Another Eat.Run.See adventure has just been published in TRAIL magazine! In this issue we share our experiences running on the north and south islands of scenic and friendly New Zealand.

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

TRAIL 17 – Amazing New Zealand!

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 latest TRAIL magazine featuring another Eat.Run.See adventure has just been published! In this issue we share our experiences running in three regions of Croatia in Eastern Europe. If you’d like to read more about our adventures in this beautiful, diverse, and welcoming country, we cover Croatia in greater detail (and with many more stunning images!) on our blog here.

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

TRAIL 16 – Eat.Run.See Awed by Croatia

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: https://www.zinio.com/magazine/TRAIL/pr-500650714/cat-cat1960090#/

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.

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.

The Tarawera Ultra Marathon took place on February 7th, during New Zealand’s Waitangi Day long weekend starting in the town of Rotorua, New Zealand’s adventure capital, and ending in the sawmill town of Kawerau. The race weekend began with an authentic cultural experience at the Te Puia Centre where Maori cultural dancers performed a traditional powhiri welcome ceremony, which included the iconic haka. The start of the weekend was especially moving as it coincided with the Waitangi Day celebrations. We were also treated to the magnificent sight of the world famous Pohutu Geyser. Essentially a perfect start to what was to be an absolute Eat.Run.See highlight.

The welcome ceremony about to begin (photo credit: Marceau Photography)

Maori warrior runs to greet/challenge representative of runners’ tribe (photo credit: Marceau Photography)

Traditional dancers performing during the welcome ceremony at Te Puia

The Pohutu Geyser

Upon reflecting on this weekend one word comes to mind more than any other. It’s not very eloquent, and it’s not very informative, but somehow it captures things rather well. And that word is a straightforward “Wow!”

A number of things came together to make our Tarawera experience so memorable. And the race itself, perhaps, isn’t even the most important element in all of that.

But since this is going to be essentially a race report I will only just mention the non-race aspects that turned this event into one of lasting significance for us both.

As part of our North Island exploration we used couchsurfing.com to secure accommodation for one night in Wellington. Amazingly, it turned out that the wonderful couple, Scott and Adrienne, whom we connected with, were also running the Tarawera Ultra 100KM! We had a great evening staying with them in their lovely home in Wellington, where they shared with us their experience and a number of insider tips gleaned from their previous Tarawera runs. But it doesn’t stop there. Scott and Adrienne also invited us to stay with them in the spare room of the holiday home that they had already rented for race weekend. Suddenly our big race weekend, which we’d been planning for many months, turned into an epic weekend spent with new friends, that happened to include a race. Thanks again to Scott and Adrienne (who both ran amazing 100KM races) for their amazing Kiwi generosity and hospitality!

OK, this is supposed to be a race report, right? Let’s start at the beginning. Of course, I’m not quite sure where the beginning of any of these races truly is. Is it when you decide to enter, and start vaguely training for a long run many months in the future, is it the night before the race when you fail miserably at trying to get a good night’s sleep, or is it when the starting signal goes off?

Let’s just say that we were nervously confident – even though our training during the month we spent in India (two months before the race) was rather lackluster due to logistical troubles (it turns out it’s not that easy to run in India…), our training in New Zealand during the month prior to Tarawera went really well. Additionally we felt buoyed by a great 60KM training run on the famous and beautiful Kepler Track near gorgeous Te Anau on the South Island.

Race morning dawned (well that’s just an expression, since we got up at 4am, well before any hint of “dawn”) and we made our way to the start at the entrance to the magnificent Redwoods area in Rotorua. One of the huge advantages of staying with Scott and Adrienne during race weekend was the help we got from their support crew, Adrienne’s sister, Danielle. Danielle drove the four of us to the start area and we enjoyed one of our most relaxing and stress free race starts in a long while!

While waiting for the big run to get underway we were treated to another spectacular, goose-bump inducing haka performance by the Te Puia performers. It set the scene for an awesome day filled with emotion, grit and perseverance.

It was still dark when the race started, and the train of headlamps through the majestic Redwood forest looked an equal mixture of eerie and spectacular.

Here we go…nobody here is nervous or stressed out, right?

Bev and I quickly settled into an easy, comfortable rhythm and before we knew it we felt relaxed and confident. Although at Comrades (89km on the road) we’d come close, neither of us had run 100km before and we decided to take it really easy to begin with and just see what happened.

About 8km in, Bev has her relaxed, game face on early

The first few kilometers passed uneventfully enough, listening to the nervous and excited chatter of those around us, and quietly hoping that we’d last all the way to the finish.

Blue Lake, just one of the gorgeous lakes along the course

Making it look easy

It’s not over yet, is it?

For me, this confidence started fading fairly soon afterwards. By the time we’d reached the Millar Road aid station at around the 20km mark my quads started feeling unreasonably fatigued, and with another 80km to go, it didn’t exactly fill me with joy. Before the run Bev and I agreed that for a longish day, as this one was expected to be, we would try to eat actual solid food from early on at the aid stations. The first thing I saw on offer at the aid station was a lily-white bread sandwich with about a half inch of Marmite – not exactly the kind of thing we usually eat. Nevertheless, I didn’t feel all that great and figured it looked appetizing enough, and so I went for it. I also wolfed down two more sandwiches with heaps of boysenberry jam.

