17th December 2024

I left the tent at 3am and headed out into the darkness guided by head torch, leaving Dan asleep. Despite the lack of visibility and loss of depth perception, I felt comfortable on the path. My biggest concern was going the wrong way and being exposed to sudden drops or unstable terrain.

With about 2km to go I caught up with a German couple we had become friends with along the O circuit. The three of us hiked to the summit together and as we ventured out of the trees the moons full face could be seen framed by the mountains on either side. It grew bright and I turned my head torch off, confident in the moons ability to guide me. 

Without a queue of tourists we made easy effort over the rocky terrain. Once at the summit we were greeted with a moody version of the towers which stood dark and overbearing. The odd displacement of rocks on the ravine caused puffs of dust to appear like smoke hovering above the inky water.

The three of us sat for an hour on our rock and enjoyed watching the colours change and the mood of the view soften as night turned to day. Sadly there was too much cloud on the horizon to see the towers glowing orange from the sunrise.

Keen to get back to Dan, I headed off down by myself. After skipping over the technical boulder section. I put on my music and broke into a run. I flew down the undulating terrain enjoying the freedom to move at my own pace and the excitement at running somewhere so unique.

At the bottom of the trail just before the camp site I saw a juvenile male huemul, a rare species of deer found in the park. I took a moment to watch it sitting down on the path so as not to startle it before heading down to camp.

By the time I reached Dan I was spent. The run had been hard on my body and was not as simple as down all the way! Dan and I headed straight down without breakfast and within ten minutes the heavens opened and dark clouds rolled in.

We had been lucky to avoid the Patagonian rain but now it came thick and fast. As we approached the visitor centre, we saw the path leading off for Camp Serón with a couple beginning to head down it. As we completed the O circuit we looked back we saw a rainbow over the valley from where we had just come from, our own personal goodbye from Torres del Paine.

We arrived at the visitor centre for 09:30am and joined friends at the same table we took refuge in 7 days prior. We enjoyed a muffin and a latte while viewing the 3D map of Torres del Paine in a new light. Before long, there was a large group of us. Beers were brought and food consumed from a food truck out front.

It was a very merry occasion as we reminisced together about the highs and lows of the trail. Stories were shared and confessions made. At 14:00 we took the shuttle down to Laguna Amarga where we waited for our 15:00 bus back to Puerto Natales.

Once back we returned our rental gear, picked up the rest of our belongings from our last hostel and checked into our new one. We showered quickly before heading back out to a pub in town for more food and drinks. We celebrated with our first pisco sours of the trip. Chatter was loud and the food good.

Saying goodbye was hard, we’ve formed strong bonds with this group and it would likely be the longest time travelling with the same people on this trip. Numbers were exchanged and hugs goodbye given. We then retreated back to our hostel and managed to get into bed just after midnight. We instantly fell asleep wrapped warm in a proper bed, cocooned in sheets and blankets.