Team Eat.Run.See explored the wilds and wonders of the massive country of Australia. And crikey, it was amazing! We’ve shared our experiences running down under in the latest issue of TRAIL Magazine:

TRAIL 19: G’day Oz-trail-ia!

If you’d like to enjoy the full magazine packed with awesome trail goodness, pick up a copy at supermarkets or bookstores in South Africa, or buy a digital copy online via one of these links:

Zinio / iTunes / Magzter

We’re once again incredibly proud and excited that we’re featured in TRAIL, South Africa’s leading trail running publication. The latest issue continues our involvement as regular contributors, as we share tales from the trails of our global adventure.

“The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world’s great long distance walk trails, stretching 1,000km from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills, to Albany on the south coast, winding through the heart of the scenic South West of Western Australia.” https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au

In the company of our two new Australian friends, Brett and Clive, we set out to explore roughly 70km of the Bibbulmun Track over four days in the first week of June 2015, walking north from the Brookton Highway access point, to the northern terminus in the shire of Kalamunda. The entire track is marked with triangular yellow metal “woggles” with the Bibbulmun signature emblem – a patterned snake (obviously, what else would be appropriate? :)). The woggles are attached to trees, posts, and metal struts and except for those instances where the marker has melted due to bush fires, grown into a tree over time, or simply fallen off, they are very easy to spot and follow! As one hiker commented, where there’s a woggle, there’s a way!

We had a grand adventure along a reasonably easy and well maintained section of the track, and lived to tell the tale, despite our fears of certain death by the fangs, claws, pincers, and teeth of the almost exclusively venomous, and deadly, creatures that call Australia home! An account of our excursion is detailed below with a packing list included at the end.

Packing the last few essential items on the night before departure – traveling light in true Eat.Run.See style!

Day 1: Brookton Highway to Beraking (26 kms)

Our trek started with an early morning pick up by Brett, Clive, and Brett’s kind father-in-law, Ken, who would drop us off and drive back into Perth at a fairly unreasonable hour! With the sun just rising and our packs snuggly on our backs, we started our first day’s walk. There was a track diversion due to controlled bush burning, so we headed along an alternate route along the power line track for the first two hours, eventually cutting back onto the main Bibbulmun Track and stopping at the Mt Dale campsite for a cup of tea and cookies. Along the way we saw evidence of the bush fire that had swept through the region a few years ago. Stark and beautiful at the same time.

At the start of the hike at Brookton Highway

Tea break near Mt Dale campsite

Remnants of a bush fire

The remainder of our first day was mostly along non-technical graded forest service roads, with a few nice climbs and beautiful views. We spent the first night at the Beraking campsite, nestled in the bush overlooking the hills. The campsites are very well structured with a three-sided shelter with built-in sleeping platforms, picnic tables, an outhouse, and fire pit. There is also fresh water at each campsite. It is recommended to either chemically treat or boil the water, which we dutifully did. We reached Beraking around 3pm and set about making lunch, a delicious lentil dahl courtesy of Brett, cooked on his very efficient methylated spirits camp stove. After our late lunch we had time to get our sleeping arrangements organized and watch the very beautiful sunset. The quiet night and crisp air were so lovely to enjoy around the warm campfire that evening!

Our first big climb of the hike – hard work with full packs!

Relaxing at Beraking campsite after a hard first day

Sleeping platforms in the shelter

The bush surrounding the campsite

Richard, Clive, and Brett debriefing the day’s events!

Gorgeous bush sunset

Day 2: Beraking to Helena (19 kms)

After a night that didn’t quite provide the quality, or quantity, of sleep we would’ve liked, we began day two at a very leisurely pace, only getting ourselves back on the trail by about 9:45am. The day saw us taking the trail from Beraking through to Helena campsite after a lunch stop at the Waalegh campsite, at roughly the halfway point. The weather, which had looked suspicious on the forecasts the week prior, turned less than ideal overnight and we spent a bit of time walking in light rain before reaching Waalegh at about noon.

Waalegh – lunch

When our hiking party was all accounted for, Brett once again provided us with a simply delicious dahl and rice meal, nicely customized with the addition of some extra curry spices. While we were enjoying lunch the weather went through several drastic changes, at times offering blue skies and brilliant sunshine, then changing into sudden and wild downpours with gusting winds, at a moment’s notice. This left us slightly concerned about the remaining 11km of walking before reaching our camp for the night. We decided not to take any chances and broke out our Machu Picchu ponchos – can’t have our sleeping bags getting wet, even it makes us look a little silly!

