Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube
RSS

HOME
BLOG
GEAR
WHERE’S WIRED?
ABOUT

Select Page

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube
RSS

Nepal/GHT
2018
SWITZERLAND
2017
FRANCE
2017
TASSIE
2017
TA
2016/17
C2C
2016
BIB
2016
LT
2016
WT
2016
KCHBR
2016
WRHR
2016
HST
2016
SHR
2016
GDT
2015
LCT
2015
TRT
2015
HDT
2015
LT
2014
AT
2014
CDT
2013
PCT
2011

Big Bear City-Tehachapi(265.3-566.6)

Jun 2, 2011 | 0 comments

Like this:

Like Loading...

< Previous Next >

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

Search for:

Get Walking With Wired Delivered To Your Inbox!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Instagram

Jumping with joy over @gregcarroll ‘s second PNW

Jumping with joy over @gregcarroll ‘s second PNW visit! We eeked out some pretty good weather for coastal fun, plenty of laughs, and a weekend with the T@b.
Just a few more weeks until this quarter of classes are over for Julie and then we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming of being outside in the PNW💚💙 #iloveoregon #oregoncoast #nehalemstatepark

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 10 Chileno Ca

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 10
Chileno Campsite-Base of Las Torres-Las Torres Park Entrance
LIVE THE PATAGONIA!

Our final day to complete the O Circuit! We made it 9 out of 10 days with fair to great weather…but it was not to be today. The guard station at our campsite has a sign on it that reads, “Don’t ask for the weather forecast, LIVE THE PATAGONIA. So, knowing that we’d likely see no views, we headed out in the cold fog and steady rain towards the base of the Torres del Paine Towers. Our MVP trash bags came in handy one last time as an added layer of protection and warmth.

The towers are basically the park emblem. They are featured on the cover of the park map, on t-shirts, and most ads or posters for traveling to Patagonia. Knowing we likely wouldn’t get to see the towers was a disappointment, but we knew it would happen at some point on this trip. We could have decided not to hike up, but the hike would have felt incomplete. Had it been a clear day, we would have started hiking at 3am to see the sun light up the towers at sunrise. Not this day…

It took just over 2hrs to get up to the top with the second half being very steep and rugged. It was a 2,200ft gain in less than 3mi. There were only a handful of others there when we arrived; all hoping for a moment of shifting fog to get a glimpse of the towers. We snapped a celebratory shot where the towers would have been, changed into some dry warm clothes and headed back down to the Chileno Campsite.
We stopped at Chileno to eat some Ramen and a leftover dehydrated dinner to warm up, and then hiked down a couple more hours to the entrance of the park (where we started the loop) and the scheduled bus shuttle back to Puerto Natales. Just as we reached the end of the hike, we looked back to see the tops of the towers briefly appearing in the distance before being covered again. We saw them! We had our celebratory pizza and headed out feeling grateful for a hike in Patagonia with clear views 90% of the trip! Torres del Paine O Circuit Complete!
#livethepatagonia #torresdelpaine #patagonia #ocircuit #wcircuit #lastorres #backpacking

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 9 Italiano Ca

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 9
Italiano Campsite-Chileno Campsite
Around to the Rose Valley

Today was the next to last day of the O Circuit and it was a hot one! We expected temps in the 50s and 60s on this trip, but much of this hike has been warmer, and today was in the low 80s, whew! 🥵

We had 11mi of hiking mostly along Lake Nordernskjöld. We soaked it in knowing there was a rainy cold front moving in overnight. Lunch was a wonderfully relaxed and scenic spot overlooking the suspension bridge at Muleteer River with lake and mountain views all around.
We were really feeling the heat on the final climb (that just kept going and going) and turn to head up the Rose Valley. Clouds hovered all day, and by the time we got to Chileno Camping, the cold rain front had arrived. Our luck with clear view days seemed to be coming to an end. I snapped a shot of the view of the tip of the Torres Towers (where we will hike tomorrow) since it might be too foggy to see them in their full glory tomorrow. We setup on one of the hillside tent platforms. It was a bit unsettling to be perched up there. We bundled up and did our best to prepare for the heavy rain and plummeting temps expected overnight...
#torresdelpainenationalpark #nordernskjöldlake #patagonia #ocircuit #wcircuit #backpacking #takelessdomore

