Day 1:

We wake up early to catch our 7:30 am bus to Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile. This trek is also known as the W-trek due to it's unique W trail through 3 popular valleys. This area can also be hiked on a circuit trail which has a recommended 10 day hike. We opted for a 4 or 5 day hike due to a recent fire that burned down part of the trail within the last month. We heard a tourist started the fire because he wanted to burn his waste, and due to gusting winds in the area there are designated fire areas. He was not in one of these areas.

We meet another trekker at the hostel and we wait for the bus together. The bus was old and had a farmyard aroma, but it doesn't matter because we are going to the mountains!

We pass more farms and we start seeing more and more mountains. There is a similarity in these mountains to the ones back home; I conclude the reason is due to the glacial formation. The mountain valleys are very large though, which makes me visualize massive glaciers receding in these valleys to form viscous rivers that slowly sculpted the surrounding farmyards. Picturesque. Magical.

We see dark clouds in the valleys of these mountains and I hope that this is NOT where we are going.

Thankfully we pass the dark clouded mountains and approach hills with llamas, llamas and more llamas. On top of the large hills, we see these long necks perched up to get the very best view...more llamas. Darren enjoys saying llama every time he sees one; I enjoy it when he doesn't see a llama and I smirk to myself when I notice that he misses one. I wonder what the llamas eat because there sure isn't a lot of vegetation on these hills. I think the hills look like they have warts because there is this small, tufted shrub that seems to be the lonely erosion control.

After our 2 hour bus ride, we arrive at the park gates. We listen to an introduction to the park from a warden that mainly described what we can and cannot do. We go inside to pay $15,000 pesos ($30 CAN) each to enter the park. We are given a map and shown which campgrounds are closed.

We then board a mini-bus to go to the trail head. Here we meet 4 Americans from Seattle and Idaho; very nice people which great suggestions for traveling Buenos Aires. These people chose the high-life of camping. There are Refugios strategically located on the trail with warm housing and food. You can also hire a porter to transport your belongings for you!!! This is the way to hike!! But not the way Darren and I use our budget, we choose the low budget road by carrying our 30 lb backpacks with mediocre food that we have to cook ourselves, a tent which must survive all climates and wind speeds, a few pairs of clothes which makes us high five on fresh sock day and includes a warm shirt, a wick-a-way shirt, a hat, a toque, a pair of gloves, a raincoat, a winter coat and extra underwear. We must pack for all types of weather here in Patagonia. The scenery must be beautiful if people come to this place even knowing that any weather condition is possible!

We start our hike and we pass couples limping and doing the stiff walk. Oh, this brings back memories of just a few days ago in Cochamo Valley. Wow, are we really ready for this?? These people have obviously started on the other side of the W and are near finishing the trek.

The trail starts with a little bridge and then switchbacks going....up....and up...and up. We pass many other hikers and start tearing off layers. Maybe we can do this!!! It doesn't feel too bad, but Darren thinks that we only know how to hike one way and that is up (of course). When I think I get to the top, I am fooled because there is just more up. We do know when we reach the top because we are welcomed with wind!!! It feels great at first because our bodies are overheating, it is a warm day. We soon see the first Refugio and I think, 'Man, this is NOTHING compared to our last hike!!' We eat lunch on picnic tables (which is also a luxury compared to our last hike) and use a REAL bathroom with running water!!! Wow! I forgot that there were hikes like this. Even the creek crossing have bridges! Seems so bizarre after Cochamo.

We hike past the Refugio and head to the end of the valley. We pass another campground with many people. It is still early though. After this campground the trail gets less traveled and the creek crossings don't have bridges anymore. We cross a rockslide and really need to keep our eyes peeled for the stacked rocks to find the trail. We see a tower (spire) and it is magnificent. Never in my life have I seen such an upright, skinny mountain. With this less traveled path, we don't see anyone which is uncommon on this popular trek. We are hiking close to a river now with dwarf size trees providing a canopy. As we get close to the campground we spot our first person since the last campground. He asks us if we saw anyone else. Apparently this slightly crazy guy (thick framed glasses and duck-taped jacket) has lost his friends. Darren and I were hiking slow, so we were shocked to hear that he lost friends which he was with at the last campsite. Darren and I decided that we would run if we approached the campground and heard people say, 'Mmmm...fresca carne.' As we approached we saw a tarp-,stick-, tent fly- made shelter. It looked like someone was living there and Darren and I look at each other and wonder if we should make a break for it.... But then I see a lonely backpack with a big bottle of water beside it. Ok, obviously the hiker just got there and he really did lose his friends. He hasn't even had time to unpack yet. We look in the shelter and it's dark, but very cool. The inside is surrounded by wooden planks carved by many mountaineers that share their adventures with names, conquered peaks and dates. There is an old stove and many random items for cooking and even a broken umbrella.