We spent about 10 minutes at the aid station eating, and filling our water bottles, before we set off again, and I was amazed at how strong I felt – significantly better than when we arrived. (From now on, I will be eating lots of Marmite on long runs!). The 17km to the next aid station at Okataina Lodge felt really easy and we were running well and utterly enjoying the great spirit and camaraderie amongst the runners on the trail.

Upon arriving at the aid station I immediately got down to eating more Marmite and jam sandwiches, gulped down a few glasses of Heed, and filled up water bottles before tackling the next 10km section to Humphries Bay.

This next section of the run included what would become another major highlight of our New Zealand adventure as a fellow runner tucked in behind me and Bev and followed along as we made our way along a gorgeous and runnable section of the course. The runner, who is a wonderful Kiwi lady, called Tui, chatted away and provided non-stop commentary, entertaining me and Bev (I didn’t hear that much of her chatter though, since I had my music on and was totally in the zone, pushing as hard as I thought was prudent with another 60+ kilometers to go (yes, it is mentally tough to think of having 60km to go after already having run 40km!). But more important than Tui’s commentary, was the fact that she and Bev connected on a personal level and before we knew it Tui had invited us to stay with her and her family for a few days. We took her up on her offer a few days later and had a great time getting to know her husband and their two wonderful kids.

Richard, in the zone, just lovin’ it :)

From Okataina (37km) to Tarawera Falls (60km) is advertised as the toughest section of the course, and we’d have to wholeheartedly agree. This 23km section took us over 4 hours, including some time spent in the two aid stations along the way. It’s all single-track with a some ups and downs thrown in.

Built-in support crew for both of us :)

It’s probably the most beautiful section too though, which is a good thing, since this helped keep us going. Getting to the 60km mark was also a major boost, since we knew that the last 40km were relatively easy running, mostly on forest service roads. Because of this we had our road shoes waiting for us in our drop bags at the Tarawera Falls aid station, and we were looking forward to throwing on slightly lighter and more comfortable shoes. Unfortunately the Tarawera Falls aid station also represented the one negative we experienced on the day. We had originally signed up for the 60km race, but changed our distance to the 100km the day before during registration, following the posted procedure to do so. We had placed our drop bags in the correct trailer for the 60km aid station for 100km runners. However, upon reaching the 60km aid station (which also serves as the 60km finish) we couldn’t locate our drop bags in the 100km race area, and were finally told to check the 60km finish bag location, which was about 500 meters away from the 100km drop bag location! After changing shoes and restocking our fuel we asked if volunteers could take our bags the 500 meters back to the 100km drop bag location (to ensure they were delivered to the finish area), and we were met with an indifferent shrug, indicating that it would be too much trouble for them to do that and we would have to do it ourselves. It is amazing how much an extra kilometer hurts when you have to complete 100 of them! This little annoyance was soon forgotten as we got on with the task of tackling the last 40km.

The final 40km were advertised as easy, non technical forestry roads with little elevation gain, and a few easy gradual downhills, and with our feet now in lighter, more cushy environs in our road shoes we felt quite buoyed. For me, this section was the most emotional. Soon we started feeling like we were going to make it, and upon reaching the Titoki aid station with only 30km to go it struck me as rather amazing how one can see 30km as just a short hop to the finish.

On long endurance events one feels a range of emotions which typically include nervousness, excitement, loneliness, friendship, self loathing, and love. This day did not disappoint, I felt all of these in spades. I always go back to the loss of our Archer, and more recently, it also includes the loss of my one of a kind mom who passed away late in 2013. My dad texted me good luck wishes the day before which included encouraging and proud messages from my brothers as well. Thinking about my family and feeling their support always gives me strength and a sense of belonging which can sometimes be lost out there in the late hours of a long run.

One of the aspects I like most of long runs is how it forces you to look deep inside, to see what’s there and to found out if, whatever it is, is strong enough to get you to the finish line. Bev and I have an advantage here; we help each other, we encourage each other, we remind each other to eat and drink, or to slow down or pick it up. It also adds a bit to my occasional self loathing though, when I sometimes irrationally blame myself for putting her through the tribulations of a 16 hour long run, as if it’s somehow my fault that she decided to run a 100km trail race.

Running the final 15km in the dark with only our headlamps illuminating a cone of the darkness ahead, and only our footsteps and breathing piercing the silence, added meaningfully to the surreality of closing in on the finish of a 100km long run through some of the magnificent forests of New Zealand.

Finding the last turn towards to finish arch in Firmin field, in the town of Kawerau was almost magical. Seeing the finish line, hearing our names being called out as we crossed that line was amazing. But what was truly special, was the fact that our new friends Scott and Adrienne were there waiting for us, with hugs ready, after completing their own 100km runs much earlier than we did.

Finished!

For us, Tarawera Ultra Marathon 2015 will always be about friendship, perseverance, and achievement, but mostly about friendship, thanks to especially Scott, Adrienne, and Tui, but also thanks to the organizers and the rest of the participants who created a real feeling of family out there on a tough, but utterly well lived day!