Have poncho, will travel

The section of track between Waalegh and Helena turned out to be one of our favorites. Mostly single track, lots of greenery, and no rain! This would have been an excellent stretch to run – our feet were itching to get going! We did encounter a fair bit of climbing with some slippery granite outcroppings and boulders to navigate. There were also a few areas where the trail was damaged due to erosion, so we had to keep our eyes open for the woggle and our feet firmly on the ground!

Beautiful views across the Helena valley

Bev and Brett

Beautiful jarrah tree

The bush is so peaceful and very beautiful

Taking a special little rest to enjoy the view

We arrived at Helena at about 4pm, happy to be dry, and totally satisfied with our day in the bush. Our camp for the night was hard earned with a few big ups and downs on the trail, but well worth the effort. The shelter at Helena is perched overlooking a valley and aside from the slog up the hill to the toilet, it was a perfect spot to spend a few hours to relax before bedtime. We made pasta and beans for dinner, followed by a few delicious squares of dark chocolate for dessert. It was early to bed for everyone, after an exhausting day!

Arriving at the Helena campsite junction

Richard getting settled at Helena campsite for the night

A beautiful fresh morning in the bush

Time to get moving!

Day 3: Helena to Ball Creek (9 kms)

We had a much better night’s rest and woke feeling well rested and ready for another day on the trail. This was to be our shortest distance day, leaving us with lots of time for a leisurely breakfast and easy walk to our next stop for the night at Ball Creek campsite. We climbed the hill from Helena and made our way back onto the track. From Helena the trail continued to wind its way through jarrah forrest against the backdrop of the Darling Range. In addition to the beautiful shapes and colours of the jarrah trees, we also loved the strange and crooked grass trees, brightly coloured wildflowers, and harsh but pretty banksia varietals. It almost seems that everything in Australia has developed the ability to defend itself in the most aggressive way imaginable!

On the road again!

More beautiful bush terrain to explore

Exquisite bark formations and colours

Almost at camp!

But not before we encountered three enormous mouse spiders – venomous of course!

We arrived at Ball Creek campsite just before noon and before settling into our bunk, conducted a full search for more mouse spiders and other creepy crawlies. Fortunately we did not encounter anything to be concerned about, and prepped our sleeping quarters for the night. We had a very lazy afternoon, forced inside the shelter at times by rain showers. It was another very enjoyable day with great conversation, many laughs, and excellent camp food, including freshly brewed espresso thanks to Brett and Clive.

Our final night’s shelter at Ball Creek

The work never ends but it’s so much fun!

Another awesome fire thanks to Brett (and Clive and Richard for gathering the wood!)

Pretty eucalyptus leaves

Time to eat again!

Day 4: Ball Creek to Kalamunda (21 kms)

Our final day on the track would take us from Ball Creek to the track’s northern terminus in Kalamunda. This would be another long day taking us away from the bush and into civilization once again. We got an early start from Ball Creek and quickly covered the first few kilometres before entering an interpretive trail close to the Perth Hills Discovery Centre. We wound our way through more lush forrest with views of the Mundaring Weir and reservoir. We also encountered a few furry friends along the way, including a fairly distressed joey who had become separated from its mother. Who knew kangaroos hissed and barked? Fortunately there was a happy ending with the baby reunited with its mother, and we did not have to endure a punch in the neck from a protective maternal marsupial.

Where there’s a woggle, there’s a way!

Starting up the hill away from Ball Creek

Furry friends along the track

Amazing spiderwebs heavy with morning dew

After a very pleasant and refreshing coffee break at the Mundaring Weir Hotel (and used their very clean bathrooms to wash our hands and faces for the first time in three days!), we crossed the weir and continued with the track onto the south bank section. This part of the track had a fair bit of climbing with stone steps to boot – plus there were multiple other tracks criss-crossing over the Bibbulmun, requiring us to keep our eye on the woggle at all times! It was obvious that we had entered a more heavily trafficked part of the track! At the 10km mark we arrived at our lunch stop at Hewett’s Hill campsite. We had a very pleasant rest in the sunshine and enjoyed some of our last bits of provisions along with a cup of tea. We were well rested and ready for the final 11km push home – and the cold beer that would be waiting for us!

At the Mundaring Weir

Lunch stop at Hewett’s Hill campsite

Gumtree nuts

The final part of our day’s hike was incredibly beautiful and varied. After following a fairly flat, wide and firm section of the track for a few kilometres alongside smallholdings and a camel farm, we walked down into a river valley at Piesse Brook and back up again, surrounded by boulders and bush, with lovely views along the way. Our packs had become gradually lighter as each day passed and our food rations were consumed. We enjoyed having a little less weight for the final stretch as our legs started to feel a little tired after the previous days’ effort.

