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| Hiking | 14.45 Miles |
3,608 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.45 Miles | 9 Hrs 29 Mns | | 1.82 mph |
| 3,608 ft AEG | 1 Hour 33 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Amazing trek with gorgeous views! We started off a bit later than desired given that we needed to attend the provided breakfast and also pick up our boxed lunch. The earliest breakfast time available at the Central Refugio is 7a. After that, we hit the trail. The weather was not great, but not horrible. We were wearing light rain jackets for the light rain and gusty winds.
The refugio is a mile away from the Trailhead, so we made our way over. Along with all the other trekkers doing the same thing. After passing hotel Las Torres (very swanky!), you cross a wide river on a wooden suspension bridge. The trail forks. The left fork heads to the Los Cuernos (the horns) sector. This is the trail we came in on the previous day. The right fork heads up to the Mirador Las Torres (our destination) as well as the Chileno Refugio. The junction is clearly marked and the trail is wide and well trodden. We headed to the right and began our trek up hill.
Lots of people are on the trail, going both up and down. Hiking up at 3am is a thing for people wanting to see the sunrise, however the weather was not great and the people coming down were not able to see the Towers.  We continued up, and the weather continued to be chilly, on and off light rain, and very windy. We did see some great rainbows as a result, both on the trail and earlier at the hostel.
At the top of this uphill section is windy pass, which starts into the canyon area. I did not think it was too bad, but I guess we were lucky in our timing, as many people talked about how horrible the wind was in this section. The trail is more level in this area as it heads into the Chileno refugio area. The trail from the start until the refugio is a shared trail with horses. We didn't see any in the morning, but we did on our way out in the afternoon. The horses bring supplies to the refugio and also tourists.
The trail crosses a bridge, and the refugio and a restaurant come into view. Bathrooms are available for use.
Continuing on, the trail stays a bit on the east side of the river before crossing over another bridge and starting a slight incline. The trail is in the forest from the refugio until the last kilometer to the mirador (lookout). The trail is wide and easy to follow. The forest is thick and verdant.  
The trail continues along and passes by the official entry into the Las Torres national park. This is marked by a couple of informational signs. There is also another wooden bridge to cross over a large stream. During this time, we saw no one else hiking since the refugio area. It was glorious!!  The trail comes out of the forest, and there is a junction to head down to some bathrooms and the ranger station. There are also some signs about the formation of the Towers and climbing routes. This point marks the start of the 1 km up hill section leading to the mirador. It is mostly open and very rocky. It is not super difficult really, and the route is easy to follow. Still not many people around. As you gain elevation, the trail becomes more exposed and very windy.
Finally more people are on the trail which levels off near to the lookout. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for us, and half the Towers were hidden from view. Sad day! Still, the area is beautiful with a blue lake at the foot of the Towers. This is also where the solitude ends. Lots of people at the base of the Towers, which was expected but not welcome! 
The weather on the last kilometer up was teeny tiny hail plus wind. At the base, it improved slightly to cold high winds only. We took some photos and sat down next to a huge boulder in hopes of a wind break while we enjoyed the view and had lunch. We lasted maybe 40 minutes before it got to be too cold with the wind. The sun did come out for a short bit, but the clouds did not clear up much. We put on all the clothes we had which helped a lot, but our hands got very cold. It was time to head down! This ended up being a great decision, as while we left, the hordes of day-trip people coming in by bus were on the trail to the top. It reminded me some of those everest photos where people have to wait in line to go to the summit. People were like ants. Probably 3 to 5 buses worth. I am so glad we started earlier and missed them en route to the top and at the mirador. It was like being at the mall. The way down was threading between the multitude of people going up. It was slightly better after getting down that last kilometer, but even in the forest, there were lots of people going up.
The trip back was uneventful. We stopped at Chileno and enjoyed a hot chocolate to get out of the wind. The wind was blocked quite a bit in the forest, but starting in the Chileno area, the wind was powerful enough to make you stumble at times. As a plus for the people going up later, the clouds moved on and the Towers were much more visible. Still, we were not tempted to turn around and go back up, especially with the heavy traffic on the trail. We fought the wind pretty much the entire way back to the hostel, and there continued to be a steady stream of people (and some horses!) going up and down the trail. The views heading down from Chileno are gorgeous, as you can see the whole valley before you with many blue lakes. The weather was clear, and visibility was great.
In 20/20 hindsight, I would have skipped breakfast/lunch box and went up earlier to avoid people. But on our day, that would have meant seeing even less of the Towers given the heavier clouds earlier in the morning.
All weather woes aside, the W trek is an amazing epic trek, and we loved it!!  Las Torres was our last day, as we did the trek West to East.
As for water, lots of water everywhere. . And mud! |
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