Timsup2nothin
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One of the great things about hiking is that it creates a tremendous appreciation for food. An underestimated hike that nearly kills you can turn crap into ambrosia.
Journey to the End of the World
- Thread starter warpus
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warpus
In pork I trust
No doubt..
The snack breaks we stopped for during the last 2 hours or so of the hike? The food was amazing. It was exquisite. And it was just salami and trail mix. and cheese. and maybe some chocolate. I could almost feel the energy transferring from the foodstuff to my energy reserves...
Yeah, we weren't really ready for them. When we saw that there was still an hour or so left to go and we had to walk on rocks and boulders.. it demoralized us.. but we pushed on.
Timsup2nothin
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For clarity, a top notch guide book would have identified that part as a 'scramble' rather than a hike. Just in case you ever see that term in a description that's what you are in for.
warpus
In pork I trust
Cool, Today I learned..
I think we knew that the trail got steeper and steeper the closer we got to the end, but we just didn't know it would be like that.. Not a problem in the end, but it was a bit of a kick in the butt.
warpus
In pork I trust
W-Circuit Day 3
The day started with sunshine and joy.. and drying pantaloons..
(actually just the base layer of a 3-layer clothing system recommended for the climite.. and long distance hiking in general.. but I made the joke and it stuck)
And the first medical near-emergency. I cut my left index finger while cutting some nuts into smaller pieces for the breakfast oatmeal. Blood started squirting here and there.. The first thing I did was stop the bleeding with a piece of cloth or something similar.. We cleaned up the wound and with some (read: a lot of) help from my hiking partner I was all good and ready to go.
This is where we steered a bit off the main trail a bit, accidentally.. That sort of looks like a trail, doesn't it?
This day called for 11km of hiking - less than the previous day.. but this time around we had to lug around our heavy backpacks.
Hmm wait a second.. where are we again?
Getting lost was a bit disconcerting, but we found our way again..
The day started with sunshine and joy.. and drying pantaloons..
(actually just the base layer of a 3-layer clothing system recommended for the climite.. and long distance hiking in general.. but I made the joke and it stuck)
And the first medical near-emergency. I cut my left index finger while cutting some nuts into smaller pieces for the breakfast oatmeal. Blood started squirting here and there.. The first thing I did was stop the bleeding with a piece of cloth or something similar.. We cleaned up the wound and with some (read: a lot of) help from my hiking partner I was all good and ready to go.
This is where we steered a bit off the main trail a bit, accidentally.. That sort of looks like a trail, doesn't it?
This day called for 11km of hiking - less than the previous day.. but this time around we had to lug around our heavy backpacks.
Hmm wait a second.. where are we again?
Getting lost was a bit disconcerting, but we found our way again..
warpus
In pork I trust
W-Circuit Day 3 continues..
That red flower thing was everywhere.
It's the Chilean firetree. It added a lot to the scenery and it will forever be stuck in my mind as a unique part of this hike.. It wouldn't have been the same without it.
I got pretty damn close to this bumblebee to get a picture.. fortunately it didn't seem to care.
Lake Nordenskjöld on the left..
Parts of Cordillera del Paine on the right
That red flower thing was everywhere.
It's the Chilean firetree. It added a lot to the scenery and it will forever be stuck in my mind as a unique part of this hike.. It wouldn't have been the same without it.
I got pretty damn close to this bumblebee to get a picture.. fortunately it didn't seem to care.
Lake Nordenskjöld on the left..
Parts of Cordillera del Paine on the right
warpus
In pork I trust
We knew how much our backpacks weighed before we left Canada. To that weight we had to add enough food for 5 days, the portable stove and gas (which didn't really weigh much), misc. other items we bought there (trowel, cooking pot, etc.) and the tent.
Our backpacks were just too damn heavy. We made a deal with the owners of the hostel where we were staying in Punta Arenas to leave some of our stuff behind for a week or so and then pick it up when we got back from the hike. Very hospitable and friendly hostel owners by the way - the hostel was basically their house.. a fairly standard residential home, converted to house 3-4 bedrooms in a hallway that could be rented out to backpackers. The kitchen and living room were shared with the family. They didn't mind at all helping us out and allowed us to leave as much stuff as we want behind - within reason. I think we left 2 garbage bags filled with random junk - clothes, batteries, books, etc.
It helped shed some of the weight, but as you can see my backpack is still kind of bulky. I can't remember the exact weight, but it definitely made the hike a lot more challenging. It's not easy lugging all that weigh around, up and down hill..
Timsup2nothin
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This would be why if I can't get there and back in a day I don't go. I love hiking. Camping is okay. Combining the two of them? Pass.
Borachio
Way past lunacy
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I agree. People take way too much stuff when they go camping and hiking, imo. Tent, cooker, saucepan, sleeping bag, changes of clothing, soap, AND food?
Food and water, and the clothes you stand up in is more like it. Maybe a tarpaulin or a plastic bag.
Still, my hiking days are long gone. Sadly.
Food and water, and the clothes you stand up in is more like it. Maybe a tarpaulin or a plastic bag.
