On day two of my Patagonian explorations (you can read day one here), we were optimistically heading into the clouds with high hopes of viewing the glacier inside the French Valley. Myself, two Frenchmen, an Ecuadorian and our Chilean guide had our sights set on a 20km trek just beyond the trek to the French Valley, midway between the Italian and British camps on the W trail in Torres del Paine National Park.
We departed the Explora lodge at 8:30am after filling our backpacks with snacks and fresh glacial water for the day. From there we took the Explora catamaran over to the beginning of the trail, a half hour journey from the lodge.
Once there we set off onto the trail at a good pace. This particular trail was fairly dynamic as we passed through much of the forest that was burned in the fires that swept through the park just two years ago. While the clouds were thick at the beginning of the morning, the longer the day carried on and the longer we trekked, the more the conditions improved. By the time we reached the French Valley the clouds were beginning to completely open up. This trail was a 15kms round-trip, but we had all agreed earlier in the day to take the extension of the trail and make our way to the lookout to see the glacier up close.
Precisely three hours after we set off at the beginning of the trail, we reached the lookout where we would spend lunch. Having never hiked the W trail before I wasn’t too sure how we did for time, but according to my guide we made it in very good time, which gave us an even better chance to spot an avalanche as we stretched out for a long lunch watching mother nature in action.
While we were indulging in a three-course lunch with one of the best views you could ever imagine, we anxiously awaited the mini avalanches that continued to fall during our time at the lookout. While each of those we witnessed were very minor, our guide Manfred showed me a video from a couple of weeks prior where he had filmed an huge avalanche in action. It was quite surreal to be sitting there up close watching it all take place, as if we were filming a scene for the Discovery Channel.
Unfortunately I didn’t have time to complete all three hikes on the W during my stay, giving me all the more reason to return in the future!
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