Entries from Torres del Paine

We had a nice warm night in our Dome tent thanks to Jim who kept the fire stoked. The morning brought clearer weather and a nice dry day. Paine Grande and it's massive glacier came into view after yesterday's blizzard. 

As the team closed the "O" circuit with 10.5 miles of rolling terrain we were fortunate to see 20+ condors flying in close proximity to the trail, often in groups of 5-6. The trail brings us back into the estancia sector to where we began hiking eight days ago. This was a nice way to wrap up what's been an overcast & at times windy and damp trip. Tomorrow we will get an early start to beat the day hiking crowd up to the Towers. Keeping our fingers crossed for clear skies and dry weather.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Mike King

We weathered another stormy night in our tents at Paine Grande. Some people in camp, not our group had poles snap, some unfortunately lost their entire tents. Our eight mile hike to Francis Domes included an optional 5k to the British lookout. The clouds, cold temperature & snow obscured the views from below. A few kept going in hopes of a clear-ish view while some opted to head for shelter. 

We continue to enjoy classic Patagonia weather that keeps you guessing on your layer changes. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to a night in beds at the wood stove heated Francis Domes Refugio, a nice break from wind & loud tents. Today's highlight was seeing the Cuernos rock features that make up the middle of the massif.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Mike King

Today was a double activity day for some.  Three of us started the day with a morning kayak tour in Lago Grey.  Despite the winds up high the conditions on the lake were great.   We were able to kayak up and get a look at the Grey Glacier from the water.   We’ve now seen the glacier from above on the trail, from the surface during yesterday’s glacier walk and from the water!

We all took the walk from Refugio Grey to Refugio Paine Grande.  The rain chased us but didn’t catch us.  It was very windy up high but otherwise a dry and nice walk.  This was one of the shorter days and a good way to get back into the groove after the long day over the pass and the recovery day.   After arriving at Paine Grande a variety of treats were enjoyed at the bar while looking out over the lake. 

RMI Team Member Mark Nelson

Today we had a welcomed slower day. We took a motorboat out to Grey’s Glacier and put on helmets and crampons for a couple of hours of glacier hiking. The glacier is part of Patagonia’s ice field, the third largest in the world. We saw bright blue ice caves, deep pools, a glacial waterfall, and streams of clear water. 

Midway through our hike the guides served hot tea of ginger, cinnamon, and honey, plus chocolate bars. What a treat-to hold a cup of steaming tea and gaze out at the magnificent view of water, ice, and mountain.

Particularly satisfying was to look up at the John Gardner pass that we traversed yesterday. When we saw one of the three bridges we crossed, one member of our group commented, “Wow, it didn’t seem that high when I was on it.” It’s astounding to see yesterday’s hike from a completely different viewpoint and to stand in the midst of yesterday’s.

RMI Climber Melissa Earley

We had an early start after a windy night to begin our 9 hour day over John Gardner pass at 3,900'. The trail winds through a muddy forest for a few hours before getting into the alpine zone. There was fresh snow on the peaks surrounding us and lots of wind to motivate the group to take shorter breaks and keep moving to stay warm. 

We got into the pass with some nice views of the Grey glacier, one of the longer arms of the Southern Patagonian ice field. Once back into the trees to begin our descent the trail gets less than ideal from a knee and feet standpoint. The trail is steep and has large steps that make a measured and rhythmic stride all but impossible. It's just part of the trek, but not the best part of the trek. 

We are all in camp, some have gone for showers and some have gone for drinks. We all are looking forward to a good night and day off tomorrow.

Thanks for following along. 

RMI Guide Mike King

After a cloudy & rainy evening at Lago Dickson we began our hike to Perros with some blue sky and nice views of the glaciers that fill the valleys. Our hike took us deeper into the forest that fills the valley due to more rainfall coming over the pass we will ascend tomorrow morning. The team enjoyed views of the Perros glacier and lake before getting to camp. We'll have an early start tomorrow for our longest day over John Gardner Pass.

RMI Guide Mike King

Today we hiked 11 miles through rolling forest and grasslands. The views of the Paine River and Lake were enjoyable. The team enjoyed sun, wind & rain. Often these happened all at once.

We are relaxing at Lago Dickson, a beautiful camp along a glacial lake that often has ice floating in it. All is well in Southern Patagonia.

RMI Guide Mike King and Team

We got picked up in Puerto Natales and enjoyed seeing rehas, guanacos & a fox during our scenic drive to the park. Our hike to Seron was 8.5 miles. The trail winds through beech trees with dry rolling grasslands along the Paine River. We had nice weather, wind to keep us cool & cloud cover for the UV. At camp, the team is enjoying some down time, charcuterie & dinner to conclude the day. All is good down in Patagonia. Camp Lago Dickson tomorrow.

Thanks,

RMI Guide Mike King

The Torres del Paine trek team arrived over the last two days in Punta Arenas. Flying this far south requires a lot of plane, airport & layover time. We got an early start for our boat trip to Magdalena Island where a colony of magallenic penguins live.One and a half hours out the Straights of Magellan (if you haven't figured out that he's kind of a big deal down here) where the currents of the Atlantic & Pacific oceans collide resides a lot of penquinos. An hour loop got everyone a full dose of penguins, gulls & skuas. The baby penguins that hatched in November are big and still have trace amounts of their fuzzy down. 

We'll transfer to Puerto Natales this afternoon and get our gear check done. A quick meeting with our Chilean partners will get everyone ready to begin our trek of the "O" & "W" circuit of Torres del Paine National Park.

So far the weather has been nice, seas calm and winds low. We are eager to start walking towards Seron camp in the morning. 

RMI Guide Mike King

We had a nice short day today. The sun was out and made for the quick 4 1/2 hour hike. We are back in Puerto Natales and looking forward to a nice dinner and some story telling from the eight days in Patagonia. Thanks for following along. 

RMI Guide Mike King