Pretty much what I came to Chile to see. As crazy as this place seemed to me, I couldn't help but notice how worn the trail is to this very site, where probably thousands of photos get taken every day. But fuck, the sheer size and raw nature of the Torres are enough to clench the butt of any rock climber. I would love to one day put up a route in Alpine style on Torres Central, but as with any magnificent wall, talking about it from the warmth of my home, or even while standing at the base amongst a throng of diverse tourists, is entirely different from actually committing to such an endeavor. In that sense, I found a similarity between Torres del Paine National Park, and say, Rocky Mountain National Park in my home of Colorado. Both places have been on the public radar for decades now, so much so that one half expects to see a restaurant and souvenir shop around the next bend, and sometimes there is.
I find this a little discouraging, especially when prior to my coming here I dreamt of this place as wild country that only permits a determined, if not deranged, few. Yet like both places, I've noticed that a very wild world does indeed exist, sometimes even alarmingly close to the well worn trail. Like a coy spirit that follows you and feeds on crushing your foolish pride. I see the vertical domain as a sanctuary of that mysterious wild environment that I dream of. The experiences high on a wall feel almost other worldly. For better or for worse, I have caught a faint glimmer into this other world and I feel that I will spend the rest of my life trying to look further into it.
It excites yet also terrifies me to think about one day sitting on the top of that tower, yet it's also what I came for. It will both haunt my dreams and inspire the choices I make.
