TORRES DEL PAINE HIKE

7 hours of fast-paced hiking (at least for my pace), 11.2 miles RT, 2460’ elevation gain.  SORE, but the view was worth it.

OMG - the longest I’ve hiked since high school or possibly EVER!  Definitely DID NOT prepare for this excursion.  But I’m here, so had to go for it.  I see people of all ages, well into their 60s, and possibly 70s, so how tough can it be - right?  Right......

Our guide, whose legs are 1.5 times as long as mine, and who does this every day takes off on a fast pace from the hotel.  I’m barely keeping up on flat land and am hoping he’ll slow down on the climb UP.  Up is a constant cardio workout - must do more cardio when I get back home.  Thank God for the woman who was older & slower than me.  If it weren’t for her, I’d be at the back of the group.

At the half-way point to the top, we stopped 10-15 minutes for a break.  Just as I’m starting to get feeling in my calves again, we’re ready to go.  Up.  Up.  Up.  And more Up.  Did I mention that I don’t do hiking like this at home.

We’re almost to the top and it starts to get very windy.  This isn’t your casual wind, this is Patagonia wind - cold, brisk, extremely strong.  The last stretch isn’t a trail per se - it’s a series of jagged rocks & boulders that you navigate to the top.  The wind is kicking up and I’m thinking it’s going to fling me off the side of the mountain like a gnat and I’ll go tumbling down.  I see a woman with a real backpack (not a daypack) - she’s clinging to a rock so the wind doesn’t grab her pack and throw her down the mountain. 

HUGE PAYOFF after 4 hours of hiking.  The 3 towers come into view on this crisp, clear, sunny day.  All of a sudden the pain in my calves goes away.  You’d think “Torres del Paine” was all about pain, but “Paine” (pronounced pine-ay with a long a) means blue in the original Indian language. 

We stay for 30 minutes to eat our lunch, and we’re definitely ready to go because the wind up there is friggin’ cold and goes straight to your bones.  Even though the sun is out, with the wind, the guide says it feels like mid-40 temps.  I hiked up most of the way in a short-sleeve wool t-shirt, but now I have all layers on (hat, glove liners & gloves, 2 jackets, 2 shirts).

The way down - just as hard as the way up, but a whole different set of pain.  I think I prefer up.  Down is extremely hard on the knees and they ache with every single step & movement.  It takes 3 hours to get down.

My calves were sore for days - after 5 days, they’re still rock hard & stiff, but I can now get out of a chair & walk without grunting.  The tips of some of my toes were sore - so much that it was uncomfortable with the sheet on top of them.  Must be how marathon runners feel.  I look at the many backpackers and think am I a wimp or what?

Side note - met a 68 year-old woman from London who had a hip replacement 4 years ago.  She and her husband did the hike - took them 8.5 hours.  I hear that and know I shouldn’t complain one bit. 

On to the next adventure.