses scattered throughout the Andean foothills, the traveler tries to change their dollars for pesos Chilean, as the Customs has warned that the entrance to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is payable in local currency
Relying on the good will of good men, keep going to risk having to turn around at the gates of the park ranger's intransigence. What has not been the dreaded Andean gravel can get an administrative impediment apparently pointless. The 90 Cerro Castillo kilometers from the entrance to the park in half an hour walk. The body is already accustomed to the symphony of potholes and continuous zongoloteo Chevrolet station wagon. The discomfort while it is routine.
The prelude to the Patagonian ice
The herds of guanacos announce the proximity of the Sarmiento Lake Porter, which takes its name from the lake of the same name, one of the many that dot the 242.000 hectare park, Patagonian ice prelude. The wiry guard repeats what we already knew: have to pay 4.500 Chilean pesos per person (about seven dollars at the time). Raised the problem, finally agrees to payment from the amount to around, after achieving change in any of the accommodation units in the shadow of the Torres del Paine, for a few seconds to cast away the clouds and show all its power.
The Patagonian wind stirs the indigo waters of Lake Sarmiento, where at times mirrored the silhouettes of the World, more than two incisors 2.600 meters that merge with the clouds which now hide their tops again. The gravel road winds along the edges of Lake Pehoe. On either side spread across the prairie Magellan dozens of ponds. It's been seven hours since we left Calafate. After a rush to find accommodation, the traveler tries to climb to the viewpoint of the green lagoon, one of the most privileged of the park, knowing that they are not too many hours of light. But the stubborn gale, the unstable slopes of volcanic rock and the pressing dwindling sunlight eventually break this endeavor. You do not see a soul for miles round. Down below is painted blue silhouettes and Nordenskjöld Lake Pehoe, named after the Swedish explorer in 1879 discovered over Northeast, the coveted sea route linking the Arctic waters of the Pacific through the Bering Strait just on the other side of the world.
The drift of the ice ghosts
Getting to the lodge at Lake Grey is necessary to add another hour of gravel from the river inn Serrano, in the foothills of the Bull Lake. Now it's raining hard and the light fades at times. But the journey is worth. Browse Lake Grey, where he died one of the main languages glaciers of Chilean Patagonia, is not something you can do every day. In the shadows, icebergs broken off from the southern Patagonian ice field offer a ghostly appearance. Drifting still some, rendered on the other side, the huge blocks of ice covered from the viewpoint shake Ferrier, perched on a small rocky bluff scrub and. Far away are still guesses white torso Grey Glacier.
The myriad trails of the park and its enormous (from Dickson Lake Lodge, in northern, and Posada Rio Serrano, south, there are over twenty hours of walking) recommends the use of a vehicle (can park themselves) to opt for a different route a. In winter, clear, the possibilities are markedly reduced. The traveler, however, not want to leave the confines of the park boundaries without coming to the viewpoint of the horns, located on the shores of Lake Nordenskjöld, hit by the raging blizzard and a thin sleet Patagonian. There, front of the imposing stone guardians, Ciáneas modern southern end of the world, shaken by violent snorts of Aeolus, finally gives the old dream fulfilled.
[tab:the way]
From El Calafate only get two buses Zaahj company a week to Puerto Natales, essential link with the National Park Torres del Paine. Hiring the services of a taxi driver is a good choice, especially if traveling in a group.
[tab:a nap]
Explore the selectísimo hotel has a privileged but rather high prices. The cheapest option is the Posada Río Serrano, south park. Eye, should bargain, because the initial price may be around 70 dollars for a room in low season. The traveler scowled and made the rate came down by half. The only way to relieve nighttime low temperatures is an old heater, but the electric current, produced by a generator, comes from only six in the afternoon and at twelve o'clock is interrupted again until six in the next afternoon.
[tab:a table set]
You can only eat at hotels or inns. The Hosteria Lago Grey is a good choice, but if the weather is the best thing is to enjoy an outdoor picnic. The feeling of freedom is unique.
[tab:highly recommended]
Any walk in the park worth. Ask at the reception at the inn. The visit to Grey Glacier is almost a necessity, especially at sunset, for the overwhelming flood of peace that there is breathed into the shadows of the icebergs that die on the shore.
For complete information on the park: www.torresdelpaine.com.
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Comments (2)
Billy
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Ohhhh.. Nice pictures and great story. Ation Sigan
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diego
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but nowhere… it's already something
Why do we call attention to the places where there is zilch?
a hug, Ricardo
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