South American Adventure - Day Twelve, Monday 3rd March 2014

We had chosen a departure time of 9.00am for the hike to Las Torres today.  Paul had left the window shutters open, so we could wake up to that magnificent view.  A good view to wake up to on your birthday – Happy Birthday Paul.  I hope you like your present!  A leisurely breakfast – everything cooked to order, of course!

JP was waiting for us when we had finished – today we had a driver as well as a guide.  Macarena – JP’s girlfriend.  Apparently this is the most demanding trail in the park,  and it helps if the guides don’t have to drive back.  Ha!  If he is going to be knackered what is that going to make us?  He made sure we had coats, poles, etc etc before we set off.  It took a little under an hour to get to the start of the trail.  We had to leave the hotel, go on some little back roads, race a couple of choiques, clear away a few guanacos and then take the 4 x 4 along a bit of a river to cross to the other side.  The normal commute to work then!  We passed a huge lake with a flock of flamingos having their breakfast – will take a picture of them on the way back.  We got the tickets for the National Park (all taken care of by Awasi) and drove to the start of the trail, which was at the back of the Hotel Las Torres.  We passed Bastian, the waiter we met yesterday at lunch.  It was his last day as he was heading back to university, but he is obviously going to do the same trail as us before he leaves this part of the country.  He was hitch hiking.

At the start of the trail, it was quite flat.  There was a small gradient going down – in the back of my mind I was thinking I bet I’m not going to like this coming back.  It is a straight there and back trail, rather than a circular one.  There is a circular one, but that takes about six days.  Think we will stick to the there and back!  One of the first things we had to do was to cross a river on a wibbly wobbly bridge.  I have been here before – it was like ground hog day.  We went across one at a time, as it was a bit flimsy – there was a flimsy bit of wire to hold you in if it tipped – not!  No problem, we all got across fine.  I somehow didn’t think this was going to be the last of my flash backs.

PJ said that the first bit of the trail he put into three sections – the easy, the bit harder, and the harder still.  Then we go down (I hate that, can’t see the point because we are going to have to come up again) and then we go up through a forest bit, and then it gets really steep up to the top.  It’s Paul’s birthday – he chose the trail, he can choose to go as far as he wants.  We started the first bit – PJ’s easy bit – and my legs felt like lead.  Why hadn’t I done a bit more training?  Why hadn’t I lost some weight?  Why was I here???  The first bit conquered, we started the second bit.  Bastian came up behind us, with two jackets on and a hood.  I was sweating buckets with just my tee shirt.  He literally bounced past – don’t think he will have any issues getting to the top.  I had my camera, so it is really good to stop to take some pictures and get your breath back.  It was quite overcast this morning, excellent weather for hiking.  This second bit had some tricky sections – there was a lot of loose gravely stuff that meant you went up and slid back down again if you weren’t careful.  Most people, as usual, were passing us.  Some coming the other way looked like I felt – their faces were bathed in sweat, and they looked as if they had just ran a marathon.  I had only just started!  Paul thought he saw a sun bed on the side of the next mountain – could have done with that here.  It was only a couple of pieces wood that just looked that shape.  Somehow don’t think I am going to find one today.

We then got to the third bit.  This was, as PJ predicted, harder.  At one point there was a sign that stated there were “rolling stones” coming down the mountain on my left (with the big lips and tongue on the sign as well – someone has a sense of humour) a sheer drop on my right, and horse poo on the twelve inch or so path to walk on.  Am I really paying for this??  Horses have right of way on the paths – just hope I don’t meet one.  They have mostly separate paths, but on occasions they are the same one.  A couple of gauchos passed us, music blaring.  Suppose this is the equivalent of a Subaru in our country!  This bit really was like being back in the Himalayas.  Great big rocks to get up, tree roots to contend with, and a never ending upward slope.  The trouble is with an up and down trail, the further you go, the further you have come back.  Every step I was taking, I knew I had got to do it all again in reverse.

