CHILE TRIP REPORT Day 5: TORRES DEL PAINE Lago Grey, Glacier Grey hike, Laguna Amarga, Cascada del Paine, Laguna Azul

 

DAY 5: DEC 15 WEDNESDAY

The day started with horses, sheep, cows just outside our cabin, grazing and being monitored by Patrick's dog.

We had our breakfast at Patrick's cabin

We started off toward the west side of the park... to Lago Grey. In the map below, you can see we had been to the central part Pehoe etc the previous day. After Lago Grey and the Gladier hike, we would again go through the central part to the east and north, Laguna Amarga and Lago Azul later in the day

The day was cloudy with ominous dark clouds hovering in the sky. The lakes lost their stunning teal color... we were so glad we had experienced the full glory in bright sunshine and blue skies the previous day

HOTEL LAGO GREY

We parked at Hotel Lago Grey parking and went in. The lobby was full of crowds waiting for navigation of the lago. We decided it was not worth it for us to do a round trip... they were not even going up to the glacier and we have done spectacular cruises in Argentina, Alaska , Norway, Iceland, New Zealand etc to glaciers

This is the hotel lobby with Nativity scene... in Chilean fashion, the crib is EMPTY! Baby  Jesus is put in only after 24th midnight!

LAGO GREY/GLACIER GREY

I think only hotel  guests and cruise participants have access to this place. We went down the boardwalk to the beach and enjoyed yhe sight of Glacier Grey view across the Lago Grey

The Grey Glacier is one of Torres del Paine's most spectacular glaciers, and tumbles into the serene Lago Grey. The Grey Glacier is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and at its peak is 30 metres high, and around six kilometres wide.

Hike to Mirador

Then we drove further up to do the hike to the viewpoint of the glacier 

We crossed the bridge over River Pingo

Reached the southern shore of Lago Grey... the view is the same as the one we got with much less effort from the hotel

Glacier Grey...

We hiked back to the car park. This is the visitor center. There were restrooms, souvenir shop etc, cafe not open though bec of covid

We retraced our way and drove north

Had our lunch at a scenic location overlooking the lovely Pehoe

LAGUNA  AMARGA

Vicuña

The vicuña (pronounced ve-coon-ah) is a species native to the Andes mountain, closely related to the guanaco. The vicuña is part of the camel family, though it is by far the smallest member. Compared to a guanaco, the vicuña is only about half the size, has a smaller tail, and finer wool. Vicuñas live in the grasslands of the central Andes mountains and are adapted to very high elevations. In fact, most vicuñas are found between 10,000 and 15,000 feet

Vicuña wool is one of the most coveted and rare luxury materials in modern times

Here are a few things that make vicuña wool exceptional:

Long production time: Vicuña coats grow very slowly, and sometimes they take as long as three years to grow back after being sheared. A single vicuña produces about 0.5 kilograms (1.1 pounds) of wool per year, which makes vicuña wool very rare and valuable.

Extremely fine: Vicuña wool is one of the finest natural growing fibers in the world. One vicuña fiber measures about 12 microns, or 12 thousandths of a millimeter. This makes vicuña wool incredibly soft.

Warmth: Vicuñas live in the Andes, a very high mountain range where temperatures regularly drop below freezing. In order to insulate the vicuña and help regulate its body temperature, the wool fibers have tiny scales, allowing the fibers to interlock to trap air and heat. This makes vicuña wool exceptionally warm.

Natural color: Vicuña wool is typically cinnamon-colored or pale white, making it very easy to integrate in one’s wardrobe.

Comfort: Vicuña wool is 10 percent lighter than cashmere and is also hypoallergenic.

We  saw so many vicunas at such close quarters, we were so happy

Ranger station...here the road forks for the base Torre hike trailhead. We took the road to Laguna Azul

CASCADA DEL RIO PAINE:

We drove down the steep narrow road  at a diversion from the main road and reached the waterfall on the River Paine.

Beautiful rapids. We walked along the view points and enjoyed the sight of the rushing water thundering on with the Paine massif towering behind..

We drove on toward Laguna Azul. Saw vicuñas again... huge herds... hunderds of them grazing...AWESOME sight

LAGUNA  AZUL

Horses were grazing around...

After a brief stroll we turned back and started on our drive back to our cabin. It was 6 PM, there had been nobody on the road here, felt pretty desolate and eerie.

Cascada del Rio Paine again...

vicuña by the roadside...

Drove back through the windiug roads, teal colored waters of yesterday were grey in the absence of sunlight

We were able to catch the famed reflections of the Paine massif in Laguna Amarga water.... stunning sight

Setting sun painting wonders....

Reached our cabin with a feeling of accomplishment at seeing remote sections of the park. It was 8.30 pm. We were checking out the next day and talked over the formalities with Patrick.

Report continues here

https://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2022/02/chile-trip-report-day-6-torres-del.html