The true fans wake up at 1am, pack their hot tea, sandwiches and sleeping bags and hike up the valley to see the towers burning at sunrise. I don't necessarily have that patience and most felt too old to bank another sleepless night, so when the midday sun promised nearly cloudless afternoon, up we went, without further thinking about the next morning possibilities.

The hike from Torre Central up to the laguna should take about 4 hours one way. There are too many spectacular views and Camp Chileno at about mid way up is a nice tea break spot, for horses and men. The right most stroke of the W that takes you to the towers is generally uphill. With the steepest ascent of the whole trek (vertical climbs excluded). Those who have been to the Himalayas or any other high altitude hiking destinations, beware of overexcitement - W is mostly flat in comparison.

Torres del Paine views at the eastern part of the NP

The hike up is under semi-direct sunshine, so bring sunscreen. With the wind and the chill it's easy to forget how quickly you can begin to look like a drunken teenage character from a snowboarding film with all the crazy tan lines on your face.

The top third of the hike is mostly forests before you hit the last 45 minutes of straight uphill, climbing the rocks and what generally looks like a pile of supersize gravel, sometimes on all fours if your legs are not the basketball player or supermodel kind.

It's not the altitude, but the wind and the lack of proper trail to follow that makes climbing up the last bit sometimes dangerous enough that the park rangers close the route until further notice. Indeed, had we waited for the early morning romantic walk to the sunrise, we would have had to come down before even getting a glimpse of the towers. Snow or rain basically means the rocks are off limits, especially in the dark.

The towers are spectacular. It's an incredibly good idea to pack your meal and just sit there, watching the clouds and the sun and the snow to perform a spectacle. It's freezing, of course. And it can get crowded in good weather. Yet, none of this is able to compete with the views.

Everyone likes when things go up. Sometimes the journey down can be as good

Exactly 5 hours after taking off from Torre Central we were back where we started (that is generally 2-3 hours faster that the slow estimates you can find on maps). Catching the last hour of sunshine at the camp site equaled stripping off long sleeves and walking around barefoot. The brave excavated bikinis from their backpacks to have the pleasure again to layer them with down jackets the second the Sun disappeared behind the peaks. Clothing strategy and management is key in Patagonia.