We rounded a corner, and got a fairly good view of the top of the mountain and the three towers.  Now we had to go down.  And up.  And down.  A couple more streams to cross, some with bits of wood across to help, some with stepping stones.  Oh, how I remember it well.  After about two and a half hours of trekking, we came to a Refuge – a bit like the tea houses in Nepal, but here you can only pitch your tent.  There were quite a few tents pitched – I could have done with a lie down!  PJ decided here was a good place for lunch – it was just gone 1.00pm.  He had brought it with him in this backpack.  We had cauliflower soup – it was lovely.  Sandwiches, cookies, muffins, fresh fruit – all prepared by the chef.  Unfortunately we had to share it with about a hundred mosquitoes.  Glad I brought the insect repellent.  Shame I had left it in the room.  I didn’t expect mosquitoes here – I thought it was going to be far too cold for them.  As it was, it was rather warm.  PJ gave us what looked like a white tablet in a cellophane wrapper. “Pour water on it, and you can wash your hands” he said.  Like magic, when you poured water onto the “tablet” it expanded into a material like cloth to wash your hands and face.  Never seen one of them before.

Paul decided that he wanted to go on – he actually wanted to get to the top.  I tried to keep the look of horror off my face.  It’s his birthday – he can choose.  Those words were coming back to haunt me.  The next section was uphill through the forest.  It was quite pleasant, as it wasn’t as hot in here.  But it was still uphill – and we weren’t anywhere near the steep bit yet!  After about another forty minutes Paul asked when we would be able to get another view of the top and the towers.  The answer was not until we hit the summit – at least another two or three hours upward at our pace.  I was wondering if I should find a nice tree to sit underneath and wait for them to come back down – I was sure that my muscles were not going to last the duration.  Paul had a think, and decided that he wouldn’t make it to the top.  He decided to head back down – good man!  Going down sounds easier than going up, but it has its pitfalls.  The loose gravel going up is still loose going down, and the big steps over the rocks going up and sometimes easier thajn the big drops going down.  Good job JP was there to give a helping hand!  I think his initials should be short for Just Perfect. 

We got back to the Refuge, and then headed straight back out for the down and up and down and up bit.  The sun had now come out, and it was so hot on my back.  Thank god it hadn’t been this hot when we were coming up – not sure I would have made it this far.  I think my muscles thought that I was doing a giant snow plough all the way down the mountain.  With steep terrain, and loose gravel, if you start to gain momentum you are not going to stop.  I saw a few people come to grief on the gravel – I did not want to be the next one.  Hence the muscles screaming as I had the brakes on most of the way down.  We drank plenty of water – we refilled the bottles in a stream.  We really needed it – it was hot hot hot.  There were a couple of condors gliding high in the sky – very graceful birds.  At around 4.30pm we were in sight of the finishing line.  Just that hill to get up that we had gone down to start with.  “This is nothing” says Paul striding up it.  My legs beg to differ!  It was as I predicted – I did not like it at all.  But, we made it up to the top, and over to the 4 x 4 where Macarena had cold beers and drinks.  Perfect.  We made our way back to Awasi, and stopped to take a picture of the flamingos, but they were not there.  I seem to remember this happening before.  Next time I see a flamingo, I am going to take it’s picture there and then.

A reverse commute to get back to Awasi and the hot tub beckons.  Only trouble is the fire wasn’t lit early enough, and it still needs another hour to heat up properly.  Not an issue for Paul – another beer and he won’t even be able to tell what temperature it was.  A plate of jam at the side for the wasps, and he is well away!

My glasses have apparently been found in the back of the car that brought us here, and should have been dropped off this afternoon with another lot of guests.  After another fabulous dinner – Michelin star standard I believe – Paul gets a lovely birthday cake with candles on!  All the room sing happy birthday – and I think he wants to crawl under the table!  My glasses haven’t come though.  So, I continue to read menus and kindles with my tinted glasses – looking like either a cool dude or a plonker!