Darren and I set up our tent. It is only 4:50; a short day for us. The two lost friends show up - Phew, they aren't going to eat us.

The rest of the evening we explored, took pictures and Darren carved our own plank to add to the collection. He was only able to get 'Darren and Heather 2012' on it, but we know that it was our own adventure to the kickoff our long marriage together.

We stay at Campamento Japonés. We hiked 10 km.

Day 2:

It was a very cold night. In fact, we woke up to snow. Leave it up to the Canadians to find snow. When the mountain peaks appeared through the clouds, we could see flesh snow covering the tops. The snow in the valley was falling, but did not stay on the ground.

As we stayed bundled up, we made our breakfast in the tarp hut. Only 3 other people stayed at the campground, seems odd for such a popular trail. The others joined us in the hut and we found out that they are from Chile and they came here today to remember some of their friends that passed away up the mountain a couple of years ago. These guys were extremely kind and funny; one guy even used to work at the park as a guide. Darren asked why the park is called Torres del Paine, why the Paine?? We like to think that it doesn't mean pain, as in it's going to be the hardest hike of our lives!! The ex-guide told us that it actually means 'steps to the blue sky'. We also found out that usually only climbers come to this camp, that is why it is less traveled.

Darren and I start our hike and we are cautious due to the rain, but faster than yesterday. It is also easier because we know where the path is. We hike past the now snow covered mountains and almost pass the storm as we get to the end of the valley. At the end of the valley, we stop for lunch at the Refugio and to warm up. Inside we order hot chocolates and meet a guy from Australia and one from England. They pass on traveling tips for Argentina.

Once on the trail, we reach the highest point and again are welcomed with gusts of wind. I have to walk on the right side of the trail in case the wind picks up more; I don't want to be on the same side as the steep downhill. Once we get lower the wind stops, and guess what!? The trail goes in one direction and that is .... not up! It is all down today. Very nice break from yesterday.

We come to a large lake and see a single-file group hiking on the other side. When we stopped for a snack, the group passed us. Haha, the best group ever. The ages probably ranged from 45 to 75, the nationalities ranged from English and Scottish to American to Polish to Swedish. Later we chat with one gentleman and he does long distance walking for fun; we have nicknamed this group the long distance walkers and they are by far my favorite vibrant and speedy group! Luckily they all have porters.

We pass a few ups and downs along this lake front. The creek crossings are simple and minimal. It is a relatively easy day, but we cover a lot of ground.

Our night stay is at the campground where the Refugio is; the next three campgrounds on the trail are closed still from the fire. The campground is crowded and we find a semi-okay spot on the hill overlooking the lake. I look around and see little cabins built along the hills' slopes, a little tub that acts like a hot tub with steaming water inside, tents scattered over the hill and at the bottom is the main lodge. The turquoise water on the Lago Nordenskjöld is being blown into the air like a mini water tornado. The sun captures the water being picked up by the wind as if it's the only thing I am supposed to be focusing on. Majestical. The wind howls up the valley and you can hear it before you feel it.

Darren sets up the tent and we try to flatten out the ground. Unfortunately, rocks and short stems with an uneven ground make for a poor campsite. A tent peg goes flying 15 feet with the wind, so we decide to also anchor down our tent with rocks.

We find a place to cook outside of the wind. We saw the supper inside of the Refugio and it looks delicious. I vote for dinner there tomorrow since we will have 2 nights here. Outside in our hideout we share cooking space with a girl from Chicago who has been teaching English in a small town in Chile. Darren and I try to shield our food and pisco sours (from inside, yes they serve alcohol!) from the dirt that is blowing around. We aren't very successful, so we just enjoy everything with a little extra seasoning.

We finish dinner and see the long distance walking club. We chat briefly and then head to bed. Before we fall asleep a park man knocks on our tent and charges us $6000 pesos each ($12 CAN) to camp on this disastrous site!

