John Garner Pass is the literal and figurative high point of the circuit, and this is the main reason why the O is better than the W. The view down onto Glacier Grey was mind blowing. I've seen plenty of glaciers in my time but the sheer scale and breadth of what is laid out before is hard to show in photographs, or even describe generally.
- Looking down on Glacier Grey
The descent however is not fun. It's steep (but not Western Arthurs steep) initially, then there are lots of switchbacks to get to the bottom of the main descent. It was here we probably saw the nicest Lenga, especially in Chile, so that was a highlight.
- Lenga and Grey
- The colours are more consistent in Patagonia compared to the Fagus in Tas
Once you reach Camping Paso, the undulations start. This was hard work for the afternoon, and frustrating with a lack of progress, but the constantly changing views of the glacier made up for it. There are three swing bridges on this section which provide some epic photo ops... especially the first one.
- On the first bridge
- The 'nose' of Glacier Grey
Around 5:30-6 we arrived at Camping Grey and joined the big groups of people who were on the W. From here on the facilities would be bigger and more civilised. There is even wifi in most of the refugios. We celebrated with Calafate Sours on the deck at Grey with our Aussie comrades after breaking the back of the O.
The next day was the day where we took advantage of this new luxury. It's a shorter day down to Lodge Paine Grande, and the views back up towards the glacier and over the lake make for a most enjoyable walk.
- Lago Grey
At Paine Grande we spashed out on the USD$110 per night to stay in the lodge and it was totally worth it. By Day 5 we were starting to get over the tent and the thought of a few beers, some wifi and a meat and veg meal was strong. We also got the full board at Paine Grande, so breakfast was included (scrambled eggs, white bread, sugary yoghurt and cereal) and a lunch box (more sugar) was supplied to carry along for the following day. Paine Grande is the biggest lodge on the circuit and the camping is also the most exposed, so I would definitely recommend this is the spot to live it up if you can afford it. Several of our comrades who tented this night ended up with ripped and/or leaking tents.
The next day our luck ran out with the weather, it was windy and showery and got worse as we went. This day we went from Paine Grande to Camping Frances with the aim of going up the Frances valley for a side trip. There was a brief period where Los Cuernos poked through the mist but otherwise it was a head down and trudge on kind of day. Unfortunately we also had to bail on the side trip, so I guess we'll have to go back one day
- Los Cuernos towers above
This night we camped at Camping Frances, which was... well, crap tbh. This is where it goes from Vertice back to Fantastico Sur (Seron is also FS). It's set on a steep slope, so the camping is at the top of the hill and the toilet down the bottom, and worse still the 'cooking' area was nothing more than an alcove on the side of a building, open to the weather. Of course the weather was wet too so it was an all round unpleasent experience. Some even go so far as to cook in the toilets!! All of this for the tidy sum of USD$29pp. It was here we ran out of patience and cooked in the vestibule in the tent on the platform. On the plus side the showers were good... but I think camping Frances ranked as the worst spot we stayed.
Next day was also wet, so we got out of Frances ASAP and made our way around to Chileno, our last night. All my fingers and toes were crossed that it would clear in time for Las Torres the following morning. This was a real non-descript day if I'm honest, we were starting to get over it all and just wanted to finish the walk on a high at Las Torres. Chileno was slightly better than Frances, it must be said, however the no cooking rule reached it's zenith here becase
there is literally nowhere to cook - dozens of campers stood around wondering how they were supposed to eat. Again, we were sneaky and just cooked in the tent but it's probably the stupidest rule I've seen bushwalking.
So, the final day arrived, and the big moment of visiting Mirador Las Torres was upon us. Alarms were set for 5am and the 2 hour trip up to the mirador was underway. Despite it being freezing the weather was playing ball... but I think we had a last day spring in our step. On the way up/back from the Torres there are a couple of really nice streams filled with Lenga.
- Lenga Cascade
At 7:30am we arrived at Mirador base de las Torres just before the sunrise. It was popular, but the towers were out and anticipation was high. The rule book of CONAF (rangers) struck again, with a ranger getting the lucky job of walking around checking everyone's tickets... I'm not sure what he would have done if you didn't have one considering most had walked 10km in from the car
.
We also got into trouble for being 1m past a 'do not pass' sign, and we got a stern talking to in spanish and photos taken... guess we're banned for a while???
Anyway, the sun hit and those problems faded away. It's a special moment, seeing Las Torres at dawn, but dare I say it a slight let down. It's not that it isn't spectacular, it definitely is, but we had seen some amazing scenery over the course of the O and this was no where near the top of the list. But we've been there, seen it happen, got the photograph so you've gotta be happy with that.
- The moment everyone comes for...
After spending a bit of time up there soaking it up it was time to leave. The towers lost colour pretty quicky on this day and becomes apparent how bleak it is up there on the moraine. But it was a fantastic way to end the circuit, I'm not sure if I'll call it as the best walk I've ever done, but it would have to be top 3.
- Las Torres - a fitting finale to the O Circuit
And that was that! After 9 days in the park it was time to head back to Puerto Natales and move onto the next phase of our journey....