Torres del Paine National Park is a national park made up of mountains, glaciers, lakes and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia. It is a beautiful place and ranks as Marnie's favorite of our summer trips. We caught a bus from Punta Arenas to the park and the trip got off to a great start with an unexpected stop at Estancia Cerro Negro.
 An estancia is a ranch and in this part of Chile that means sheep. Cerro Negro has a 100 year history and, while given over more to tourism than sheep, it is still an operating ranch. Finn and Sam got to see a sheep shearing and sheep dog workout, much to their delight. It was quite a show, though the sheep didn't look too happy.  My favorite activity by far was eating lunch. The set-up in the picture on the right was the typical way lamb is cooked in this part of Chile. Quite a few restaurants even had the set-up displayed in their front windows. The result was the best lamb dinners I've ever eaten. Various cuts were piled high on a platter and they were all delicious.  |    The park has been voted the 5th most beautiful place in the world by readers of National Geographic. The park is dominated by the Paine Massif which is an eastern extension of the Andes. Possibilities for viewing extend from day trips to 9 day hikes around the mountain. I can attest that even in mid-summer, cold winds can chill to the bone. |
  A room with a view |   |
Liability issues must be very different in South America. We signed up for a horseback ride that was billed as easy. Before we knew it, the horses were blazing new trails up the side of a steep slope and on through forests replete with low hanging branches, which snagged on our clothing, slapped and slashed faces, and demanded agile body contortions to avoid injury. One teen-aged boy actually fell off his horse, 2 other novice riders offered that they were scared witless, while Finn and Sam, having no expectations, took it all in stride and begged the guide to trot the horses. Needless to say, they looked like real baqueanos--Chilean horsemen -- and they received lucky horseshoes to remember their ride.
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We did several hikes around the mountain. Our hike to Salto Grande, an impressive cascade, transpired on a tempestuously windy day. We cinched our hoods tightly, chased runaway baseball hats carried by the wind, and leaned into the gusts as we tried to walk forward, but were caught in limbo between the force of the gales and our body weight. Sam amused himself by unzipping his jacket and making himself into a sail, while Marnie was blown over once when she focused too earnestly on taking a picture. The howling winds produced a magical display over the surrounding lakes, where water spouts swirled up like tornadoes into the sky and white caps spilled onto the shores. The following slide show will give you a flavor of the terrain.
As usual we have a few birds, but this time we also have some mammals of note in the following slide show.
Next stops: El Calafate and El Chelten
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