Scott and us before the start

This past week saw the arrival on store shelves of TRAIL Issue 13, South Africa’s pre-eminent trail running publication. We’re once again incredibly proud and excited that we’re featured in the publication. The latest issue continues our involvement as regular contributors to TRAIL, as we share tales from the trails that we explore and experience on our global adventure.

Click on the link below for our article as it appears in the magazine. This article covers some of the why’s, and how’s of our journey and includes a bit of Guatemalan trail magic. We hope you like it.

TRAIL Issue 13 – Team Eat.Run.See article

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 (from wherever you access the interwebs) via one of these links:

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

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trail-mag/id796352591?ls=1&mt=8

Thanks to TRAIL editor, Deon Braun, for his continued enthusiasm and interest in our story. We love being part of the trail and outdoor community and sharing some of our excitement and experiences in this way is fantastic!

After 5 gorgeous (but expensive!) days in Rome, we boarded our friendly EasyJet flight bound for oceanside Dubrovnik in southern Croatia. Arriving at sunset gave us a spectacular vista over the hills, islands, and ocean that embrace this historical town with its walled old quarter. The handy Atlas airport shuttle bus ($7.50 each/one way) dropped us at the main bus terminal after giving us a glimpse of the romantic old town lit up at night.

Courtyard at Guesthouse Dada

Our accommodation at Guesthouse Dada was a mere 100m away from the bus station and we were delighted to discover how clean and well laid out our apartment was. We shared a bathroom and kitchen with one other double room, and had use of the courtyard and outdoor seating area. We discovered that private letting of accommodation is very common in Dubrovnik (and across Croatia apparently), and were greeted by many people at the bus station offering us accommodation or “sobe/apartman”. We were happy that we had pre-booked our accommodation via booking.com, but it would have been possible to secure accommodation in a more informal fashion.

One of the many stray cats we encountered in Dubrovnik – this one was definitely the cutest and most curious!

The first day of our 3-night/2-day stay in Dubrovnik was quite typical for us – we put on our running shoes and headed out the door to explore our surroundings. We ran from the bus station past the port and around the peninsula to Babin Kuk and Lapad on an oceanfront path (part road, gravel and dirt). More details on our running adventures coming soon!

Port of Dubrovnik, with lovely water and dockside walking paths

After our morning run we set out on foot to find a beach and visit the famous old town. Dubrvonik has a number of “beach” options, ranging from pebbly, sandy inlets to rocky outcroppings with slabs of concrete for sunbathing. Most beaches are within walking distance of the old town, but there are also regular buses that run to various parts of town and beaches (cost: 12 Kuna at newsstand or 15 Kuna on the bus). On this outing we found two swimming areas (not really beaches in the typical sense!): one near Lapad next to a large hotel/casino complex and one called Dance Beach near Gradac Park. Both have gorgeous views of the ocean and its lovely blue green water. Dance Beach is more tranquil and a great spot to catch a gorgeous sunset.

A little church perched on the cliff above Dance Beach

Wedged between our two beach experiences was our visit to Dubrovnik‘s walled old town which is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Dating to the 7th Century, this spectacular site was truly delightful to explore. We wandered down the marbled main avenue and wound up and away along stepped side streets into the maze of the locally inhabited parts of the town. We also made our way to the outside the of walls and walked alongside the ocean and marina. Dubrovnik is one of the filming locations for the popular TV show Game of Thrones, and we can see why the producers picked this spot! It’s captivating, alluring, and authentic.

Old town fortifications

Exploring the lane ways with restaurants, hotels, shops, tour agencies and residences

Stairs winding up and away from the town centre

Busy inside the walls!

The marble paved central avenue

Intricate detailing so well preserved

Gorgeous contrast of blue skies and white buildings with the characteristic terra-cotta tile roofs of the region

So many lanes to explore!

Evidence of daily life in the old town

Nature finds a way

Pile, one of two entrance gates to the old town

The old town within its walled perimeter

On our second day we decided to try another beach closer to the old town. Banje Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Dubrovnik, with its clear water and beautiful views of the old town and islands across the bay. The beach itself is quite pebbly with sandy spots and lots of rocks for lounging on. We got a good dose of Vitamin D while drinking ice cold Croatian beer, followed by cooling dips in the Adriatic. A very successful beach outing indeed!

Pebbly Banje Beach with the old town in the background

Beach time Croatia-style on the Adriatic

Smiles all around on a sunny, clear water kinda day!

Our initial idea for our time on the southern Dalmatian coast was to spend a few days in Dubrovnik followed by a few hops around the larger islands in the region. Due to the end of the summer season, we discovered that the frequency and ease of ferry travel was limited. This turned out to be a very happy circumstance!

Instead of moving around from island to island, we chose to visit the small and less populated island of Mljet, featuring Mljet National Park with a much quieter pace than some of the larger islands in the region. We travelled from Dubrovnik to Mljet with the G&V Ferry Line on the foot passenger-only catamaran. Tickets are purchased a half hour before departure at a cost of 60 Kuna one way per person. Once we arrived on the island, we knew that we’d find peace and tranquility in the natural beauty of the surroundings. And so we decided to stay on Mljet for 11 days, splitting our time between the main port of Sobra and the village of Polace.