Clive and Richard getting going after lunch

A sunny break next to another beautiful tree on the trail

We’re on the right track!

Bev having a special little rest

Gorgeous fresh fruit for sale along the way!

Brilliant colours courtesy of the setting sun on our final day

Once we reached the entrance to Kalamunda National Park we knew that we were close to the northern terminus of the Bibbulmun Track. A few kilometres on, through parkland and along paved roadways, we arrived at the end of the track around 4pm. Feeling elated by such a good time in the beautiful bush but sad that our adventure was over, we set down our packs and enjoyed a well earned cold beer and potato chips! A short while later we welcome Brett and Clive as they arrived from the track, and all set off to enjoy a celebratory dinner before hailing a cab to take us back into Perth, where our warm showers and comfy beds waited for us!

We made it!

Thanks Richard for running into town for cold beer and potato chips!

Packing list for three-night/four-day hike

Backpack (Richard – 38L / Bev – 34L)

Sleeping bag and liner

Large garbage back for waterproofing sleeping bag and clothing

Compact thermarest sleeping mat

Headlamp

First aid kit

Water purification tablets and water bottles

Toilet paper

Baby wipes

Hand sanitizer

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Hand towel

Playing cards

Phone

Bibbulmun Track Northern Section Guidebook

Plastic bag for garbage collection (hikers must carry all garbage off the track)

Clothing: two technical fabric shirts, one pair shorts, warm layer for evenings and sleeping (track pants, base layer and fleece), toque, buffs, gloves, socks, underwear, and warm outer jacket

Rain poncho and rain jacket

Hiking shoes

Hat

Sunglasses

Collapsible bowl

Spork (spoon and fork combo)

Plastic cup

Meals – breakfast: granola, bananas, soy milk (250ml tetra pack containers)

Meals – lunch: dahl and rice (provided and carried by Brett and Clive – thank you!), pita bread, peanut butter, and jam

Meals – dinner: cous cous, packaged beans (3 kinds), pasta, nutritional yeast sprinkles

Snacks: Clif Bars, trail mix, cookies, rice crackers, fruit (apples, plums, grapes), and dark chocolate

Drinks: water, tea, and coffee (provided and carried by Brett and Clive – thank you again!)

Note: we would typically also carry a portable stove, fuel and pot, but our friend Brett provided these items for our group for this hike

Click me to read our article as it appears in the magazine

The latest TRAIL magazine featuring another Eat.Run.See adventure has just been published! In this issue we share our amazing experience in Chilean Patagonia; running and hiking through pristine wilderness in Torres del Paine National Park in the far south of Chile. If you’d like to read more about our adventures in Patagonia, we cover Chile and Argentina in greater detail (and with many more beautiful images!) on our blog.

Click on the link below for our article as it appears in the magazine:

TRAIL 15 – Eat.Run.See Loves Life in Breathtaking Patagonia

If you’d like to enjoy the full magazine packed with awesome trail goodness, pick up a copy at supermarkets or bookstores in South Africa, or buy a digital copy online via one of these links:

Zinio: http://ca.zinio.com/www/browse/product.jsp?rf=sch&productId=500650714

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trail-magazine-sa/id979830150?mt=8

We’re once again incredibly proud and excited that we’re featured in TRAIL, South Africa’s leading trail running publication. The latest issue continues our involvement as regular contributors, as we share tales from the trails that we explore and experience on our global adventure.

Patagonia, a vast and sparsely populated area (almost the same size as British Columbia), is located on the southern tip of South America, and is home to a dizzying array of breathtaking mountains, lakes, and glaciers. It extends into both Chile and Argentina, and owing to its remoteness and staggering beauty it is a remarkable place to experience true wilderness.

On our visit to the region in March 2014, we explored the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile and also spent time near the town of El Chalten, within the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina. In this article we’ll focus on Chilean Patagonia, with the equally stunning Argentinian region covered here.

To reach Torres del Paine we travelled from Santiago to Punta Arenas by air, and then bussed to Puerto Natales, the gateway town to the national park. We based ourselves in Puerto Natales for a few days to gather information, complete our planning, and purchase supplies for our trek. We stayed at Erratic Rock, an extremely welcoming and comfortable hostel with friendly people, oodles of knowledge, gear rentals, and scrumptious breakfasts with homemade bread and peanut butter. The hostel also allows returning guests to store bags and other valuables while in the park. We rented sleeping bags and mats from the hostel, and purchased our cooking and eating equipment from a supply store in the town. We had already purchased a small two-person tent in Santiago after calculating that renting a tent for five days would cost more than purchasing one.

