FEB 13, 2016 – We left at 8:15 for the toughest hiking day. From Perros camp, just above 500m, we ascended to John Gardner Pass (1241m) and then descended again to Grey Camp, at only about 200m. The view from the pass onto the Glaciar Grey was breathtaking, but so was the strong wind, accompanied by some rain at times. We hurried to get to a lower altitude again, where forest provided some shelter against the wind. After passing Guardas, a tiny camp in the middle of a forest, we continued to Grey, the first camp of the popular “W” route, located along Lago Grey. It became evident quickly that there were a lot more people here. There were also more facilities available, such as a cottage with dorms, a restaurant/bar and a somewhat larger shop. The food prices were just as exaggerated as in the more remote camps though. I later learned that some of the camps have extra-high foreigner prices not only for camping, but even for food and beverages.
In the evening it started raining, so we were glad to have some shelter in the crowded cooking shack. We tried out Polenta for dinner, which was a bit difficult to prepare in the small campstove, but turned out good.

FEB 12, 2016 – On the second day, we were ready to leave Serrón within 90 minutes of getting up. We failed to repeat this fast morning routine on any of the following days. By noon we were in the Dickson camp, located along a lake. We had lunch and continued to Perros camp, inside a forest in more rocky terrain, where we arrived tired in the early evening. This was the most basic of the camps, with only two toilets available. Cooking was only allowed inside a hut, which ended up being very crowded at dinner time. Since we weren’t carrying food for the entire trip, we started looking at the options in the campsite store. They were very limited and overpriced, but we did find a risotto mix for “3-4 portions” which worked out as a dinner.

FEB 11, 2016 – After clearing the formalities at the park entrance, we started our first day of hiking towards Serrón camp. The trail was not too crowded since this was on the “O” part of the hike, whereas many visitors to the park only do the “W”. By mid-afternoon we arrived at the campsite and had some time to explore the facilities there. It turns out camping in TdP is quite expensive, with prices ranging from 6000 to 8500 Chilean pesos per person. Food availability is limited and prices are exorbitant (even at camps that have a boat connection), so it is a good idea to carry supplies for the entire trip.

FEB 11, 2016 – From Buenos Aires, my brother and I flew to El Calafate in the south of Argentina. This touristy little town was our base for the following two weeks: We first spent a night there on our way to Torres del Paine, then another two nights before going to El Chaltén, and a last night after that. We stayed at the “America del Sur” hostel every time and were happy with the helpful staff and good food there – including a “Parrilla Libre” dinner option (BBQ with all-you-can-eat buffet). Transit options to Puerto Natales were limited, so we ended up taking a bus to Rio Turbio and a taxi to the border and hitchhiking the rest of the way from there. My offline map suggested there would be a campground in Natales, but that turned out to be defunct, so we camped in the backyard of hostel Rio Tindal instead to test our equipment. Having bought gas and food already in El Calafate, we only needed to stock up on produce – which Chile doesn’t allow across its borders – before starting our week-long hike in Torres del Paine.

Photos of this part of the trip taken with Roman’s Canon PowerShot G16.