Torres del Paine - Day 1 - Grey

From our hotel, we drove to the national park and boarded a ferry that would take us to tonight's camp at Paine Grande. Just a few minutes into the ride on Lake Pehoe, there's a nice waterfall that lands into the beautiful blue green waters. Temperature aside, it reminded me a bit of the Mediterranean Sea.

The ride isn't long, but it was windy up top where we sat enjoying the scenery. I think there may have been a few raindrops, but can't really remember. Views of the landscape pretty much takes over the memory bank. At the camp, we quickly drop our bags off in our tents (already set up), some have a quick lunch and off we went.

The trail up to Grey Lake isn't too strenuous but the winds sustained when you're on the section of exposed rock adds some challenge. At one point, I had to drop and just hug a rock. The gusts were so strong you almost feel like you could be blown off the mountain. Like all of Patagonia though, the sight before you makes it all worth it.

At the lake, we snap our photos, trying to keep our cameras steady in the wind, trying not to fall off the edge. We share a small bottle of wine and wild berries. Life is simple and that's just fine. Going back to nature, we can forget about our day to day life for a bit and just enjoy the moment. It was extra nice not having to rush back as we would've had to do if this was day 3 and we needed to take the ferry back.

Back at camp later, the site has a mini market and full cafeteria as well as a bar where you can enjoy a drink before grabbing dinner. It was still some time til sunset, more time for photos as we gazed at the mountains from our tent - stunning. That night, the skies weren't as optimal for stargazing as the Atacama was, so I'm glad I did that earlier on. Clouds were rolling in and we hope they don't hold any precipitation.Read more