Prepping food rations for our 6-day trek at Erratic Rock

Bev ready to set off on the early bus into the park from Puerto Natales

We planned a six day adventure in Torres del Paine, which would see us hike and run along the famous ‘W’ trek which remains just south of the Cordilerra del Paine massif. We initially planned to run the complete 110km ‘O’ circuit, which essentially circumnavigates the massif. Unfortunately we had to opt for a more conservative route, due to logistical difficulties exacerbated by cold weather challenges. So, out of necessity, we set out to complete the ‘W’, with plans to get in plenty of running on the gorgeous trails of this spectacular part of our planet. Over six days we completed the ‘W’ circuit – running more than half of it (a total of 40km or so) along with around 70km of “full pack” trekking with gear, food and camping equipment.

The ‘W’ circuit in Torres del Paine (credit: Lonely Planet)

About to get started with some serious weather ahead of us!

Excellent signposting and wayfinding along the track

We started our adventure at Laguna Amarga, the main entrance to the park. Using the pay-for-use shuttle bus service, we drove the first 10km into the park and then hiked 9km uphill to Campamento Torres for our first night in the park, encountering heavy winds and snow along the way. Campamento Torres is one of two free campsites along the ‘W’ in the park. We set up camp, and set off for our first short run up to the Base de las Torres, where we were treated to a private audience with the splendid granite spires that give the park its name (torres is Spanish for towers). This area is usually congested, and most trekkers arrive for sunrise or later in the evening owing to the logistics of how people move along the hiking routes. We arrived early and had a good 20 minutes in absolute silence to enjoy the company of this spectacular sight with a glorious sunset. An absolute highlight.

The clouds cleared and gave us a beautiful sunny view on the way to Campamento Torres

Our first night on the trail at the free campsite at Campamento Torres

Our little orange tent bracing for a windy night at Campamento Torres

Food mouse-proofing measures recommended at all campsites along the trail

The cooking shelter at Campamento Torres

Quiet time in the presence of the majestic Torres del Paine

The following morning we did the 9km hike back down to the campground Camping Las Torres near Refugio Torres from where we had planned a longer run north east towards Campamento Seron on what is known as the “back” of the ‘O’ circuit. The weather, however, was steadily deteriorating and before long we cut our planned two-hour run short, returning back to our tent after an hour in the now howling wind. It was beginning to dawn on us that wind was going to be a big part of our Torres del Paine experience. Notwithstanding the shortened run, it was still a gorgeous, non- technical single-track trail, which offered wide, sweeping views of open landscape in this part of the park.

Hiking back down from Campamento Torres

Time to hit the trails for a run!

Sweet single-track

That night the wind continued to gain strength, really whipping our tent around, and the following day turned out to be a write-off. It started raining, the wind was howling, and we had little choice but to stay bundled up in our tent for most of the day. We were thus forced to spend another night at Camping Las Torres. We learned later that the winds were at a sustained 70 to 80km/h, a strong gale, according to the Beaufort Scale.

Waiting out the bad weather inside our cozy tent

The food prep facilities at Camping Las Torres

The next day dawned clear, but with no break in the wind. After breaking down camp we hiked the 11km to the next overnight camp, Los Cuernos. It was a beautiful hike, along the northern shore of the magnificent Lago (lake) Nordenskjold. We couldn’t wait to get into our running gear to take in a run along the lakeshore. It was stunning. Unfortunately it was also cold and windy, and with sunset fairly early, we only covered about 5km out before being forced to make our way back to camp where we had to find a way to get warm and make dinner. Dinner was easy in the shelter of the refugio, but it turned out that we wouldn’t be warm again until some time the next day. That night was well below zero, and with our lightweight gear we felt it!

A beautiful morning and time to press on from Camping Las Torres

Setting up camp at Los Cuernos

A chilly but beautiful evening run from Los Cuernos campsite

Stunning sunset at Los Cuernos

Making dinner while trying to stay warm in the Los Cuernos shelter

The next morning we shook the ice off our tent, and set off to Refugio Paine Grande, a good 13km away. Along the way, we left our backpacks at Campamento Italiano and ran the 8km stretch up the “middle of the ‘W’” with the French Valley to our right and the magnificent Glacier del Frances to our left. This was a steep and technical run, offering gorgeous scenery, another major highlight. An out-and-back is required, though, due to the layout of the trail, giving a total of 16km before continuing on to Refugio Paine Grande, making this a rather long day with a total of 29km and a fair amount of climbing too with a total elevation gain of around 1,200m.