Travel day at the ferry dock!

The ferry in dock waiting to depart for Mljet

The village of Sobra is a quiet place with few services and a very basic grocery market. Contrary to guidebooks suggesting it’s the centre of the island, Sobra has limited facilities and no public transport. Despite this, we decided to stay for three nights and enjoy the quiet surroundings. We stayed at Guesthouse Sobra in a room with a lovely view of the bay from the sunny terrace. We enjoyed the close access to a swimming/sunning spot and the company of our new Australian friend, Dennis. We ventured out one day for a 32km run to one end of the island and back, breaking up the distance half way to enjoy a well-earned cold beer and a dip in the enchanting blue water at Saplunara.

Idyllic setting in Sobra

The pathway to our lodging

View from our patio across the bay and the village of Sobra

Quiet morning for reflection on a still bay in Sobra

Beautiful quiet bay near the village of Saplunara

We moved on from Sobra by ferry to Polace, situated closer to the entrance of the national park to give us greater access to running terrain as well as better food supplies with two well-stocked grocery stores. We took a chance and decided not to pre-book accommodation since online options were limited and far more expensive than we expected. This turned out to be a terrific decision. We stepped off the ferry and encountered a number of locals waiting to offer their accommodation for rent. We agreed to view one of the apartments close to the ferry dock, and we were thrilled with the location, space, and price. We happily completed the necessary administration and settled in. This included completing the mandatory tourist accommodation cards that are stamped by local authorities. Kudos to Richard for his gut instinct to select our friendly landlord!

The village of Polace with Roman palace ruins

Our home and comfy terrace for 8 days

View to the left of our terrace

Our eight days in Polace were terrific. Set against the ruins of an ancient Roman palace, the village is situated within the national park, which makes up almost a third of the island. There are amazing trails, two salt water lakes, a restored monastery on an island within a lake and historic villages to explore. We spent most days running in the morning to see different parts of the park, and then relaxing around one of the two lakes in the afternoons. Aside from one day of rain, the weather was sunny, warm and humid – still cool enough for running but hot enough for lazing on rocks and swimming in our birthday suits!

Clear water and pine tree lined shores of the large lake (Veliko Jezero)

Our favourite sheltered rock perch on the shore of the large lake

The monastery of Santa Maria built on an island within the large lake

Wayfinding in the park is very clear and the forest trail system is equally well marked

The beautiful turquoise waters of the small lake (Malo Jezero)

Not all beaches are suitable for naturists! FKK is the code for nude beaches in Croatia

Park entrance is 90 Kuna per person and is valid for the duration of your stay in the region. There are regular shuttle buses that transport visitors to Pristaniste, the main entrance and one of the launch points for the boat across the lake to the monastery. All bus and boat transportation is included in the entrance fee. Bike and kayak rentals are available, but we preferred to explore on foot. This was a very easy way to get around even when we weren’t running, as many trails and roads connect short distances within the park.

Island foliage

A quiet spot outside the monastery

Architectural detail on the exterior of the monastery

A nice spot to have a little rest!

About to enjoy one of our many yummy meals on our terrace with a spot of Croatian wine

Bike rentals are everywhere on the island

Our apartment was incredibly comfortable and clean, and perfectly located with an ocean view patio and close to the park entrance and grocery store. We really enjoyed the setting and pace of the village, and for the first time on this crazy journey, felt that we had time to meditate, read and write, in addition to our usual running and exploration activities. It was also great to visit at the end of the summer season with fewer tourists and boat traffic. We’re going to miss our island oasis on Mljet but are looking forward to exploring what else Croatia has to offer, starting with Split, the capital city of the Dalmatia region.

Departure morning at 4am to catch the bus to the ferry dock

UTMB races finish line

A race report (and a bit more)

Last week Team Eat.Run.See had the amazing opportunity to be both spectator and participant in what is arguably trail running’s Superbowl and Tour de France rolled into one. The Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) week in the French Alps town of Chamonix (and surrounds) is a weeklong celebration of all that is trail running. The world’s best ultra trail runners descend on the gorgeous and friendly town of Chamonix to test their mettle against each other (and themselves, the weather and mountain terrain) in a variety of distances, ranging from the (new, relatively short) 53km OCC to the marquee 168km UTMB race.

All in there are 5 events; 4 races and 1 epic 300km, 26,500m (that’s an insane 87,000’) vertical gain multi-day odyssey, called the La Petite Trotte à Léon. The events wind through towns and communities in France, Italy, and Switzerland. The 4 races are as follows:

1. the 119km Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS) with its 7,250m (23,800’) vertical gain and 33 hour time limit (Thursday evening start),
2. the 168km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) with its 9,600m (31,500’) vertical gain and 46 hour time limit (Friday evening start);
3. the 101km Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC) with its 6,100m (20,000’) vertical gain and 26.5 hour time limit (Friday morning start);
4. the 53km Orsieres-Champex-Chamonix (OCC) with its 3,300m (10,800’) vertical gain and 14 hour time limit (Thursday morning start).

