Arrival at Torres Del Paine and Hike to Refugio Grey

The first decision you make in any backpacking trip to Torres Del Paine is whether to hike the "W" or the Circuit. The W is approximately 100km of hiking and generally accomplished in 5 days. Roughly double those numbers for the Circuit. The W is busier, but has more lodging and subsistence options. There are plenty of Internet resources to help you make that decision - I decided early on that the W was enough for me. I hiked it west to east, but I thought a near equal number traveled in the opposite direction. I used a trekking guide from backpacking.org for my initial planning:

http://www.back-packer.org/trekking-guide-how-to-hike-the-w-in-torres-del-paine-patagonia/

This is Fantastico Sur's map of the Torres Del Paine "W" and Circuit

The paper version of Fantastico Sur's map of the W is the most useful map to carry on your hike.  I purchased the larger waterproof and tear-resistant Torres Del Paine Trekking Map (too large and too heavy) that you will see on Amazon, but never opened it. Get this map instead.  Online at:

https://www.google.com/search?q=fantastico+sur+torres+del+paine+map&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS451US454&espv=2&biw=683&bih=321&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8suneg9_LAhUE4SYKHTOyDBEQ_AUIBygC&dpr=2#imgrc=p5C4yEY9aQsxbM%3A

You can probably get a paper copy of it at the Fantastico Sur office in Puerto Natales. I don't remember if I got it there or at the park entrance.

I left Puerto Natales on the first bus for the 2.5 hour trip to Torres Del Paine. The bus stops at the Park Entrance so that everyone can pay the park entrance fee of approximately $25 and watch a short presentation covering park rules - basically you can only camp in designated campgrounds and you can only cook in the kitchen areas at those campgrounds. Once you see the burn areas in the park, you can appreciate the importance of those rules. When everyone arriving that morning completes the park entrance process (less than one hour), all of the bus companies present divide the passengers according to their destinations within the park. I boarded the bus to Pudeto to catch a catamaran to Paine Grande where my hike began.

The weather that day in Torres Del Paine was exactly what every visitor is cautioned to expect - rainy and windy with temperatures in the fifties. The scenery along Lago Pehoe was probably great, but I stayed below decks for the transit of less than an hour.

Valley View above Paine Grande

What 100km winds and rain looks like

The catamaran arrived at the landing adjacent to Paine Grande a bit after noon. After taking a short break to wait out a rain squall, I headed out on the trail to Refugio Grey,11km away, mostly uphill. Looking ahead, your only view is more climbing. The view back down the trail to Lago Pehoe was impressive, but soon your only view is valley in both directions.  This improves when you crest to ridge for your first view of Lago Grey and then Grey Glacier.

Mirador Grey is a large boulder with a direct view to the glacier, but the winds were so ferocious (100km+), that few ventured out onto the boulder. This was the only day of the hike where I felt safety was an issue. The winds were so strong that maintaining my footing was about all I could manage. During the course of the day, I twisted my right ankle and suffered a minor injury to the metatarsals in my left foot. The combination of my foot injuries were serious enough to leave me contemplating whether I would be able to finish the W or would need pull out upon my return to Paine Grande. I pressed on, hoping for the best.

Lago Grey (love the color!)

Forest Camping at Grey.

I limped into the campground at Refugio Grey about dinner time with two choices for pitching my tent, an open grass field or in scrubby forest typical to the park.  I chose wrong, opting for the tent sites with forest cover, hoping for protection from the high winds. The immediate problem with this option was the near constant dust storm which deposited a thick layer of dust within my three season tent in less than an hour. 

Many campers reacted to the conditions by moving their tents to the open field.  I relocated to the shelter (more accurately a lodge) which, probably due to the adverse weather, had a vacancy. Glad I made the switch. I slept in a seriously comfortable warm bunk (with sheets and pillow - known as a "made" bed) in a four person room with an Australian couple. Nice bathrooms with hot showers. My mood improved tenfold. Remember, all transactions are cash, so bring lots of pesos!

The lodge had a nice restaurant and bar, but I opted for cooking my own food (reducing the weight of my pack was my primary motivation).  All of the campgrounds have kitchen areas which are the only approved locations for cooking.  At the larger campgrounds, the kitchens are enclosed and have running water that is advertised as safe to drink. Kitchens at smaller and remote campgrounds are open air and you carry your water from nearby sources. The kitchen at Grey is quite cramped relative to the amount of people using it but everyone makes the best of it. The camp store was typical, stocking beverages, pasta, sauces, tuna fish, snacks, candy, butane canisters and more.

While cooking breakfast the following morning, I saw first hand how the campers fared. The forest was a quagmire with no good options for cleaning or drying tents.  Everyone looked cold and miserable. Campground showers had limited hot water hours and the lines to use them were very long.

Notes:   My hike in Torres Del Paine covered the period January 23-27. This was the middle of high season which I chose intentionally, believing that a solo hiker in my age group is better off with company on the trail. I encountered crowds frequently and recommend the shoulder season to anyone that prefers more solitude.

I left five kilos of gear at Hostal Yemel in Puerto Natales, mostly in-town clothing and camp food. This got my weight down to fifteen kilos, which was my goal. Every place of lodging in Patagonia is more than willing to store your excess gear while hiking.

Campsites are $7 at Grey. You can rent tents, sleeping bag and pads for an extra charge. The bed in the lodge set me back $60.  Basic bed (mattress only) would have been less than half of that - a much better deal from my perspective. Made bed with full board (dinner, breakfast and box lunch) would have brought the bill to $100. This sounds like a lot of money for a bunk and chow, but not so much when you consider the remote nature of Shelter Grey. Details available at
www.verticepatagonia.com. Reserve well in advance - I was lucky! Vertice Patagonia also has offices in Puerto Natales.