Monday, November 13, 2006

Torres del Paine, Patagonia




Once we arrived in Santiago we thought, well we made it this far lets got to the bottom of the continent. 1500 more miles and we were at our destination, Chilean Patagonia. A place I knew little about, Mark had dreamed for years of seeing this part of the world and trekking in the serene Torres del Paine National Park. A mecca for climbers and rated one of the most amazing parks in the world we were lucky enough to five days exploring. The park is huge and there are tons of hotels, hostals and campsites. You can see the park several ways from day trips on buses to catamaran rides to several different trails. We chose what was called the ¨W¨ loop. This hike can be done in 4 or 5 days. Each day we hiked about 4-6 hours to get to our campsite or hostal. The day we arrived at the park I was shocked at how cold and windy it was. As we waited for the catamaran to take us across the lake it started to rain and as I put on all my layers I thought, what did I get myself into? A short hour later we were on our way 11km to our first destination. With about 30 pounds on my back I was cold no more. The first day we were treated to walking through a beautiful snowstorm. The kind that melts as it hits the ground. Combined with the scenery, it was magnificent. On the way Mark suddenly made this yelpy noise. Not sure if he was hurt or what I rounded the corner to see a huge blue lake littered with icebergs. Beautiful!! If I included every detail it would be a novel and maybe we will write one someday, but for now please enjoy the pictures.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Liz and Mark,
Spectacular photos of Patagonia. We love your blog and check it often--what an adventure you are having!! Will miss you on Thanksgiving so have a great day, Pilgrims!! Love, YLM, Bud, & Willi

Anonymous said...

Holy cow, your photos look a whole lot more fun than medical school. you guys look really cute together in all the pics. i'm heading to phoenix for turkey day and wish you were around to have some beers. maybe i'll track you down this summer somewhere in the southern hemisphere.

best,
Kevin

Anonymous said...

Hi Mark and Liz:
We enjoyed your pictures of Torres del Paine. Gene is still working on our pictures. You may be in the Galapagos Islands (or on your way) by now. I also enjoyed your pictures of Cusco and Saxywaman since we have been there too. Have a fabulous trip. It was great meeting you. Keep in touch.
Rosann and Gene
Denver, CO
rosann_m@yahoo.com