Los Torres
By Laura Closkey
4 Mar 2004 6:34 am
It was a beautful sunny day when we set out for Los Torres. That morning I linked up with Casey and Anja on the bus on the way to the Torres del Paine National Park. We were all planning to spend the next 6 days trekking the W route. We had dropped our heavy packs at camp and were zipping up the additional 2 hours to the Torres viewpoint with just cameras and water. Thing is, on sunny days in Patagonia those big beautiful glaciers heat up and melt and the melt swells the streams and rivers. When you arrive at a flooded stream you have options: Take off you boots and wade, traverse upstream and down and look for an easier crossing, or build a bridge. Key is to be patient. Unfortunately, while Casey was wading barefoot through one swelled stream Anja most unfortunately and very accidentally tossed Casey`s boots accross the river but they just barely DID NOT make it. They were immediately swept away. So there we were on day 1 of perhaps the most beautiful trek in the world and Casey´s boots were lost down the river. EEAK! What to do? Well, carry on of course. While Anja went back to camp for Casey’s sandals, Casey and I made up jokes to pass the time…. What’s worse than loosing your boots in the river? Losing your new best friends´s boots in the river….. How do you loose a new best friend? Toss their boots in the river….. One boot on the foot is worth two in the river.
So with this little adventure set for the diaries, we carried on up to Los Torres. And they are very amaizing. The rock architecture just so dramatic – rollling peat bogs and beautiful lakes and and glaciers are par for the course down here in Patagonia, but in this park Los Torres are truely amaizing granite towers that shoot stright out of the Andes with glaciers nested between and an emerald lake lying beneath – so stunning. For me it is the most beautiful catherdral I´ve ever been lucky enough to visit.
Miraculously, Anja was able to radio from camp back to their hostel in Puerto Natales and other friends brought rented boots for Casey the next day and she continued on. Amazing.
Photos soon – promise.
6:34 AM? Laura I am so amazed. Are you heading somewhere?
The park must be truly beautiful for you to be impressed. Is it a trip that old ladies can manage?
Keep in touch. Love, Mom
Love the story about the shot in the derriere. Isn’t that what DRs are for?! And photos of Mr. Toast… I’m getting very nostalgic. Miss you!
Alex xx
Mental note…no boot tossing ever.