Patagonia

So end of March, I went to the south of Chile.  I flew into Punta Arenas and took a bus to Puerto Natales.  The plan: hike in Parque del Torres.  We planned on doing the "W" trail, which is the harder but quicker trail, but do the lower case version.  The first night, six of us stayed in this awesome hostel, Erratic Rock.  They were awesome, they rented us almost all our gear (tents, stoves, sleeping mats, etc.).  We had to take a bus to the entrance.  From there, we paid for a catamaran (not cheap mind you) to the Camp Pehoe.  This was probably my favorite camp.  It had this gazebo that we could cook our food (spaghetti with sauce) and drink box wine.  Fun times.  The next morning, we hiked to half way to glacier grey.  Glaciers are so weird.  They look like sugar rocks.  

After seeing the glaciers, we went back, cleaned up camp and set for a long day of hiking.  We left Pehoe around noon and arrived in Camp Italiano around 4.  Then a couple of us went up part way to the Mirador Frances.  Great views, very calming.  That night was fellow campmate Elizabeth's 21st b-day, but alas it was a calm celebration.  It was also the worst night weather-wise, with rain throughout the night.  However, it was mild by comparison.

The next day was our BIG hike day.  We were hiking to Refugio Chileano.  It was a 6-8 hour hiking day.  Not the easiest hike.  We ran into another group of ISA kids on the way and found another group at Chileano.  Definitely the longest day I had.  That night, we relaxed a bit with rum + cokes, and the game spoons.  A nice fun night before the big finale.

The next morning, we hiked to the Torres.  Alessandra, Ben, Elizabeth and myself woke up early (5ish in the morning) and started the big hike.  With Alessandra leading, we made the 2 hour hike in 1 hour and 45 minutes!  It was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen.  I have pictures on facebook.

Definitely one of the best experiences of my life.  Really showed me how strong I am, both physically and mentally.