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 8 Italiano Ca

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 8
Italiano Campsite-Italiano Campsite
The French Valley

Today was another one of the highlights of the trip, the French Valley! We camped at the base of the valley so we could relaxingly take in the hike and not worry about having to pack up camp. The hike was well worth the 2,000ft gain over the 3.5mi to the end of the valley where there were 360 degree views.
It was a treat for the eyes and we got a blue sky day with warm temps to really enjoy it! With warmer temperatures the last few days, the snow on the mountains has been melting quickly. We heard what we first thought was thunder rumbling while at camp yesterday. Turns out it was the sound of rock and snowfall as it was tumbling down the mountain and echoing down the valley. We heard it as we hiked today as well, but were unable to capture it on video. Again, the enormity of it was quite surreal.
#torresdelpaine #miradorfrances #frenchvalley #patagonia #backpacking #ocircuit #wcircuit

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 7 Paine Grand

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 7
Paine Grande Refugio-Italiano Campsite
A Day With Los Cuernos (The Horns)

Today was another short and more leisurely day (explanation below). We slept in the best we could and took advantage of the time to make ourselves a special breakfast that included Ramen Noodles and hard-boiled eggs!

The few hours of hiking we had was spent getting closer and closer to the Los Cuernos (the horns) mountains that have a very unique shape and color. The air was the calmest yet with an almost perfect lake reflection of Los Cuernos if not for a couple ducks coming across the water.
We ended the day crossing two bridges to our two night campsite (Italiano Campsite) at the base of Los Cuernos. At the bridges was a preview of the incredible French Valley, which we will day hike up and back tomorrow. Another great day!

Note: These last few shorter days were buffered in to build in rest and recovery if we had incurred foul weather over the pass. If the pass had been closed the day it was on our itinerary, we would have had to wait a day and then do two days in one (11hrs or more of hiking) to catch up to our itinerary. It is said that those who don’t plan that in, and do have a pass closure, can be forced to return and not complete the circuit. We LOVED this option of a relaxed itinerary and highly recommend it!
#torresdelpaine #ocircuit #wcircuit #patagonia #backpacking #loscuernos #takelessdomore

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 6 Grey Campsi

Torres del Paine “O” Circuit Day 6
Grey Campsite-Paine Grande Refugio
An “Easy” Windy Day
We were told today’s hike would only take a few hours, so we were looking forward to a relaxed day and then the reward of sleeping in an actual bed at the Paine Grande Refugio, which looks like a fancy hotel! The camping at Paine Grande is notoriously wind, and we’d heard horror stories about sleepless nights spent with flapping tents or trying to hold tent poles up from the inside so they wouldn’t snap in the wind. We figured it would be a fun break mid-hike to have a short day and stay inside, and it totally was!

Well, in true Patagonia fashion, no day is an easy day, and we had very strong winds (thankfully clear skies!) that made this day longer and much more tiring than hoped (see attached video of the wind). We walked along Grey Lake and went through the burn section from a very large fire there in 2012.

Paine Grande definitely wins the award for the most scenic location of a campsite/refugio! It is set on the stunning Pehoe Lake that is an unreal sea green color when the sun is shining on it. There are ferry boats that bring tourists over and back multiple times a day, so Paine Grande is quite the hub for those staying overnight and day hiking. We hiked up to the viewpoint next to the refugio to get the full view and it was worth it.
Even though we had packed all 10 days of food, we took the opportunity to buy bonus food to make for dinner. The hiker hunger had set in and we stuffed ourselves with pasta that was sooo satisfying. We ended the night with long hot showers, a bed with real sheets and pillows, and a movie night!
#torresdelpaine #patagonia #backpacking #ocircuit #wcircuit #painegrande

Follow on Instagram

Archives

Archives

Sponsors

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube
RSS

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress

Pin It on Pinterest

%d bloggers like this: