A Little Bit Chile
23 Nov
I love the Chilenos! From the moment I arrived I felt rejuvenated by their friendly banter. After three weeks of intense weather and moody Argentinians I was feeling slightly worn down, so much so that I felt so invigorated I decided it would be a great idea to pitch a tent halfway up a mountain, or Torres del Paine to be more exact, which is actually three huge towers of frozen magma and not really a mountain at all. I had already seen the towers in the day but wanted to see them in their glowering best at sunrise. This part of the plan failed spectacularly.
The night was so cold all I could do was retreat further and further into the depths of my sleeping bag. At 900m the night was always going to be pretty cool, but I just wasn’t prepared for the burst of rain that soaked the ground just before going to the bed and the snow that then fell for the duration of the night, ensuring the earth would be as low a temperature as could possibly be imagined. I had to turn over every couple of hours as the half of my body closest to the ground began to freeze and needed a respite.
So instead of heading out into the dark snowiness I waited for the sun to come and warm up the surroundings, and then headed off in search of a nice lake or something to sit by. By the time I found it I was roasting. Any memory of the cold was being completely lost to blazing sunshine and clear blue skies in what has to be one of the most incredible days I’ve experienced in Patagonia. I think summer is finally here!