When the UTMB organization announced the addition of the OCC race to the calendar for the first time in 2014, Bev and I immediately threw our names into the lottery hat. Little did we know, as we sat in our hostel in Cartagena, Colombia, that we would be successful in the lottery and find ourselves on the OCC start line on a gorgeous Thursday morning almost 9 months (and many adventures) later.

Fast forward past all the adventures and runs between Colombia and the Pyrenees, we arrived in breathtaking Chamonix via the center of France along with Richard’s dad and friend, Isabelle, on Monday, August 25th just as UTMB week was getting underway. The atmosphere was already electric as the 300km PTL was getting underway at 5:30pm (with the first arrivals only expected back in Chamonix around 7am on Saturday); there was a palpable buzz in the air as strong, athletic looking people were everywhere to be seen: some catching up with last minute mandatory equipment shopping and others lazily enjoying coffee or beer at one of the many outdoor cafes.

Monday night arrived along with heavy downpours and flat-out miserable weather – we couldn’t help but feel sorry for the 250 odd PTL runners out there in the Alps on a cold, rainy night. Tuesday brought more rain and our visit to the (open air) expo turned into a rather wet and cold affair. We were also rather shocked at the price of gear – on average at least 20% higher than in the US. Cost aside, we managed to find the few outstanding items to meet the mandatory gear list (food reserve and collapsible cups) and were ready for our gear inspection and race bib pick-up the following day. (For those interested see below for the list and how we met the requirements).

Bev with one of our collapsible cups

Bib pick-up doubles as gear registration, where the race organization checks that each runner has all the mandatory equipment. We arrived early and found a rather long line-up and we wondered how the gear checks are managed. What happens is that as each runner registers they receive a sheet of paper with about half of the required items randomly selected and highlighted. The runner then presents his pack, with the highlighted items taken out for easy inspection, to a race official.

Well organized registration (package pickup)

Bev sailed through, but Richard ran into a small issue when his race official took issue with his headlamp which did not have spare batteries, as “required”. We didn’t think the spare batteries would be an issue since we use rather top-end running headlamps that come with 11 hour rechargeable batteries, and cannot accept any spare batteries. Add to that the fact that headlamps that use regular batteries are generally far inferior in quality to the ones that we use, we thought there should be no issue with our headlamps meeting the requirements. After a bit of a delay and a conversation with a referee it was agreed that our headlamps are more than sufficient and Richard was also cleared to receive his race bib.

Richard explaining his headlamp battery performance

The rest of Wednesday dragged on a bit as we packed and re-packed our race packs, making sure we had enough race fuel and that all the other bits and pieces were in place for our big run the following day.

Our race packs, ready to rumble

3:45am Thursday arrived quite quickly in the end, and we got going with our usual race morning ritual which includes a spot of coffee followed by hot oats with chia seeds and soy milk. At 4:40am, a whole 5 minutes ahead of schedule we started our 15 minute walk down to the bus terminal to catch the race-organized bus to the start in Orsieres, Switzerland.

After a very comfortable, 90 minute bus ride we finally arrived at the race headquarters in Orsieres where we found ourselves a comfortable little spot in the sports center to await the race start time of 8:00am. We were both feeling very relaxed and happy to have time to warm up and mentally prepare for the day ahead.

The start line was amazing: we were in a beautiful little square in this quaint little mountain village (Orsieres, Switzerland), with 1,200 other runners, anxiously awaiting what we hoped would be a great day in the mountains. There was the usual host of announcements and thank you’s (most of which we couldn’t understand), as well as a Swiss horn blowing to herald the start of the race. Before we knew it, cow bells were ringing and OCC14 was underway!

The OCC start line

Excited to run in the Alps

The first few kilometers saw us winding our way through the streets of the village, small school children and adults lining our route, clapping, ringing cow bells, and yelling encouragement: “Allez, allez!” (Go, Go!).

We quickly started our first climb towards the gorgeous Champex-Lac (Verbier, Switzerland), where the first aid station awaited us at the 7km mark. After only 548m of climbing the aid station seemed to come a little early and we just drank our fill of water using our handy-dandy collapsible water cups (part of the mandatory equipment), and moved through the station within a few minutes. It was indeed unfortunate that we had no real need for an aid station yet, because these Europeans know how to do aid stations! In addition to the beautiful setting, it really felt like a place we should’ve hung out for a while, but we were, after-all, in a race.

The biggest issue over the first section of the course was that it seemed that there were perhaps a few too many runners on course, causing a fair amount of congestion on the single track. To make matters worse, passing people was not easy. We’ve read that European trail runners like their trekking poles, and we were becoming familiar with just how much they like them! It also became clear that while they may like their poles, not everybody really knows how to use them very well, especially as it concerns control of the poles in the vicinity of others.

