Torres Del Paine (Patagonia)-8th Day of O Circuit

The next morning I awoke to the sounds of chirping birds.  This day was supposed to be an easy one as I only had to hike 5 hours back to where I had started to complete the circuit.

So I slept in past nine, only to arise from my tent to see a gorgeous day with blue sky--not just a sliver of blue sky.  The whole sky was blue.  I immediately regretted my decision to sleep in.  The thought of re-doing Mirador Las Torres, which was implanted deep in the back of my mind since the beginning of my trek, quickly made its way to the forefront of my mind.  Mother Nature had thrown me another bone, and this was a big one, which I was going to take full advantage of.  I was going to attempt to hike back up Mirador Las Torres, which would add a solid 8 hours to my original 5-hour hike back to the starting point.  I also wanted to get up to Mirador Las Torres as quickly as I could just in case the weather did turn bad.  

So my easy hike turned into a very ambitious one . . . 

Luckily, I did not have to break down my tent, so I got ready in 15 minutes.  I didn't even bother taking a shower.  I had to hurry though, because 13 hours would take me right up until twilight, about 10pm.  I also had to make a checkpoint up to Mirador Las Torres by a certain time.  I still did not have a water bottle, and would just resort to the tried and true method of taking sips from streams as I cross them.

So, I got to see awesome view of Lake Nordenskjold, and a nice picture of the snow-capped mountain . . .

. . . and you know those cloud covered black-peaked mountains that I saw on the previous hike.  Those look much better dressed in blue than in white.

. . . and of course I had to take my obligatory drink from the stream--this one as I took my last look at Lake Nordenskjold, and headed inland toward Mirador Las Torres.

I eventually got to Camp Chileano, where I dropped off my backpack, and donned my day pack instead for the 4-hour round trip up to Mirador Las Torres and back to Camp Chileano. Off I went, walking as fast I could.  I was not sure where the sun set in relation to the Torres, and even though the sunset was not until after 9pm, and it was only 4pm at this point, I did not want the sun to cast Torres' shadow onto the turquoise lake at its base.  Half way up, I could see the Torres peaking up above the hills in front of me.  I was relieved it was still great weather, and at the least, I would get to see the Torres set against the blue sky even if the turquoise lake happened to not be so turquoise in the shadow of the Torres.

. . . and at the top, I saw the view that I had wanted to see since the beginning of my trek . . .

I made it to the top with not much time left to see my perfect view.  As I sat on a rock at the edge of the lake, eating my full can of Pringles, which had been waiting for me the last 8 hours . . .

. . . the sun did indeed cast the Torres' shadow upon the lake.

As I started back down I could not help think that I had just pulled off a coup.  Mother Nature did, indeed, give me the opportunity to experience this day to the fullest, but I went to extreme lengths to make it happen, so I had to give myself some kudos.  I had no reservations to stay at Torres Del Paine this night, and I was going to have to sleep somewhere as there was no way I was going to make the bus back to Puerto Natales.  But it didn't bother me at that point.  I had my backup plan in place.

Going down the mountain, I took in some bonus views that were previously nearly whited out on my previous attempt due to the rain, sleet, and snow . . .

. . . occasionally looking back at the Torres . . .

I eventually made it to Camp Chileano to retrieve my backpack, which I was thankful was still there.  I made it to the bottom, and looked up one last time.  You can actually see the Torres in the background from here, which I had no idea you could, as it was completely hidden during my first attempt from bottom to top.

This hike had taken everything out of me, and I barely made it back to the lodge.  All total, it took 13 hours over 25 miles, with a 3000 foot elevation change.

I ate dinner at the lodge, and even though I did not have reservations to stay there, I made myself comfortable in the common lodge area as if I belonged there.  A week beforehand, I had hung out in this common area of the lodge prior to retiring to my tent next door, but not without making a note to myself that if I had to stay one more night without a reservation, this would make an excellent location to do it at.

So there I stayed working on my computer until I passed out . . .

#torresdelpaine #patagonia #Chile