2020 Torres del Paine hiking and horses.
Our first day at Torres del Paine we took an all-day hike up one of the eastern hills to get a better view of the towers. While this area features some of the most amazing landscapes, it also features some nasty weather. They had had rain the days preceding our visit, so the first hike was a bit muddy. We rode horses for the first half, until they could go no further, just before the edge of the tree line. My horse Claudia was really huffing and puffing and didn’t feel as surefooted as my horse in Ushuaia. We continued on foot up the 30-40 degree grade of glacier scree that led to the top of the hill, all the while being pelted with cold sideways rain and high winds. We worried we would not get a clear view of the towers, but fortunately a small window of clarity arrived long enough for a few photos then head back down out of the windstorm gusts over 60 km/hr. We did get to see a small avalanche in progress on Cerro Grande with the accompanying thunderous sounds.—
The next day we ventured on the other side to the French Valley hike. First we traveled by boat around crystal blue Pehoe Lake then hiked through more wind and rain to the Italian Camp. On the way we crossed by a windswept lake that nearly knocked us down when the wind gusted at us. It carried so much of the water from the lake that it felt like rain when it flew uphill toward us. It nearly knocked over the (slightly older) couple who were trekking with us. We stopped by a raging river and saw a carancho, a scavenging bird of prey in the area. A few rickety bridges later, we were making our way up into the French Valley. The French Glacier looms large and creates beautiful avalanches and many waterfalls, streams, and rivers. We weren’t so sure it was worth it as we plodded up slippery rocks, across streams, through mud, and against wet cold wind and rain. We thought we would just see more of the glacier, but when we reached the top, we got a beautiful view of a rock formation called The Shield, and the Utah-like rocky outjuts to our right. Totally worth it, although we were left cold and wet at the end on our watery slippery hike back to the Pehoe Lake ferry. By the end of the day, we had totally earned the tired legs massage we would receive at the spa the next day. Our dogs they were a-barkin’.—
Fortunately, the weather was clear and sunny for our third day, so we could enjoy the horses. One foal was born 2 weeks ago, and the lodge was trying to keep it from getting eaten by pumas like the last 14 foals born here. In an effort to do so, they kept it around its mother and humans all day and encouraged human interaction. It was friendly and cute—much to Santiago’s enjoyment and mine. We rode in a group out to the nearby Nordenskjöld Lake and got to cross several streams. It’s amazing to feel the horse struggle against the current with aplomb. We did get to trot and gallop a bit; what a thrill!—