A long, colorful train of racers on the 1st climb

There were a few close calls with the business ends of poles coming up dangerously behind their owners – perhaps it was a strategic effort to dissuade one from passing them. Admittedly the large number of runners is what makes it possible for more people to enjoy this amazing trail experience, and it is not lost on the author that if the field size was limited to a smaller number we may not even have made it into the race. Additionally, the field thinned sufficiently at around the 5km mark and there was never really any further congestion (which was actually better than at Comrades 2014).

After Champex there were a few kilometers of easy running around a gorgeous inky lake before we started our first real climb up towards La Giete. On our way to La Giete was the first time we ran above 2,000m, and with almost 1,000m of vertical gain over a 10km stretch it was the first real test of our climbing legs. Notwithstanding both of us getting shocked by an electric fence (turns out electric fences are commonplace, used to corral the alpine cattle), our legs held well and we felt pretty good as we started the 700m descent down to the next (this time much more welcome) aid station at Trient.

Nearing the top of the 1st climb

Bev enjoying her climb

At 24km Trient represented the first time cut-off, and we were happy to easily make the 6 hour limit with close to 2 hours in hand. This time we soaked up a bit of the Euro aid station ambience, taking slightly more time as we filled up on water again; we had no need of anything else. It seemed that our fueling plan was working again (we had some issues with it during Comrades 2014). Our current strategy consists of Hammer Perpetuem Solids and Gu gels with electrolyte capsules. We generally consume 3 Perpetuem Solids and one Gu gel in every 75 minutes (about 160 calories per hour), alternating the solids and the gels. We couldn’t find our usual electrolyte capsules and had to go with something new; we found Saltstick Caps at the race expo. During the race we took one capsule every hour, and they worked perfectly, and has now become our preferred electrolyte replacement.

Leaving the sanctuary of the Trient aid station was like walking out of your clan’s great hall onto the battlefield, as we immediately started the most vicious climb of the day. The almost 900m vertical gain over the 4km to Catogne took its toll. We felt it, and many of our co-adventurers had problems on this section. Numerous runners took “special” little rests all along the course, and some looked rather pale. But onwards we marched, and finally made it up and over (with the help of our playlists and some dancing by Bev to John Denver, no less!), only to be rewarded with a 5km long, quad crushing, 880m descent into Vallorcine, another most welcome Euro-class aid-station.

Climbing up towards Catogne

Yep, this is work

The views were spectacular

The views were spectacular, indeed

Bev dropping into Vallorcine

Bev dropping into Vallorcine – yep, it’s that steep!

The Vallorcine aid-station was the second time cut-off and we now had almost 3 hours in hand, and boy did we take advantage of that as we did a most excellent, Euro inspired job of truly soaking up the vibe. I re-filled our Camelbak water reservoirs and we both enjoyed some time off our feet. After spending close to 30 minutes at the Vallorcine aid station it was time to say good-bye and tackle the last hard 11km section to the final aid station at La Flegere, from where only an 8km descent remained before reaching the finish in Chamonix.

Vallorcine aid station – Euro style

Richard making some crucial adjustments

The climb up to La Flegere starts off really easy, with a fairly flat section along a river, and here we lost a bit of time on our potential. Perhaps we soaked up a bit too much of the Euro-vibe at Vallorcine, but we ended up walking a very runnable section. Looking back, both of us just giggle at what we’ll call a slight concentration breakdown due to our brains being starved of glucose. After some time we did remember to start running again and we ended up putting in a really great section of running to just below La Flegere.

Climb up to La Flegere – awesome views

More awesome views on the climb up to La Flegere

The aid station at La Flegere was at the top of a “piste” (Euro-speak for ski slope), literally. We found ourselves at the bottom of a rocky ski-run, with a 400m vertical gain in about 800m up to the aid station. Looking back down the exposed slope at the other runners warily trudging up the unforgiving hill, Bev commented that it looks like we’re in a scene from the hit TV series “The Walking Dead”. The humor worked well and before we knew it we arrived at the last aid station, buoyed by the knowledge that all that separated us from a hero’s welcome down in Chamonix was an 8km descent.

We stayed a little while, amazed at the foods the other runners were inhaling: from salami to heavy looking cheeses and more common trail food like chocolate before we set off to receive our hero’s welcomes in the town below. Bev started to feel a bit cold and decided to switch to her long-sleeve warm layer and Buff (an amazing sheath of fabric to cover one’s head and neck in a number of ways!).

Richard texted his dad to let him know our expected arrival time and we started our way down a rather steep and rocky piste. Even though we both still felt pretty good, the steep downhill was not exactly what our quads wanted at this point, but down we had to go.

Soon, the piste turned into perhaps the most technical section of the course. Our tired quads had to negotiate very steep, rocky, and root infested terrain, a few water crossings thrown in for good measure. This final section did provide another unexpected sight as we passed by an amazing little hillside restaurant and refuge, called Chalet de la Floria. The descent continued, 8km of technical downhill on tired quads takes a while, and finally we were spit out on a road that leads into the village. Coincidentally, this road took us right past the mazot (cottage) where we were staying in Chamonix, so it felt familiar and welcoming after our long day out!

Chalet de la Floria

As we got closer to the village, more and more people started lining the road and the final kilometer through the village into the finish was hands down the most amazing running either of us has ever done.