We stay at Refugio y Campamento Los Cuernos. We hiked 19.9 km.

Day 3:

I wake up due to the wind, being cold, having something stuck in my back or just bad dreams. However, when it's finally time to wake up and get up, I feel like I slept 1 horrible hour. I drag my feet all morning and I hope that it's simply because I'm not a morning person.

Darren and I are doing a day hike into the French Valley. It sounds easy because we don't have to carry our big, heavy packs with us. Sound and doing are two separate things! I just couldn't pick up my feet today. I wanted to go into the valley and my mind said yes, but my body said no. I obviously ignored my body and went for it anyways. Today I have deemed myself the world's slowest hiker. Darren said we can turn back, but I know that if I don't do it now, then I probably will never do it.

We pass a few ups and downs and I try to not think about the fact that I have to do this all tomorrow with my pack, fully-loaded. We arrive at one of the closed campgrounds, but it seems like people are staying here regardless. After stopping for some food, we continue on with our (or my) slow pace. At least Darren is able to practice photography as he waits for me. The mountains have two distinct colors in them and it is layered like an Oreo - dark brown rock on the bottom and top and a lighter rock in the middle. There is also a layer, that when close you can see glacier fluvial rocks all compacted together as if someone took the rocks and throw them into a bucket of cement.

There is a beautiful glacier in this valley. Last night and during our morning hike we could hear a sound similar to thunder, but it isn't thunder. It is pieces of the glacier breaking off and falling, the sound echoes in the valley. Up close to the glacier, we can see pieces breaking off and it is incredible. I tell Darren that we should hike to the top of the moraine and look into the valley, I may decide at that point to turn back and return to camp. So we hike...slowly. It is up and my body hates me today. There is a river flowing beside us as we stroll through the trees. As we near the top we are greeted again with wind! There is also a storm approaching and we can barely see into the valley. One spire is visible. We decide that there is no point in continuing our journey so we take in the beautiful glacier and the storm infested valley, then we rapidly descend to get out of the wind. We stop for lunch just below the top and here we start seeing all of our trail friends. We first run into the long distance walking club (they just beat the storm and saw the full valley), we hike down and see the Aussie/English guys and then near the bottom of the descend (which was much quicker than the ascend) we run into the Aussies from the airplane. They decided to do the full circuit in 6 days! They literally hiked through snow..a foot of snow and due to there lack of knowing the weather, they had to wear socks as mitts on their hands. But they said it was beautiful! It was good to see these guys again, they are growing on me.

Once back at camp for an early day, we relax in the Refugio with hot coffees, a bottle of wine and good company. We chat with a long distance walker club member from Scotland and a young traveller from California. It seems like everyone is doing the porter experience. I didn't even think of it as being an option. It sure feels good to relax though, my body is finally starting to like me again (the wine may be fooling it).

We reserved a spot for dinner at 8:30 and Darren and I made sure we were there on time. Dinner tonight was soup, roast beef, vegetable rice, bread and wine (of course). We end up sitting with the Americans from the bus ride in. I feel like I'm in a small town because I keep running into people I know. I love it here, it just feels right. After dinner, my husband and I partake in a crazy 8 countdown challenge before calling it a night. Naturally I win (at least that's how I remember it).

Before falling into a semi-existent sleep the park guy makes sure to collect his $6000 pesos for both Darren and I.

We stay at Refugio y Campamento Los Cuernos. We hiked 15 km.

Day 4:

My sleep was better than the night before, but it was still minimal. We pack our belonging and find a hole in our tent from the cutoff vegetation that has left sharp stems. Not impressed. I also notice more rocks under my thermorest; maybe this is why I kept trying to dominant Darren's side of the tent.

We prove to be consistent with our slow mornings...but we are on vacation. We leave the campground late, but with energy this time! As we leave, we bump into the Aussies again. We chat briefly and will hopefully meet up in Rio for Carnaval.

Our hiking is much faster today. In fact, I feel like I can run a marathon. Maybe it was the wine or maybe it was the good meal the night before. It certainly wasn't a good night sleep though.