Still, my hiking days are long gone. Sadly.
warpus
In pork I trust
We actually did have the option of staying in the Refugios - there was one by each of the campsites IIRC. They had nice rooms, a kitchen, cafeteria/restaurant, etc. From what I saw they were very nice and well maintained.
The thing is that they were pricy and would have increased the cost of the hike by a decent amount. I don't think we really considered staying in them as an option. We could have figured it into the budget if we really wanted to, but I don't think it really came up.. To be honest there was also a bit of a greenhorn-style bravado in the atmosphere - we wanted to do the hike "right". We stayed away from guides, from organized hikes, from booking refugios, or planning from buying any warm meals there. (which on one of the days we did anyway .. more on that later) We researched the clothes we need to buy, figured out how to get there, what to eat, where to buy it, etc. and did it all ourselves.
The satisfaction of completing the hike and making it to the end all on our own.. I think it was worth it.
I think we brought enough food, but I will talk to Jane and see what she remembers. We tried to overestimate how much we'd need and didn't do that bad of a job.. from what I remember. We had enough rice/noodle dishes for all the days, cheese, salami, some bread, chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, oatmeal, granola bars, lentils, spices, and trail mix. In retrospect we did a pretty good job - except we could have improved quite a bit in terms of dinner. It wasn't bad, but it could have been a lot better. The whole thing was a huge learning experience really.
I will add that we caved in and ate at one of the refugios at the end of day 3. We were just exhausted after the hike, and went in and asked if there is any free room.. Usually you have to book these things ahead of time, but we got lucky and ended up eating breakfast there the next morning too. "We've paid our dues, this will save time and add a lot of convenience" was the silently agreed upon sentiment.
We had a bit of food left over at the end, but it's hard to say if we would have had enough if we didn't eat at the refugio. I think it might've been close, but we'll see what Jane says.
One thing we definitely did not bring enough of was chocolate. When we were doing research, every second site we found said to bring chocolate. We were like "chocolate? ok, I guess we'll bring some". So we did.. and on that hike to the lookout point the chocolate tasted AMAZING. And it was then that we knew.. and understood.. that we should have brought a lot more.
warpus
In pork I trust
Update:
I have talked to my Patagonian hiking buddy and she confirms that we brought enough food for the hike. If we didn't eat those 2 meals at the refugio, we would have had enough for the whole trip anyway. (even if we ran out of chocolate way too early)
She also corrected one of my posts - the "Pueblo" I said we visited in Santiago was actually something else. I have updated that post with the correct details.
She also says I should have commented that we arrived in the country on sunday - the streets were empty and everything was closed. It was a bit bizarre.
Yet another addition: After we left the first hostel in Santiago due to the bedbugs, we ended up in a pretty sweet hostel with a very inviting rooftop patio. Apparently there is a picture of me up there.. but, I could not find it.
I have talked to my Patagonian hiking buddy and she confirms that we brought enough food for the hike. If we didn't eat those 2 meals at the refugio, we would have had enough for the whole trip anyway. (even if we ran out of chocolate way too early)
She also corrected one of my posts - the "Pueblo" I said we visited in Santiago was actually something else. I have updated that post with the correct details.
She also says I should have commented that we arrived in the country on sunday - the streets were empty and everything was closed. It was a bit bizarre.
Yet another addition: After we left the first hostel in Santiago due to the bedbugs, we ended up in a pretty sweet hostel with a very inviting rooftop patio. Apparently there is a picture of me up there.. but, I could not find it.
Berzerker
Deity
Lake Nordenskjöld on the left..
huh? This is Patagonia?
thx for the pics
huh? This is Patagonia?
thx for the pics
warpus
In pork I trust
Yeah, it's named after Otto Nordenskjöld, a polar explorer (and geographer & geologist). He lead expeditions to Patagonia in the 1890s and discovered this lake.
There's a bunch of stuff named after him in Antarctica too, he lead an expedition there in the early 1900s.
Glad you're enjoying them!
Next batch coming tomorrow.
warpus
In pork I trust
We each carried a 1L water bottle. There were a lot of refill options along the way, because the Cordillera del Paine mountain cluster was always just to the right of the trail - with snow covered peaks and glaciers up top. There were many streams carrying freshly melted water to the lakes below.
Technically speaking the park recommends that you boil or treat the water in some way.. with water pills or using a filtration system. But every single person we asked, including park employees, said that it's safe to drink the water straight from the source, as long as it was a moving stream and not a still body of water. The water tasted incredibly fresh and there were always many streams along the way.
warpus
In pork I trust
W-Circuit Day 3 continues...
It's possible to traverse parts of this trail on horseback.
Eventually the trail splits off into a path for horses and a hiking trail for humans, which is great, because that's when you can stop having to worry about stepping in horse poo.. Not that there were really that many horses on the trail, I think we only ran into a couple.
I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that the landscape was just breathtaking.
It's possible to traverse parts of this trail on horseback.
Eventually the trail splits off into a path for horses and a hiking trail for humans, which is great, because that's when you can stop having to worry about stepping in horse poo.. Not that there were really that many horses on the trail, I think we only ran into a couple.
I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that the landscape was just breathtaking.
