Breakfast at 7, and we had to be out of the Refugio at 7:30, so it was an early start. Not much to eat — shared plates of scrambled eggs and not great toast and processed ham and cheese. So Liz and I split one of our fruit bars. We had to take our big pack with us down to…
Category: Patagonia
January 19: Last Stage of “W”
We set out from Paine Grande at 8:30 for an 11km/4hour hike to Refugio Grey on Grey Lake. (It had been a challenge to sleep — lots of very noisy people in the building — finally resorted to ear plugs). I woke earlier than necessary — noise in the hall and Jackie is an early riser — but given that…
January 18: Stage 3 of “W”
Our morning call was for 7AM breakfast, to be on the trail at 8. Scrambled eggs, toast and a big mug of tea. To not add more weight to the pack, just took the sandwich and nuts from the lunch pack. It was to be a 3-part trail day: 5.5km from Los Cuernos to the Italian Camp. Then 1.5km each…
January 17: Stage 2 of the “W”
A relatively late breakfast at 8:30, but our room was next to the kitchen, so we began hearing kitchen noises pretty early. Toast, a fried egg served in a bowl, a pastry resembling cinnamon rolls and some tea was the fuel for the day. We loaded up the van and left for the visitor center at 9:30 in a light…
January 16: Start of the “W” Track
We left Puerto Natales at 8AM, a luxury after the earlier start on Monday. We had a two hour drive to the start of the Torres del Paine National Park and the trail for the day. This first section of the “W” track was the right side of the visual of the “W”, and led up to the lookout at…
January 15: Penguins!
Up at 5:20AM to finish getting our gear set and a look out the window showed a lovely pink and orange sky for just moments before the sunrise at 5:50. We had to grab a quick breakfast and get in the van at 6:30; we were off to catch a boat to take us to Isla Magdalena. About 30 minutes…
January 14: To Punta Arenas
Our flight to Punta Arenas was at 11:20, so we left the hotel with Bob and Katherine in a pre-arranged van at 9AM. The airport experience was pretty easy, and security moved quickly. It was a 3 1/2 hour flight over some of the most amazing landscapes — almost not looking real. Snow-capped mountains and glacier-fed lakes and bays the…
January 13: Santiago
Santiago is a city of 5 million people, and lies in what appears to be a bowl, with hills and the Andes surrounding it. As a result, it was overcast, or smoggy the days we were there, making the views we had hoped for not visible. First discovered in 1520 by Magellan, Chile was originally a Spanish Colony. Chile declared independence in…
January 11 & 12: Travel to Santiago, Chile
The flight left LAX at 1:45 and because my son-in-law offered to drive us to the airport we arrived early and had plenty of time to chill in the United lounge. Ah, the benefits of flying Business Class. Or in the case of a 737, First Class. It was an easy flight, but with sorta tired and overworked flight attendants.…
First Adventure of 2018: Patagonia
I had decided sometime mid-2017 that I should plan an adventure for January. Something big, and in the right direction for summer. Patagonia had always intrigued me, and January would be summer there, which is pretty much the only time one can visit someplace at the bottom of the world. I had traveled with Active Adventures in NZ in 2016,…