The atmosphere and the support and excitement from the sidelines were overwhelming, we slowed down a bit and tried to really take it all in. As we approached the final corner Richard spotted his dad, camera in hand, on the sideline. We automatically grabbed a hold of each other’s hands and pumped our fists as Richard’s dad snapped a few pictures of us finishing this amazing race.

About 400m from the finish line!

We continued around the final corner and above the loud applause of the many, many spectators heard the race announcer calling out our names and our finishing time: 11 hours and 12 minutes. We would later find out that we placed 711th and 712th out of 1,200 starters, with 100 people abandoning the effort.

Participating in this event was an absolute highlight for us. The entire week was filled with excitement and anticipation: first we anxiously awaited our race, which turned out to be a spectacular day in the mountains for both of us, and then we were as close as one can get to the amazing and inspiring UTMB action. Watching the UTMB race start, following the leaders online, and watching the winners arrive in person was simply fantastic!

A couple of OCC14 finishers!

Bev taking a special recovery nap the day after the race

Mandatory equipment required by race organization: (copied from UTMB race guide) – see in bold italics how we met the criteria

The following items had to be taken to the registration venue in order to receive a race bib and be officially registered for the race. It was also a requirement to carry the entire list of items with you during the entirety of the race, under penalty of immediate disqualification if unable to produce the items to any official on course:

Required equipment:

1. Mobile phone with the international roaming option for the three countries (and in the phone memory the organisation’s security number, the phone must be switched on at all times, do not with-hold caller number and don’t forget to leave with fully charged batteries) – bought pre-paid GSM SIM cards from La Poste (post office) in Chamonix for €9.50 (includes €7.50 of airtime)
2. Personal beaker minimum 15cl (gourds excluded) – bought a set of 3 collapsible cups from WAA (the official UTMB retailer at the expo) for €5.00
3. Water reservoir 1 litre minimum – used our trusty Camelbak 70 oz anti-dote reservoirs (however, recommend against this since our small Ultimate Direction AK Race Vests were packed to the gills with all the required gear, making it very hard to re-fill the reservoirs at aid stations – would recommend using 2 x 500ml soft flasks in the front pouches for easy re-fills; (we find the original UD bottles uncomfortable in the front pouches))
4. 1 torch (torches in good working order with spare batteries) – used our Black Diamond Sprinter headlamps: a note of caution, a little bit of convincing was required to satisfy the registration staff re the “spare batteries” requirement
5. Survival blanket 1.40m x 2m minimum – regular space blanket, easily obtainable
6. Whistle – regular hiking whistle
7. Self-adhesive elasticised bandage usable either as a bandage or strapping (min. 100cm x 6cm) – this one was kind of tricky, however any pharmacy in Chamonix will have it (€7.00 for 200cm)
8. Food reserve – we bought 2 Clif Bars each (best bring this from North America – they are SUPER expensive in Europe (if you can find them))
9. Jacket with hood and made with a waterproof (minimum 10,000 Schmerber) and breathable (RET lower than 13) membrane mountains – jackets were closely inspected, make sure yours is waterproof (taped seams were a requirement) and breathable. We used RaceElite Stormshell jackets by Inov8 (awesome jackets by the way)
10. Long running trousers or leggings or a combination of leggings and long socks which cover the legs completely – regular running tights should do for this one
11. Cap or bandana – self explanatory

Recommended equipment:

1. Additional warm midlayer top
2. One single midlayer long sleeve top for warmth (cotton excluded) with a minimum weight of 180g (Men, size M) OR a two piece clothing combination of a long sleeve baselayer/midlayer for warmth (cotton excluded) with a minimum weight of 110g (Men, size M) and a wind- proof jacket* with DRW (Durable Water Repellent) protection
3. Warm hat
4. Warm and waterproof gloves

This week the latest issue of South Africa’s trail running magazine, TRAIL, hit the shelves. We’re incredibly excited to announce that we’re featured in the publication. The latest issue kicks off our involvement as regular contributors to TRAIL, as we share tales from the trails that we explore and experience on our global adventure. Check out this link to our article as it appears in the magazine:

TRAIL Issue 12_August 2014

If you’d like to enjoy the full magazine packed with awesome trail goodness (and a hidden Eat.Run.See gem on pages 26/27!), pick up a copy at supermarkets or bookstores in South Africa, or buy a digital copy via one of these links:

Zinio http://gomulti.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40be70bf04c06dfbdb5433ae0&id=273b432f10&e=fb22993be8
Magzter http://gomulti.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=40be70bf04c06dfbdb5433ae0&id=d59638f0e8&e=fb22993be8

Thanks to TRAIL editor, Deon Braun, for his enthusiasm and interest in our story. We can’t wait to be part of future issues and see our run around the world come to life in this way!

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 the Argentinian region of Patagonia, with the equally stunning Chilean region covered here.

After our outstanding experience in Chilean Patagonia, we were sure that nothing could compare to the vast uninhabited wilderness, lakes, glaciers, and mountains of Torres del Paine. Boy, were we wrong! The magnificent Los Glaciares National Park in Argentinian Patagonia quietly inhabits the landscape with slowly shifting ice fields, towering peaks, and wind swept trees and vegetation.

