Goin' Feral One Day At A Time: Refugio Las Torres to Mirador Las Torres return, The O Circuit, Torres del Paine National Park

The money shot!

Emerging from the tent this morning I was greeted by another fine day. Things were looking promising for our daywalk up to the base of the towers. After breakfast we put on our day packs and headed off back down the track towards the suspension bridge over the Rio Ascencio, although now immediately after crossing the river we forked to the right and started to climb up into the Valle Ascencio. The initial climb was fairly stiff however the unfolding views as we climbed more than compensated for burning lungs. Once reaching Paso de Los Vientos the valley closed in and we found ourselves walking high above the rushing Rio Ascencio before gradually returning back down to river level as we arrived at Refugio El Chileno.

The climb away from Refugio Las Torres was a solid one.

The track contoured along the sides of Valle Ascencio.

We crossed the Rio Ascencio just before we arrived at Refugio El Chileno.

Morning smoko was enjoyed at Refugio El Chileno.

From the Refugio El Chileno we continued up the river, crossing over to the west side. The walls of the valley were now towering above us with numerous waterfalls gushing down the almost shear walls. The track gradually gained altitude as it wound it's way through another Lenga Forest, crossing numerous side creeks along the way. Breaking out of the forest near the turn off for Campamento Torres we started the final steep climb up an old moriane towards the lookout. Unfortunately the weather was deteriorating a bit now so Petra, Karyn, and I pushed on as quickly as we could to get to the lookout, Karyn and I struggling to keep up with Petra as she bounded up the hill.

Leaving Refugio El Chileno we quickly crossed back over the Rio Ascencio...

... passed by the turn off for Campamento Torres and Campamento Japonés... and started climbing.

By the time we reached the lookout a bit of cloud had come in and it had certainly cooled down so I was glad to have my long jacket with me. After getting Petra to take a couple of snaps of me at the lookout we found a sheltered spot where we had lunch and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. The cloud added a moodiness to the towers so I wasn't too disappointed that the weather had taken a turn for the worse. After lunch I rock hopped down to the water line of the small glacial lake under the towers moving around looking for the best view. Being in no real hurry to leave this spot by the time I returned to our lunch spot up near the lookout a lot of the group had already started to descend, only Fred and Petra were still sticking it out with me up there.

By the time we arrived at the lookout this morning the weather had turned a little.

I scrambled down onto the shoreline for awhile to take things in on my own.

Conditions got a little brighter before we left.

By the time I climbed back up to the mirador most of the group was already heading down.

The descent was quick, steep and slippery. Ironically the weather improving almost as soon as we left the lookout and we were soon shedding our layers. The trip down the valley gave us a different perspective than the view on the way up and made for a very pleasant afternoon's ramble. We even had time to stop at Refugio El Chileno for refreshments on the way back down to Refugio Las Torres, yes all in all a very civilised way to trek! It seemed to be a lot shorter walk heading back down to Refugio Las Torres and before long we were cresting Paso de Los Vientos again with Hosteria Las Torres came into view at the bottom of the valley. The descent down to the hotel was easier on the muscles however it was still steep and slippery in places.

It was a fairly loose and slippery descent.

Dropping down the scree.

The weather seemed to improve as soon as we left the lookout.

Back down in the Valle Ascencio the views were still top shelf.

Maurico and Ann taking in the view.

Any number of these waterfalls cascading down would be a major attraction back home ... over here they didn't even have a name.

Valle Ascencio, Torres Del Paine National Park.

Karyn dropping down to the Rio Ascencio.

Rio Ascencio

Arriving back at Refugio El Chileno... it was time for lunch.

Refuge El Chileno

Once back at the tents, the rest of the day followed the usual pattern, shower, drinks, dinner, a trip to the hotel for more drinks and then a walk back to the tent under the beautiful Patagonian night sky, feeling pretty content with life.

After lunch we continued our journey back down the Valle Ascencio.

Valle Ascencio

The Dirt.

We walked around 14 kilometres today and climbed around 300 metres on what I'd call a medium grade days walking. Once agin the track today was pretty good, all the creeks were bridged and there was ample sign posting. Refugio El Chileno made for a pleasant stop on our walk up and down the Valle Ascensio, accommodation, food and drink being available here. If there is a need to camp then the options in the valley are Campamento Torres and Campamento Japonés, these camps would be handy if anybody wanted to get to the base of the towers for sunrise I think. I used the notes and basic map out of Cicerones Torres Del Paine - Trekking In Chile's Premier National Park.

Over the eight days of my Torres Del Paine adventure I'd walked around 124.5 kilometres and climbed around 3500 metres on what I'd call a medium-hard grade multi day walk. This is really a walk of two parts, the back section around Lago Dickson, Glacier Los Perros and John Gardner Pass was reasonably wild stuff. The front section along the W part of the walk being a fair bit easier but still super scenic. I did this walk with an Australian company called World Expeditions, hopefully they survive Covid as they ran some great trips. With World Ex sorting all the logistics all I really had to turn was turn up and walk, which with me being fairly time poor was exactly what I wanted.

Relevant Posts.

Day 7 of this walk, 2012.