Antarctica to Zimbabwe – Day 8 – Torres del Paine can be found here.
Our slothful ways continue – we weren’t up until 7:35 am, though we we’re not on a particular schedule. Our sole goal this morning is to eat breakfast before the best bits are gone. (Though the kitchen is very good about bringing out anything we might want.)
Success – we get there early enough to enjoy spicy sausages and fresh-baked croissant. Very tasty.
We’ll be sticking around EcoCamp today, so no need to pack a lunch – though we still requested boxes so that we can pack a midday snack.
We’ve been given the map for a hiking route so we’re going to head off on our own. Nothing too much – maybe 2 hours (4 to 5 km) of the initial O loop, just enough to stretch our legs after the long hike yesterday.
EcoCamp gave us a radio in case we run into trouble on the trail, and asked us to sign waivers before we leave. It makes our choice seem more adventurous than it is – the trail has a steady stream of hikers, so we shouldn’t have trouble getting directions if needed.
And it might be needed – we had some trouble figuring out where the path is, but we were soon on our way. We’re definitely on a trail, and it’s clearly marked – so even if it’s not the trail, it’ll be good enough for its intended purposes.
We soon settle into a familiar groove, and enjoy the beautiful scenery:
And it isn’t long before we reach the metal gate that marks our intended halfway point.
We then carried on a little further into the forest that started just past the gate, imagining ourselves to be at the start of completing the epic O loop.
But not today – we reach a stream and double back.
I’d like to think we’ll attempt it one day, but I’m not sure the concept of multiple nights at various refugios appeals to us. We’d rather attempt to find a hiking route that involved trekking from one luxury hotel to the next. At least somewhere with private rooms and ensuite bathrooms…
In any case, it’s time to head back to the metal gate.
We’re meant to take a different trail down, and we find one – but it soon closes up to the point where it’s difficult to traverse. So we return to our initial trail. (I’m not entirely certain we were off on a proper side trail.)
Dome suite dome
We return to EcoCamp at about 11 am, roughly 2 hours and 10,000 steps after we set off. It was a great way to stretch our legs after the previous day’s epic hike, though part of me wishes we’d downloaded the nearby walking routes on All Trails before we left. We thought we’d managed this, but apparently not quite before we lost cell service on the drive in.
Still, there’s a joy in not knowing exactly where you’re going – something that seems to happen so rarely in this digital age. And we still ended up getting a nice, quick hike in. All’s well that ends well.
Off to lunch, where they served a delicious chicken Milanese:
The kids then did a bit of schoolwork, while the adults read and did a bit of writing.
I went back to the dome to shave for the first time in about 5 days, while my wife, son and daughter went to the sound healing session at the yoga dome.
It was incredibly calm. They explained how the process was going to work – there was going to be some light stretching, you would swivel on your mat so your feet were pointing toward the gong, a bolster would go under your knees and a blanket under your head.
The sound healer then made an immense array of sounds using the various objects – bowls, gongs, chimes, and bells – all around the room. My wife and kids loved it. They felt that 30 minutes was too short, but also acknowledge that they would have been asleep at the end of an hour.
Meanwhile, I spent some time napping and relaxing outside the dome:
Back to the community domes for a bit to play another round of Dungeons & Dragons. The kids finished off the initial ‘Death House’ adventure, and levelled up. (Though they were nearly killed in the process after picking a fight with a creeping mound.) My son has decided to become a battlemaster fighter while our daughter chose assassin rogue.
Then on to yoga, where it was extremely warm in the dome. They normally set up for 8 people, but 17 showed up so there was a lot of re-arranging and squishing-in of mats and the temperature also soared. The instructor did her very best and opened the door and windows immediately, but it still took some time to cool off.
It was a really good way to stretch after some of the more strenuous hikes. Mats, blocks, and water were provided for those who needed it. Our daughter preferred the sound bath – but great that she had the chance to try yoga.
Meanwhile, I spent a bit of time hanging out with some of the other guests on the back terrace, swapping stories and comparing notes. One noted that EcoCamp is known as having the best food in all of Torres del Paine. Those who did the longer treks seemed to enjoy them, but there was definitely a sense of longing for the comforts EcoCamp provides.
We then joined the recent arrivals for tonight’s briefing, which was a bit of surreal experience – had we really not known how all this worked just a few nights earlier?
We helped a few recent arrivals decide which excursions to try, though we bristled at the notion of having to wake up at 5:30 am tomorrow to make our 7 am departure. But at least it’s only just the once, and this should provide us with the best chance yet to spot pumas.
Off to dinner. Here’s tonight’s menu:
We had a fantastic meal of tuna and avocado:
Followed by steak and smashed potatoes:
While the kids each had some truly world-class pizza:
Seriously, the adults would have loved that dinner – though ours was also exceptional. We can definitely see why people say that EcoCamp has the best food in the area.
Dessert was pumpkin fritters for my wife and son:
And a bitter chocolate bar with mousse for my daughter and myself:
Once more off to bed so that we could make our early-morning departure. Sad that it’ll be our last full day at EcoCamp – we definitely made full use of all 6 nights, but we will be ready to head on to Cascada de las Animas when the time comes.
Continue reading Antarctica to Zimbabwe – Day 10 – Torres del Paine.