Date: 20231030
Time: 14:50 – 16:15
Distance: 6.5 km
Overnight stay: Paine Grande
Walk
I have a very early breakfast, 4:00. I am not the only one, a handful of people are also awake and eating.
The hotel shuttle brings me to the airport, a quick transfer over roads that have definitely seen better times and I have the shuttle to myself.
Checking in my backpack and security are a breeze and I find myself at the gate with more than an hour and a half to spare. I walk around a bit and have a double espresso at Starbucks.
The flight takes 3 hours and is rather uneventful, which is good 🙂 In Puerto Natales I take a transfer to the bus station. The driver drives veeery carefully but we make it. I even have time to walk into town to get a hat, I forgot mine.
The trip with the bus from Puerto Natales to Pudeto was spectacular with all the mountains covered with snow and the lakes surrounding us. In total there were about 20-25 passengers on the bus. About half of them leave the bus at Laguna Amarga.
In the beginning the road was smooth and well maintained. This changed once we were out in the open. It reminded me of the time when I was just a boy, a long time ago, and I accompanied my father in his truck, the old Büssing, on the Belgian roads.
Later on there are again stretches of road that are well maintained.
In the distance I see a bird circling in the air. Given the distance it must be a huge bird. Might be a Condor but I can’t make sure from the bus.
And then the road just ends and we are on a dirt road with pot holes and all… for about 20 kilometers.
The signs beside the road show Ruta del Fin del Mundo, or in good German am Arsch der Welt!
When we reach Guardería Laguna Amarga, everybody has to get out of the bus and show their park ticket to the park rangers. The bus drives through the ‘park gate’ and we all get back in, except for the passengers that walk the W-trek in the other direction. They wait here for their next transfer.
The rest of us continue our journey to Pudeto. From here on it is only dirt roads. They even have hectometer markers! We follow a winding road through the mountains with nice views. Then in the middle of nowhere there is about 50 meters of smooth and paved road. And then again for about 100 meters. Probably because of the slope of the road.
I think I can see the route that I am going to take the day after tomorrow. I do see the occasional Lama, or Alpaca, and then there is a bunch of them and they are in the middle of the road.
When we arrive at Pudeto, I first go to the cafeteria for a chicken sandwich and a beer. Since I have to wait 3 hours before the catamaran leaves, I go for a walk to see the waterfall, Salto Grande, a splendid view. I continue to the next viewpoint with nice views of the mountains that I will be walking next to the coming days. There is another viewpoint, Mirador Cuernos, but although I try, I don’t make it that far. I have to go back to make sure I don’t miss the catamaran. And I have time for another beer 🙂
What strikes me is that all trees are dead, they are just white skeletons. I have seen this before in the Czech Republic and it was caused by acid rain. I ask one of the park rangers why the trees are dead. Alas she doesn’t speak English but Google is your friend, if you are a park ranger and have Internet here at the end of the world. She explains that there was a fire caused by humans in 2011. It burned 17000 hectares and lasted for 2 months.
Time to catch the catamaran. The trip takes half an hour and we get spectacular views of the mountains from different sides. There are not many people on board. I talk to a couple from Utah, they arrived yesterday and it is also their first time in South America. She takes my picture and I take one of them.
When we arrive at Paine Grande, there is a very long line of people waiting to get on the catamaran. I wonder if there is room enough but if I look a little later, the catamaran is on its way back and the line in completely gone.
I check in at the refugio and they show me ‘my’ room. It’s not mine of course, I have to share it with 5 other people, although I am the only one when I get there.
First things first, I look for the bar and get a beer at a table at the window with a good view on the mountains. I am near the corner and there are windows in two directions. One of them reflects the mountains so it looks like there are even more! This is where I finish this text. Putting it on-line is a challenge. I have to buy a Wi-Fi connection and the power fails. And again…
Weather
Nice weather, warm and dry.
Songtext of the day
All the dead trees I saw today lead me to the song with the same title, Dead Trees by From First to Last.
Here we are, in the ashes of my desire
All the pieces fall from my chest down into the fire
When we hold on to a feeling so good
All the puzzle pieces will scatter and burn in the mold
I watched the feathers drop to the floor
You were everything that was killing me but I survived
Now you’re just a memory stuck in the history of my life
We live, bleed, we die
The moment shared is now a lie
I wanna know, what is this love?
I watched it grow into the mud
I wait impatiently to get away
Now get the fuck away from me
(Woah oh ah, woah ah ah ah)
You were everything that was killing me but I survived
(Woah oh ah, woah ah ah ah)
Now you’re just a memory stuck in the history of my life
We live, we bleed, we die
The moment shared is now a lie
Here we are in the ashes of my desire
All the pieces fall from my chest down into the fire
(Woah oh ah, woah ah ah ah)
You were everything that was killing me but I survived
(Woah oh ah, woah ah ah ah)
Now you’re just a memory stuck in the history of my life
You were everything that was killing me but I survived
(Woah oh ah, woah ah ah ah)
Our love is just a memory stuck in the regret of the fire
We live, we bleed, we die
The moment shared is now a lie
