The trek of a lifetime

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We arrived in a the small town of Pureto Natales, just across the Chilean border, with one plan….to do the “W” Trek in nearby Torres De Paine National Park. And exactly how we were going to do this?? Well that we would work out later.

After doing some research on the Patagonia region way back in England, we had decided this particular trek was something we really wanted to do. I did a quick Google search we found multiple companies which offered packages to do the trek, ranging from $1,000 US right up to $3,000. Zack scoffed at the prices and the ‘tour’ idea and assured me that we could organise it ourselves when we arrived for a fraction of the price. So we turned up with this notion in mind and as much as I hate to admit it…he was spot on! The whole town of Pureto Natales is set up to supply independent travellers with everything you need to do the trek (as much as the Lonely Planet and these other companies hate to admit it) so you have everything you need at your fingertips.

So first of all our hostel owner showed us a map of the park and helped us decide on a rough route and then sent us in the direction of a hire place which offered a free informative talk on the park and the trek itself. We hired a tent, a mess kit (cooking stove, cups, bowls, spoons, etc), two roll mats and trekking poles and then hit up the supermarket to buy enough food for 6 days. We packed everything up into two back packs….one weighing 16kgs and the other weighing 9kgs, so guess who got the heavier one? The next morning we got the 7:30am bus out to the park and we were off!

Neither of us have ever done anything like this before, where you are in the wilderness completely self-sufficient, carrying everything you need for 6 days and following a map, so although bloody challenging at times, it was such an incredible rush! The paths were well marked, and the campsites bustling with other travellers so it was safe (just to reassure our families), but the feeling of freedom was amazing. The terrain changed everyday as we walked past glaciers, lakes, lagoons, snow capped mountain peaks, across rivers and streams, over bridges and through flat plains. At nights, we set up the tent, cooked up a 3 course dinner on our stove (well not quite, usually it was just pasta and a coffee), and then crashed out. After 5 full days of walking, the pinnacle of the trek was getting up at 5am to hike up a mountain in the dark and watch the sunrise reflect colours off three ‘torres’ (peaks), famous for giving the park its name. Amazing!

Returning to Pureto Natales that night, Zack and I were both exhausted but on an absolute high. We went out for dinner to get some much needed meat and vegetables (things you can’t really work into your diet when your carrying all of your food), and then slept for 10 hours straight. We had survived, with only minimal physical injuries, and more importantly, managed not to kill each other in the process.

We both agree, it’s the best thing we have done so far on this trip…Patagonia rocks!

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Comments

[Jess]

AMAZING
Wow Kyla & Zack, photos are amazing!!!! Loved reading about it and seeing it. xoxo

[Derek Allwright]

Gurning.
I award the Gurning prize to Zack although i would say that the competition is unfair as nature as given him a head start over Kyla. Enjoying the Blog , keep it coming.