Backpacking South America

Finishing the W trail in Torres del Paine was, perhaps, our greatest accomplishment. After countless training hikes, a few days of preparation, and bracing ourselves for the worst – we set off for Torres del Paine.  We were excited for the adventure and the sights, but slightly nervous about the well-being of our relationship.

Fortunately, we were blessed with great weather, aside from the wind on day 4. We didn’t have to contend with the rain. As we continued through each day, step after step, it seemed as if our goal was a bit more attainable. Sure, there were times when it was best that I didn’t say more than, “almost there” or “you’re doing great.” But, we were accomplishing what we set out to do.

During monotonous or overly arduous portions of our travels, we’ve had to push on in the hope that the best is yet to come. Torres del Paine was no exception, whether it was the vista that awaited us around the next bend or the cold beer and buffalo wings in Puerto Natales after the hike. The hike was only 5 days, but it seemed to be a reflection of our entire journey. Lots of preparation, a bit of hard work and finally, celebration.

We finished the W circuit in Torres del Paine National Park in Southern Chile. It was quite the endeavor – 5 days out on the trail for a total of just over 46 miles of hiking. Thankfully, we both made it through with no long-lasting injuries, but we thought we would share the highlights in the following posts.

Day 1 - Tuesday, February 23
Puerto Natales Chile to Refugio Grey

We got up early.  We had spent the previous days gathering insights on the park (conditions, routes, highlights, etc. – Erratic Rock info session highly recommended) and buying supplies to last us through the hike (everything was closed on Sunday).

Our bus arrived at our hostel around 7:30am.  After a few more stops, it was on to Torres del Paine.    As we made our way around town, we spotted a “beast” similar to what we might find in the wild.

We decided to hike the W trail (named because it makes a W on the map) starting at Hosterie Paine Grande – view a map.  So, upon our arrival to Parque Torres del Paine, we continued passed the Laguna Amarga entrance to the boat launch and took the Catamaran across Lake Pehoé to Paine Grande.

Read Days 1 – 3 of the Circuit

Day 4 – Thursday, February 25

Our day started a bit early. WIND found us! At 1:00AM, we were both woken by fierce winds slamming our tent. It was incredible and seemed to have come from nowhere. We sat up in our tent to make sure everything between the tent and rain fly was still there. Jared got out to tighten down the rainfly and make sure our camp was safe. The rain fly was intact, we still had all our gear and our tent had not been blown into the next galaxy.

The rain fly leaves about a 2 inch gap between the bottom and the ground, which is just enough space for the wind to pick up the dirt and push it through the mesh of the tent. It was like being stuck in a sand storm. We were pounded by dirt all night long. So much for a shower. I think I got dirtier in the next few hours after my shower, than I had been before I showered. We didn’t sleep real well that night, waking up every so often to strong, sustained winds.