We fly by the hike we did yesterday and quickly snack at the closed down campground. From there we cross onto a new path. It didn't take long before we started hiking in the area that was burned. We had to stop and take it all in. We look around and see black trees with a little bit of green patches scattered in between. We can smell the fire too and it is really quite depressing. It really makes a person put fire into prospective. It is powerful. An island far from the mainland was all burned as well. The wind and the fire must have been so strong and hot that it had blown to this small, secluded island. As we walk through the scorched area, the wind howls and it feels like mother nature is mad. The waterfalls still flow, but nothing is bring nourished by the water. We cross partially burned bridges and touch charcoal black trees. I wonder how old they are and look at the patches of green. I hope these patches help with seeding the burned area, maybe the forest will return sooner than later with the help of some eager, surviving plants. Only time will tell.

I know we are getting close to the catamaran because we have a lot of oncoming traffic. I'm looking forward to being done, mainly because the fire is deepening my emotions and I can only feel this way for so long. We are skipping out on going to Grey's Glacier, but the path is entirely burned along the way.

In every direction the forest is burned, but when we cross over a hill we see a lake and a large building. We know that we have arrived at the Refugio where we will take the catamaran. The forest around the building is completely destroyed; however, the fire fighters have saved the building. I wonder how much they fought the fire and I read many articles after the hike that suggested that Chile's response plan lacked a plan, especially after a huge fire in 2005 that burned a large part of the park as well. I can't say how much of that is true, but in the distance I could still see part of the fire smoking away along a hillside. It was in clear view, but it didn't look like anyone was in a hurry to eliminate the fire.

Once at the Refugio (Refugio y Area de Acampar Paine Grande) we asked if there was a designated area to cook, but the wardens said we couldn't cook. It's unfortunate because we had this extravagant meal (as good as camp food can get) planned to use up our food. Instead, we bit off the end of salami and squirted mustard in our mouths or rolled salami in lettuce with mustard. It was okay, but nothing like what we had planned. The wind is bad here and the fire deleted all protection for the soil. Soil and charcoaled pieces are blowing around everywhere, even in our little sheltered area. Our lettuce wraps and salami bites are coated with a thin layer of Patagonia's natural land. We don't complain, we are used to it. However, when Darren and I try to move a picnic table so that everyone isn't sitting on the dirty ground and then being told that we can't move the table - we mumble a little bit. But then when the same wardens that told us we couldn't cook, allow some cute Spanish speaking girls to cook - we complain! Especially after what we ate and that they said absolutely no gas stoves. Now they say it's okay, but only in this one area and if you're careful. What!? Er.. First we aren't going to start a big fire because fire doesn't burn what has already been burned! Second, I just rolled lettuce over salami because I thought I'd respect you. I don't like being discriminated against, but this is certainly how I feel.

Here, we became very dirty with the charcoal and soil; probably more dirty than any other day. We had to wait for about 3 hours here. Luckily we met a Israeli first who was just starting his trek. We learned that Israeli's have to do national service for 3 years and then when they are done they get a large sum of money and typically use it to travel. We also met a Swedish man that entertained me for quite some time. I first saw him walking up to the shelter, he looked drunk as he stumbled trying to fight the strong winds. When we started talking he was angry at first; which fit my attitude at the moment because I was as well. But finding someone that felt angry, almost made me feel like I should make their day better. So I listened and he was angry because he was depressed about the fire. He didn't like being depressed. He found anything and everything to complain about. Together we fed off each other, but we slowly started to find good comments to say. He saw a face in the mountain and we laughed about it watching us and so on. I walked down to the lake and collected some water for a mocha. I obviously used my gas stove to heat the water. Then before I knew it, the catamaran was here. Darren and I gladly raced down to the water to stand in line. The boat was another $12,000 pesos each ($24 CAN). After paying we have $1,000 pesos left, so hopefully we don't need to pay for anything else!

The catamaran was beautiful as it crossed the 30 km along Lago Pehoé and it was easy to catch the bus to get back to town. The only unfortunate part was that we got into town late. The hostel we wanted to stay at was booked, so we grabbed our storage and as we were heading to the bus station to find tickets to Ushuaia. Here a lady asked if we wanted to stay at Casa Paulette. Sure. We now have a place to stay, which turned out to be not that great, but a hot shower and a clean bed. The bus station said that they were sold out of tickets to go to Ushuaia tomorrow, so we had to spend another night if we couldn't find something else tomorrow morning. Darren and I went for some food and found a pizza joint open still. We order the vegetarian, which had all sorts of vegetables including corn. Pretty good actually (or maybe that's because we were comparing it to our spectacular lunch!).

We end our night in Casa Paulette. We hiked 13.1 km.