After a few days in El Calafate, gateway to Argentina’s Patagonia region, we headed to the small town of El Chalten, the trekking capital of Argentina. Easily accessed by 3-hour bus from El Calafate on Route 23, El Chalten is nestled within the Los Glaciares National Park and provides near doorstep access to a wide variety of mountain trails in the region leading to and through some of the most amazing scenery on the planet. Although the town is tiny, El Chalten has well stocked supermarkets, trekking gear shops, and many restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops. It also has an internet cafe and travel booking service centre. Don’t be alarmed by siesta time though – most stores and restaurants close from roughly 1-5pm.

The town of El Chalten seen from the Laguna Torre trailhead

We loved the simple and understated commitment to mountain exploration in El Chalten. The singular purpose of the town is to support the trekking community, making this a very easy place to find information and exchange grand stories of mountain adventures! Not to be outdone by those who prefer both feet on the ground, this region is also popular with rock and ice climbers.

So many trails, so little time! (oh, and a little Malbec to keep spirits up and hands warm on chilly Patagonian days!)

A few days of weather imposed downtime with extreme wind and rain (common in these parts!), gave us a chance to relax in our cozy hostel, Albergue Patagonia, and research the trail options in the area. Once the weather cleared we departed on our first mountain exploration run – to discover the majestic Mount Fitz Roy standing tall at 3,359m. The spectacular view of this massif is the reward at the turnaround of the 23km out and back Laguna de Los Tres trail with 1,000m of elevation gain. Starting at the edge of the town, the clearly marked trail winds up steadily along single track with varied terrain underfoot. At times hard packed dirt, other times rooty with thick bush, but always beautiful with the freshest mountain air imaginable.

Trailhead leading up to the best view of Mount Fitz Roy via Laguna de Los Tres trail

The view of Mount Fitz Roy in the distance – time to get a little closer!

The trail opens up and flattens somewhat when it traverses the Del Salto stream valley and follows the natural course of the stream passing through two campgrounds along the way. Natural viewpoints offer glimpses of the Fitz Roy peak, but it’s only by pressing on and up the final and very steep grind of almost a kilometer that you reach the trail terminus point at the edge of an old moraine ridge. From this vantage point you can attempt to make sense of the full frontal assault on your eyes: a crystal blue lagoon and eons of glacier pack pushing up against the towering Mount Fitz Roy alongside its less well known but no less striking siblings.

We made it! And what a reward for our efforts!

Team ERS takes a well earned rest before the descent

With the sun out, we basked in its warmth and the privilege of finding ourselves at this amazing juncture while eating our customary trail run snack of peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Fueled up for our return journey we reluctantly turned away from the breathtaking view and completed the trail in reverse. Our legs enjoyed the downhill as much as our minds celebrated the gift of wanderlust!

Resting at the end of the trail before heading back into El Chalten

There are numerous other trails to explore from the village of El Chalten. We ran a few shorter trails to a few easily accessible viewpoints, as well as one additional longer run. This 21km out and back trot with 600m of elevation gain took us along the undulating and relatively easy (albeit rocky) Laguna Torre trail to the lake of the same name fed by the Torre and Grande glaciers.

The Laguna Torre trailhead just above the town

Another gorgeous trail into the mountains

Richard wishing that Bev would stop taking so many photographs – and just run!

Here the mountain vistas are just as grand as Mount Fitz Roy with the jagged spire of Cerro Torre reaching above the rest of the Adela range at a height of 3,128m. If you’re lucky enough to arrive at this point on a clear day (we weren’t), the mythical Cerro Torre may be revealed to you. We had to settle for a brief glimpse of the spiky ridges before a wind storm swept in and literally blew us off our feet while a heavy blanket of cloud descended over the mountains and into the lake basin. We scrambled for cover under a rock shelf until the worst of the storm passed and then hightailed it back to the warmth and safety of our hostel. Another day well lived!

Approaching the jagged spires looming over Laguna Torre with Cerro Torre under cloud

Reaching Laguna Torre with hopes of clear skies

And then the wind picked up and we had to find shelter fast!

Notwithstanding the rough weather, it was an amazing day of trails, glaciers, and mountain bliss!

Overview

El Calafate is the gateway town to Los Glaciares National Park.

Regular buses run between El Calafate and El Chalten, a small town located in the park providing access to some of Argentina’s finest mountain trails.

This region is less structured than the Torres del Paine circuits in Chilean Patagonia, but multi-day adventures with overnight camping are possible if you are self-supported.

El Chalten is a perfect base for single day trail runs with options for accommodation and meals to suit all budgets.

After your trail adventures, don’t miss a visit to the awe-inspiring Perito Moreno Glacier near El Calafate.

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.

Links

www.losglaciares.com/en/calafate (general info)

www.elchalten.com (general info and maps)

www.losglaciares.com/en/parque/#1 (official park website)

www.americahostel.com.ar (hostel in El Calafate)

www.patagoniahostel.com.ar (hostel in El Chalten)

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