Torres del Paine, part 2

• Anabi-wonski's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Torres del Paine

Trip Start Dec 09, 2009 Previous
Entry Trip End May 17, 2010 Next
Entry

  Torres del Paine, Magallanes y Antártica Chilena, Chile
Wednesday, December 30, 2009

W drodze do schroniska Los Cuernos znalezlismy to czego szukalismy - widoki przy ktorych glowa obracala sie 360 stopni dookola i 90 w gore i w dol - wielkie turkusowe jezioro, ostre szczyty, kondory... Ta czesc wygladala calkiem inaczej niz pierwsza i Los Cuernos podobaly nam sie duzo bardziej niz Wieze. Noc spedzilismy w hamaku na kempingu przy jeziorze. Slyszelismy grzmoty i mielismy nadzieje na burze z piorunami, ale sie nie doczekalismy. Rano znowu slychac bylo grzmoty, mimo ze swiecilo slonce. Poszlismy posiedziec nad jeziorkiem i zobaczylismy zrodlo grzmotow - to lodowiec Frances na pobliskiej gorze sie obrywal co jakis czas i spadal z hukiem - w postaci sniegowych wodospadow po pionowych scianach, lub w postaci lawinek po mniej pionowych...

Poszlismy na nastepny kemping (Italiano), ktory lezy u podnoza tego lodowca. W przewodniku Lonely Planet pisali, ze to najpiekniejsza dolina na szlaku "W" (Valley Frances). I rzeczywiscie byla. Kiedy ruszylismy rano w jej glab, pogoda byla bardzo kiepska i nic nie bylo widac - tak ze nawet 2 ludzi idacych przed nami zawrocilo w polowie drogi, komentujac ze nie ma nadziei na poprawe. Ale nas to nie zrazalo, bo to przeciez Patagonia - wszystko zmienia sie co pare minut. I faktycznie, wkrotce zrobila sie super pogoda i wszedzie dookola odslonily sie zebate szczyty - bylo piknie: rwaca rzeka, las, pustynny las, blekitne niebo, kazda gora inna, niektore z lodowcami, niektore 3-kolorowe, sciany wielkie i pionowe, czasami gladkie jak z gipsu. Szlak konczyl sie na sniegu po pas. Spedzilismy troche czasu na punkcie widokowym w srodku doliny medytujac...

A ostatnia czesc "W" prowadzila do lodowca Grey wzdluz nastepnego turkusowego jeziora. Juz w polowie drogi widac bylo przydryfowane bloki lodu - nie spodziewalismy sie, ze beda takie niebieskie. W oddali widac bylo wielki jezor lodowcowy, a z boku o poszarpane szczyty rozpruwaly sie chmury i plynely jak dym - widoki jak z mangi... Z punktu widokowego widac bylo tylko kawalek lodowca, wiec po skalkach przeszlismy na cypelek, ktory byl najblizej jego sciany. Same skalki byly wielowarstwowe, kolorowe i powykrecane jak rolada. Dobrze ze turysty dochodza tylko do punktu widokowego, bo mielismy ten skrawek tylko dla siebie.

Patrzac wstecz zdecydowanie polecamy zachodnia czesc "W", bo jesli chodzi o droge na same Wieze, stosunek widokow do wysilku jest dosyc mizerny i w jeszcze ten mroz... Lacznie zrobilismy kolo 80km, wiekszosc z plecakami, wiec fajnie bylo odpoczac 1 dzien w El Calafate, a teraz jestesmy w El Chalten i ruszamy pod Monte Fitz Roy, iiihaaaa!!!

*************

On the way to camping Los Cuernos we found what we were looking for - views making the head spin 360 degrees around and 90 up and down - huge turquoise lake, sharp summits, condors... This part looked quite different than the first one, and we like Los Cuernos much more than the Towers. We spent a night in a hammock on a camping by the lake. We heard thunders and we hoped to see thunderstorm, but it didnīt happen. In the morning we heard the thunders again, although sun was shining. We went to sit by the lake, and we found the source of thunders - it was Glaciar Frances on a summit nearby. Its parts were falling down from time to time roaring - in a form of snow waterfalls on vertical walls, and in a form of small avalanches on less vertical ones...

We went to the next camping (Italiano), which lies close to this glacier. The Lonely Planet guide says itīs the most beautiful valley on the "W" Circuit (Valley Frances). And it really is. When we went to the middle of it in the morning the weather was really bad, and everything was covered with clouds. 2 people walking in front of us even went back saying thereīs no hope for a change. But we didnīt care, because itīs Patagonia - everything changes every couple of minutes. And it changed indeed - weather turned great, and everywhere around toothed summits appeared - funfuckintastick again: rapid river, forest, deserted forest, blue sky, each mountain different, some with glaciers, some in 3 colours, huge vertical walls, sometimes smooth as made of plaster... Trail ended with waist-high snow. We spent some time on a viewpoint in the middle of the valley meditating...

And the last part of "W" led to glacier Grey along next turquoise lake. Already in the middle of the trail drifted blocks of ice could be seen - we didnīt expect itīs so blue... In a distance we could see the glacier tongue and on the side knife-like summits with clouds ripping on them and flowing like smoke - views like from mangas... From the final viewpoint we could see only a piece of the glacier, so we went through rocks to a cape which was the nearest to itīs wall. The rocks themselves were multilayer, colourful and twisted like Swiss roll. Luckily tourists get only to the viewpoint, so we had this piece of rock for ourselves...

Looking back we definitely recommend the western side of the W, because on the way to the towers proportion of view to effort is quite poor, and this freezing cold... Altogether we walked about 80km, mostly with backpacks, so it was nice to get some rest in El Calafate. And now we are in El Chalten, heading for Monte Fitz Roy, iiihaaaa!!!

Slideshow Share

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Trasa do El Cuernos / Trail to El Cuernos	Trasa do El Cuernos / Trail to El Cuernos	Camping Los Cuernos	Camping Los Cuernos
Trail to Italiano	Valley Frances	Valley Frances	Valley Frances
Valley Frances   Comments!	Valley Frances	Trail to Glaciar Grey	Trail to Glaciar Grey
Trail to Glaciar Grey   Comments!	Trail to Glaciar Grey   Comments!	Trail to Glaciar Grey   Comments!	Trail to Glaciar Grey
Trail to Glaciar Grey	Trail to Glaciar Grey

Previous Entry Next Entry