0700, Hosteria campground, Torres del Paine. Day 6. Rays of a slowly diminishing sun stray on the tent fabric. Outside, pans rattle and a stove is lit. Out of habit, it seems that Martin has woken up early today. Eager to check this particularity, I unzip the outer tent door and peek outside. Under an ever darkening Patagonian sky, it is Martin indeed who is preparing us all a coffee treat and a MRE-like breakfast.

0900, trekking trail to Base Camp, Torres del Paine. Packed with about 30 kilos each, we have left our campsite for over an hour ago. Steadily, we make our way up the track witch leads to our expedition Base Camp. Yesterday, when we first ferried our loads up there, we walked among loads of tourists, all eager to get catch a glimpse of the central tower we intend to climb. This morning though we see hardly any people at all; despite the mild temperature, the weather is getting nasty. Along with the darkened sky, drizzle has come in and the wind has picked up in force. Gusts of wind throw us off balance from time to time, and passing a distinct section of the track –referred to as ´wind corner´- we hardly manage to walk at all.

1215, Base Camp, Torres del Paine. Satisfied about this first part of the day, we take a couple of minutes to relax before heading back down. We are well aware that another run with 30 kilo packs will give us a hard time in the afternoon anyway, so we don´t hesitate too long. Luckily, the bad tempered Patagonian sky seems to have cleared a bit, and the further we descend the BC valley, the sunnier it gets. Finally, back at the campsite, the blazing sun makes us pack the haulbags wearing nothing but our dust-worn pants.

1930, Base Camp, Torres del Paine. Sand seems to stick all over my face, as we carry load 9 to 12 into BC. Unlike this morning, the afternoon was incredibly sunny and hot. The only thing that did not change was the wind, blowing clouds of dust onto our sweat covered bodies. We take the inconvenience as a fact, and enjoy our meals, our new camp, and the progress made. It seems that we got our first fair treat of Patagonian weather today and we are curious what future brings. Will we be able to climb at all?

back to expeditions

welcome to thursday 13th of january