An icy layer on our tent in the morning after a freezing night

View from the French Valley

A special little rest on our 16-km out and back run up the French Valley with the breathtaking Glacier del Frances as our backdrop

Glacier del Frances just before the clouds spilled over into the valley

We decided to spend the night in a dorm at Refugio Paine Grande instead of camping as we were very cold the previous night and the overnight weather forecast did not look good. Our sparse and expensive digs for the night was at least a little more luxurious and warmer than being in a tent!

Warm and comfy in our dorm room at Refugio Paine Grande on our last night in the park

Our fantastic gas stove and versatile pot/kettle/serving dish in the communal kitchen at Refugio Paine Grande

The following day was our last day in the park and it was nothing short of spectacular. We put in a 24km out-and-back (just over 1,100m of elevation gain) as we ran up the left leg of the ‘W’ to just beyond Refugio Grey to take in the awesome Glacier Grey. Along the trail there were awesome views of Lago Grey with plenty of side options to reach higher ground for even more spectacular views. The trail was highly varied, all single-track, but ranging from easy, smooth running to highly technical, steep and rocky business. It was the perfect way to end our time in this most memorable place.

A glorious day for a long run in the mountains!

Glacier Grey in the distance

Pieces of ice floating on Lago Grey

Glacier Grey

The glacier stretches far beyond

The changing terrain along the way

Breathtaking!

What a day!

Upon returning to Refugio Paine Grande we caught the ferry across Lago Pehoe back to the park entrance. From here we bussed back to Puerto Natales, very happy to find a hot shower and cosy bed at Erratic Rock, the friendliest hostel we’d encountered on our travels thus far. And so we concluded one of our most memorable adventures with firm promises to return to explore more of this special place.

Waiting for the ferry to take us across Lago Pehoe to return to the park entrance

Our last views of the majestic mountains of Torres del Paine from the ferry – until next time!

Overview

Expect unpredictable and extreme weather conditions especially strong winds and quickly changing temperatures.

Bring layers and a good wind/rain jacket along with gloves, hat, and neck covering.

Bring sunscreen and lip balm.

Best time to visit is October through March.

Puerto Natales is the gateway town for Torres del Paine National Park.

Access Puerto Natales by bus from Punta Arenas (easy and cheap) or ferry from Puerto Montt (difficult and expensive but worth the effort).

Regular buses run between Puerto Natales and the park; buy tickets at any travel agent in town or at the bus station (slightly cheaper).

Entrance fee for the park for foreigners is $18,000 chilean pesos (USD $38) in high season and $5,000 chilean pesos (USD $10.50) in low season; this is a one-time fee per visit regardless of how long you stay in the park.

The W circuit can be completed by starting from either the east or west end, and there are logistical facilities to support either starting/ending point. There are many online resources that offer suggestions for each route, but ultimately your plans will be dictated by weather (as we discovered!). Be flexible and arrive with a good understanding of the route and terrain and carry a map at all times!

Stock up on food and camping gear (purchase and rental) in Puerto Natales as supplies are very limited in the park.

Erratic Rock Backpackers/Basecamp Rentals in Puerto Natales is your best bet for warm hospitality, clean and cosy dorm beds and good rental gear (tell Bill we sent you and make sure you attend their free daily orientation for all the best info and tips).

Camping is the cheapest accommodation in the park with tent and gear rentals available at each refugio (hostel/lodge).

If camping with your own gear, bring a quality lightweight sleeping mat (the ground is hard and cold!) and sleeping bag rated below zero degrees.

Bring a thin rope and zippered canvas bag to store and winch up food when in camp – those Patagonian mice will wreak havoc on your food supply if it’s on the ground or in your pack in your tent!

There are non-camping accommodation options at the refugios that offer a bed as well as food. However, it’s not cheap at an average of US$55 p/person p/night in a 4 or 6 person dormitory, plus another US$20 to US$30 p/meal. The refugios are managed by two companies: Vertice and Fantastico Sur.

Communal kitchen, shower and toilet facilities are available at every refugio.
 

Links

www.torresdelpaine.com (general info and maps)

www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/en/ (official park website)

www.verticepatagonia.com (camping and lodging in park)

www.fantasticosur.com (camping and lodging in park)

www.erraticrock.com (hostel and gear rental)

Organized races

www.ultratrailtorresdelpaine.com

www.patagonianinternationalmarathon.com