Torres del Paine

Los Cuernos--"The Horns" and The Nelsons in front of the Towers

Glacial Views and a Wind-stunted tree on a still day

Admiring the bright blue waters and our top notch campsite



Hiking in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia is something that Brett and I have been looking forward to since we arrived in Chile. There are several different options for hiking there, but the most popular route is to hike the W trail, which as you may have guessed, is shaped like a W. It generally takes about 5 days of steady hiking to accomplish this. There are a few refugios (very basic lodges) sprinkled along the way that offer warm food and decent beds to those who wish to stay there. Otherwise, there are campsites outside of each refugio where you can pitch a tent for the night. Brett's folks opted for the refugios while the two of us camped.

We all set off on our first day, excited to fit in a quick late afternoon hike just to check out our surroundings. We hiked on a horse trail, which felt even more remote--we didn't see another soul on the trail. Our quick hike turned into a bone-rattling 5 hour journey where we were grasping onto trees to keep from being blown off the path and trying to protect our faces from the rain that was being blown with such force it felt more like hail. At one point, the path led to a large creek where we were had to rock-hop across. I crossed over, then paused at the far end to make sure the others got across smoothly. Before I realized what was happening, my boots were being submerged in water. I quickly finished the crossing, then looked back to see all of the rocks disappear under rushing water. I stressed out for a moment, realizing that I had just been separated from my map-yielding partners. A minute or two later, I was amazed to watch the rocks reappear; there had been so much wind, and it had pushed the lake waters with such a force that they flooded the creek bed. We had been forewarned by previous visitors about expecting ferocious winds, and we were initiated into the Wind Warriors on day 1. Luckily, we were treated to relatively mild weather and often saw sunny skies after our initial day!

We spent the next few days hiking between 8-10 hours per day and absorbing the amazing views. Again, we met some wonderful people along the way and made a few new friends. It was really fun to share the whole experience with Brett's folks, who are wonderful hikers! After 4 days on the trail, we celebrated New Year's Eve at a fancy hosteria on the border of the trail by ordering Cokes and tending to our blistered feet. I must admit, we were sound asleep well before midnight. Due to a heavy-rain/high wind forecast (not to mention the blisters), we opted out of the last day of hiking. Those of you who know Brett well know what that means. He is already plotting out our return trip. That's just fine with me. I aleady hid his hiking boots.