Chile '25 • Days 14-15: Torres del Paine - Santiago
- Bob Aron
- Jan 30, 2025
- 2 min read
EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S WINDY!
DAY !4 - FUERTES VIENTOS!
The Wind Guru site that people use here for wind forecasts indicated some strong winds, but manageable in the AM hours. So, we tried to get an early start to do one of the other trails that were closed two days ago. Mirador Condor; another 45 minute walk to the lookout. We started out just fine but near the top with only a little way to go, the big wind came: Fuertes Vientos!!! It was so strong through the gap, that I couldn’t stand up and it was literally pushing me over the hill. Yvette , Maribel and Steve thought I was getting blown off the edge as I went out of sight! No worries, I wasn’t actually near a ridge. Almost lost a lens when my new camera bag opened up (I need to get a carabiner for those zippers) but no harm done. A friendly hiker coming back down the trail hung out to make sure I could get back over the hill, but I just had to stay low and carefully make my way. Meanwhile, Yvette had lost hat and glasses that Steve was able to retrieve. Quite the adventure! We must have warned a dozen people on their way up. Great views of the surrounding lakes though on our way, and I think we were only 100-200 yards from the end anyway. Warning for all of you, be prepared on this trip and give yourself some time flexibility to do the things you want. The weather can be extreme, but it seems to occur in short spurts.
After our windy jaunt, we drove over to the Gray Lake which as you might guess, is fed from the Gray Glacier. It’s possible to see the glacier from afar, but probably best to take a boat tour. I don’t think we could have surpassed our boat trips in Argentina so we took a pass on another excursion. And, it was pretty windy and cold so it may not have been the best boat ride for Yvette.
DAY 15 - BACK TO SANTIAGO
Uneventful day. Just the 90 minute drive back to Puerto Natales and a flight back to Santiago, were we stayed at the same hotel as the beginning of the trip. Some fortuitous timing on our drive. We were stuck behind some roadwork crews and made it to the rental car agency 5 minutes before our scheduled van pickup arrived! Just enough time to check out and head out
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