Wednesday, January 9, 2019 – Torres del Paine
We dragged ourselves out of bed a little before 7:00 and got ready for a big day of hiking today. We were both feeling pretty exhausted and I still felt full from dinner. I had an espresso shot from our coffee machine before showering, and then we headed up for breakfast by 7:20. They seated us early so we had more coffee, and a nibble of fruit and bread, but that was all we could eat.
We met up with Rodrigo at 8:00 as scheduled, and started off. A long drive through the neighboring estancia, to the southern exit this time. The guanacos were there to see us off. The weather looks great too!
Then we drove along Lago Saramiento, to the south of the property, towards the park entrance.
Of course, there were photo opportunities along the way. Every way you look, it's another beautiful vista.
This is a well-known rock formation which is surrounded by larger mountains. They are known as the Mask, Blade, and Sword.
At last we reached the trailhead for Mirador Corneros, and started out. Beautiful views along the way, of course. We hiked about 10 minutes until we reached a waterfall.
The sunlight was cooperating enough to make a small rainbow. Gorgeous!
After the falls we continued on to the mirador proper. The trail had a slight incline here and there as it skirted Lago Nordenskjöld.
At the end of the trail we had a great view of the “horns” of the Torres del Paines massif, with the beautiful blue lake below.
It was impressively windy, so no mountains reflected in the water today. But the trail was well worth the effort. The view was spectacular, as there were very few clouds.
We headed back as quickly as we came, with occasional photo stops. Impressive how small the trees are, but once you feel the wind you can understand why they look that way.
The whole trail is about 4 miles round-trip.
Then further into the park, on to the next stop at a scenic viewpoint above Lago Pehoe. No hike needed here.
At this point we decided to keep driving and do the second mirador hike later, so off to the southern edge of the park for a view of Lago el Toro, then a quick exit and a view overlooking the Rio Serrano.
From our perch, we could see all the way to the glaciers in the northwest part of the park. This may be the Grey Glacier.
Now we drove back the way we came, back into the park to get to our second hike. We both had trouble staying awake, but the scenery was pretty when our eyes were open.
We went back to Mirador Condor for a challenging hike at a pretty steep incline for the whole way. It was 3/4 of a mile, and 700 feet of elevation gain. What's that gradient?
At least there are nice photo stops along the way!
But the 360-degree views were worth the effort, despite the very strong winds. It was still fairly cloudless so the scenery was gorgeous.
Rodrigo was bundled up nicely against the wind. We were borderline chilly but it wasn't too bad. The climb had done a lot to keep us warm!
After the hike it was time for a lunch break. We stopped at a picnic area on the lake, and we enjoyed the view while Rodrigo set up a picnic for us.
There was a delicious spread from our Awasi chefs – salad, beans, chicken, tortilla, and a dish with meat wrapped around hard-boiled eggs. Of course we had a choice of red or white wine. The white wine was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenère (which was white because of no skin contact time)! More napping is sure to follow.
After lunch, it was almost a 2 hour drive back to the Lodge, but we stopped here and there along the way to try to stay awake. The sheep tried to slow us down but we managed to get around them.
There were other miradors along the way too.
Here at Laguna Amarga, the massif is standing tall with no clouds to obscure the view.
After fording a river to get back to the estancia, we were home at 4:00.
We tried our hot tub, which was wood-fired and a little rustic. The water seemed less than clear, and the smoke from the wood fire was a bit of an irritation to the eyes. Afterwards we needed a shower to clean off for real. But at least we felt hungry, so things were looking up!
We went up to the lodge to have some pre-dinner wine and enjoyed a Riesling, while enjoying the view and playing on the slow Wi-Fi. Considering our location, I certainly wasn't complaining. Do we really need to play on our phones when this view is competing for our attention?
Dinner was nice – starters were an onion cream for Chris,
and trout tartare for me.
Mains were homemade pappardelle with vegetables for Chris, and lamb rump for me which was very lean and not gamey at all. A welcome change from yesterday, and I finally felt better about eating.
Desserts were a vanilla mille-feuille and a honey cake.
The dessert wine was very interesting – a late harvest blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese! They have some really creative pairings here.
All in all, a great day in the park. The weather cooperated and the vistas were incredible. It's even more beautiful than I had expected.
Back to the villa for an early night. We have a 5:30 puma hunting excursion tomorrow! Oh, and there's a birthday to celebrate.
We dragged ourselves out of bed a little before 7:00 and got ready for a big day of hiking today. We were both feeling pretty exhausted and I still felt full from dinner. I had an espresso shot from our coffee machine before showering, and then we headed up for breakfast by 7:20. They seated us early so we had more coffee, and a nibble of fruit and bread, but that was all we could eat.
 |
| View from Estancia Tercera Barranca, near Awasi Patagonia |
We met up with Rodrigo at 8:00 as scheduled, and started off. A long drive through the neighboring estancia, to the southern exit this time. The guanacos were there to see us off. The weather looks great too!
 |
| Lago Saramiento |
Then we drove along Lago Saramiento, to the south of the property, towards the park entrance.
 |
| At Laguna Los Cisnes, Torres del Paine NP |
 |
| Máscara, Hoja, y Espada, Torres del Paine NP |
This is a well-known rock formation which is surrounded by larger mountains. They are known as the Mask, Blade, and Sword.
 |
| Salto Grande, Torres del Paine NP |
At last we reached the trailhead for Mirador Corneros, and started out. Beautiful views along the way, of course. We hiked about 10 minutes until we reached a waterfall.
The sunlight was cooperating enough to make a small rainbow. Gorgeous!
After the falls we continued on to the mirador proper. The trail had a slight incline here and there as it skirted Lago Nordenskjöld.
 |
| Mirador Cuernos and Lago Nordenskjöld, Torres del Paine NP |
At the end of the trail we had a great view of the “horns” of the Torres del Paines massif, with the beautiful blue lake below.
It was impressively windy, so no mountains reflected in the water today. But the trail was well worth the effort. The view was spectacular, as there were very few clouds.
We headed back as quickly as we came, with occasional photo stops. Impressive how small the trees are, but once you feel the wind you can understand why they look that way.
The whole trail is about 4 miles round-trip.
 |
| Part of Lago Pehoe, with a beautiful old hotel on the island |
Then further into the park, on to the next stop at a scenic viewpoint above Lago Pehoe. No hike needed here.
At this point we decided to keep driving and do the second mirador hike later, so off to the southern edge of the park for a view of Lago el Toro, then a quick exit and a view overlooking the Rio Serrano.
From our perch, we could see all the way to the glaciers in the northwest part of the park. This may be the Grey Glacier.
Now we drove back the way we came, back into the park to get to our second hike. We both had trouble staying awake, but the scenery was pretty when our eyes were open.
 |
| Lago Pehoe from Mirador Condor Trail, Torres del Paine NP |
We went back to Mirador Condor for a challenging hike at a pretty steep incline for the whole way. It was 3/4 of a mile, and 700 feet of elevation gain. What's that gradient?
At least there are nice photo stops along the way!
 |
| Atop Mirador Condor, Torres del Paine NP |
But the 360-degree views were worth the effort, despite the very strong winds. It was still fairly cloudless so the scenery was gorgeous.
 |
| Atop Mirador Condor, Torres del Paine NP |
 |
| 360 degree view from Mirador Condor, Torres del Paine NP |
 |
| Lago Pehoe, , Torres del Paine NP |
Rodrigo was bundled up nicely against the wind. We were borderline chilly but it wasn't too bad. The climb had done a lot to keep us warm!
After the hike it was time for a lunch break. We stopped at a picnic area on the lake, and we enjoyed the view while Rodrigo set up a picnic for us.
 |
| Lago Pehoe panorama. Mirador Condor is the tallest knob on the right side of the picture. Steep climb! |
There was a delicious spread from our Awasi chefs – salad, beans, chicken, tortilla, and a dish with meat wrapped around hard-boiled eggs. Of course we had a choice of red or white wine. The white wine was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenère (which was white because of no skin contact time)! More napping is sure to follow.
 |
| Traffic Jam, just outside Torres del Paine NP |
After lunch, it was almost a 2 hour drive back to the Lodge, but we stopped here and there along the way to try to stay awake. The sheep tried to slow us down but we managed to get around them.
There were other miradors along the way too.
Here at Laguna Amarga, the massif is standing tall with no clouds to obscure the view.
After fording a river to get back to the estancia, we were home at 4:00.
We tried our hot tub, which was wood-fired and a little rustic. The water seemed less than clear, and the smoke from the wood fire was a bit of an irritation to the eyes. Afterwards we needed a shower to clean off for real. But at least we felt hungry, so things were looking up!
We went up to the lodge to have some pre-dinner wine and enjoyed a Riesling, while enjoying the view and playing on the slow Wi-Fi. Considering our location, I certainly wasn't complaining. Do we really need to play on our phones when this view is competing for our attention?
 |
| Onion Cream, Awasi Patagonia |
Dinner was nice – starters were an onion cream for Chris,
 |
| Trout Tartare Awasi Patagonia |
and trout tartare for me.
Mains were homemade pappardelle with vegetables for Chris, and lamb rump for me which was very lean and not gamey at all. A welcome change from yesterday, and I finally felt better about eating.
 |
| Queen's Honey and Mandarin Dessert, Awasi Patagonia |
Desserts were a vanilla mille-feuille and a honey cake.
The dessert wine was very interesting – a late harvest blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese! They have some really creative pairings here.
All in all, a great day in the park. The weather cooperated and the vistas were incredible. It's even more beautiful than I had expected.
Back to the villa for an early night. We have a 5:30 puma hunting excursion tomorrow! Oh, and there's a birthday to celebrate.
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