Q&A about Torres del Paine

January 06, 2016

Q&A about Torres del Paine

(this is not from the trail, but I love it so I'm posting it and you can't stop me! Its a screenshot from our music video)

A friend from Virginia Tech told me he's doing the W/heading to Torres del Paine next month and sent me a list of questions about it. I felt it ended up being a pretty good wrap up of the trail and could be helpful for other TdP travelers/for me whenever I want to go back. I do not claim to be an expert, this is just what happened to me and my perspective on stuff. Enjoy.

What gear did you bring? We saw some lists online but I wanted to hear it from you.

My camping list (I brought more than this for the rest of the trip, though. You can leave extra stuff at a locker/your Puerto Natales hostel):

Eddie Bauer 50L pack
Tent (1 person ultralight REI Quarterdome)
Footprint for tent
Warm, compressed sleeping bag
Sleeping pad (rented in Puerto Natales, wish I brought a blow up one)
2 pairs of athletic leggings (one for sleep, one for hike)
1 pair of REI North Sahara hiking pants (that ended up blowing away in the wind when I set them out to dry)
2 technical long sleeve shirts (one for sleep, one for hike, they were both from half marathons I’ve done.)
a pullover fleece
a lightweight down parka
a plastic rain coat…VERY IMPORTANT!!
Plastic camp cutlery
camp towel (like a shammy)
a stove pot (I used this to eat out of too, and actually someone else brought it for me, just to clarify) (someone else brought the campstove)
camelback
clipon waterbottle
hat
ear warmers
gloves (get waterproof gloves)
Phone
External charger (22000mhz) (never used it though….there’s no wifi or signal there)
Toiletries (all in a plastic gallon size bag)
Toilet paper …. VERY IMPORTANT. There are bathrooms at all campsites but no paper haha!
First aid kit – emphasis on moleskine and bandaids – blisters and rubbing is no fun
Headlamp (don’t bring a flashlight)
Hiking boots
Tevas
Smartwool socks – 3 pair
underwear – 3 pairs

I felt like I brought hardly anything – I wanted my pack as light as possible. But now that I’ve written it all out, it looks like lot!

Wish I had: trash bags (to keep everything dryer), emergency blanket (because after it rained and snowed and my stuff was wet, I basically got hypothermia), extra pair of gloves, rain pants, bug spray (when its hot they are unbearable), handwarmers (Dane handed some to me when I thought I was going to die and they helped so much)

What would you recommend in doing to prepare for this trip?

Do a shakedown hike. This is basically a weekend trip to get the feel for camping. Kinda sucks that its so cold here now, but its very helpful. Especially if you’ve never really done a trip like this before, it will get you your hiking bearings. The W is no joke!

What would you recommend doing in Puerto Natales?

Nothing. I severely disliked Puerto Natales. Its gross and disgusting. Spend as little time here as possible. Stay at Erratic Rock hostel though, and get the pizza next door at base camp. DON’T BUY THE OATMEAL FOR CAMPING THERE, THOUGH. Its too salty.

What would you recommend doing in Punta Arenas?

Same as above. There is no point to be here other than for the airport.

Okay now I feel bad. Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas are fine - there's plenty to do. I just wouldn't recommend turning these places into any sort of exciting destination.

What was the hardest part of the trek?

The hike from Hotel Torres to Camp Torres is hard. Straight uphill. Hot and humid (for us anyway). But once you get to the crest, its smooth sailing down into the valley. The hardest part besides that was having to sleep in cold, wet clothes in a cold, wet sleeping bag, in the cold, wet rain at Camp Italiano. Despite our stuff being totally waterproofed and whatnot, rain still soaked us (it rained for 27 hours straight…theres no hiding from it). It was beautiful the next day, though.

Would you recommend on bringing hiking shoes? /what shoes did you bring?

YES. Bring hiking boots. DO NOT DO IT IN SNEAKERS. I saw a few dinguses hiking in sneakers and I thought they were dumb af. I would recommend bringing 2 pairs of shoes: your hiking boots (I have Oboz but everyone else had Solomon, go get fitted at REI), and a pair of Tevas/Chacos to walk around the campsite in. Don’t bring anything else on the hike – you can leave extra stuff (like city wear) in a locker in Puerto Natales. I prefer the sandals that don’t have the big toe separated – so you can wear them with socks around the campsite.

What did you eat on the trek? /what did the refugios have to offer to eat?

We made a different dinner every night: jambalaya, quinoa and veggies, lasagna (camp version from a bag that we bought in Puerto Natales) and a Moroccan lentil dish. Use your campstove to boil water. Get sauces and veggies. You can buy wine at most campsites. Also, buy chocolate bars. Just do it, you’ll thank yourself.

Lunches were pitas and a variety of fillers: turkey, cheese, avocado, tuna, mixed and matched depending on mood

Breakfast was oatmeal and fruit.

We had a few loaves of bread that were a bad idea (at first) – they got squished and misshapen almost immediately. We used these as dipping strips and dipped them into Nutella – delicious.

Camp Paine Grande offers a restaurant and a bar – take advantage if you want a break from camp food.

Camp Grey has a little food shop and kitchen, same with Camp Chileno. Italiano and Torres offer no such niceties.

What was the weather like? Did the temperature drop immediately at night? (We’re hiking in the summer but I saw from Ron’s video that it looked like it was snowing)

Weather was completely unpredictable. The first moment we got there, the winds were so strong that one girl’s rain cover blew away – never got it back. My pants blew away, too. So did Ron’s socks. Prepare for everything. It snowed, rained, was hot, was windy, you name it. It was nice more often than it wasn’t, though. But don’t depend on this << it could be totally different for you.

It was chilly at night, yes. Bundle up! Despite it being summer, don’t forget you’re so far south that its still cold. Put a hot water bottle in your sleeping bag as you sleep. Make sure you have a good sleeping pad. Even the warmest sleeping bag is cold AF against a cold ground.

Did you rent sleeping bags in Puerto Natales?

No, I brought my own. Bring your own. I wouldn’t trust other sleeping bags. You want the warmest you can get. Make sure it compresses and is smallish, though. This will take up the most space in your pack.

What were some challenges/difficulties you came across on this journey?

The weather was rough. But also beautiful, at times. It was everything. I wish I had more trash bags to keep things dry (or try). I was SOOO glad that my pajamas magically never got (too) wet. It made all the difference.

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