Wednesday, December 26th
Refugio Grey —> Paine Grande
Stayed at Campamento Paine Grande

Dear Obiwan,
Obi, the day has finally come to start the W-Trek! I first want to give you some background information. First, I had no idea at all what the W-Trek was until Kelsey told me. I had heard of Patagonia…from the clothing brand and from random things. But…to be completely honest, I didn’t really know what Patagonia was. It wasn’t on my original plans (or lack there of) when I decided to go to South America. This happened because Kelsey wanted to go and asked if I wanted to join her, and I am so grateful that she asked me!

But Obi, I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into. So, Torres del Paine National Park is a famous park in the Chilean part of Patagonia that is famous for it’s mountains and glaciers and wildlife. It also is famous for it’s weather! It is know to have all 4 seasons in just ONE DAY and also is famous for it’s wild and crazy strong WINDS. And due to it being so far south, during the summer it is sunny from about 4:30am- 10:30/11:00 PM. That’s about 18 hours of sunlight Obi!

Many people know it as one of the ‘easiest’ places to hike for hikers in the world due to it’s pretty low altitude, it is either at sea level, or the highest points are 2,870 feet (or 874 meters)…compare this to Cuzco where I couldn’t breathe for a week- Cuzco is at 11, 151 FEET (or 3,399 meters). All these people that call it ‘easy’ are HIKERS, first off Obi.

Second, you know me Obi cat, I have only hiked day hikes. I have done some tough hikes in my life…but, I DIDN’T HAVE A BACK PACK and I RESTED THE NEXT DAY. This was my first hike of my life with a big bag and the first time I would be trekking MULTIPLE DAYS IN A ROW.

But before I get to the hiking, I’d also like to add that Kelsey planned this trip out to every last detail. She thought of EVERYTHING. It was amazing! And was so beyond prepared. This really stood out to me even more because I have been pretty much winging my trip for the last 4 months, so having organization and plans was A WHOLE NEW WORLD to me!

Kelsey chose to hike the famous ‘W-Trek’ which is anywhere from 4-6 days, usually, where you see the most famous and desired parts of this park; Glacier Grey, Paine Grande, Valle de Frances, and Los Torres. The other famous hike is the ‘O’ and there is also the ‘Q.’ Those alternative hikes are longer and therefore the ‘W’ is the most popular. Also, we were going to do a tour, but then researched and discovered due to it being one of the most trekked hikes in the world, you don’t need a guide because there will always be people hiking! Lastly, due to it’s popularity, you need to book it at least 3 months in advance OR MORE. We had to change our route a little because 4 months in advance some of the camp sites or refugio’s were booked! And what you are booking is where you stay, they have limited space and your meals are included too(if you want, or you can cook but that means carrying cooking supplies!). There are refugio’s, where you can stay in dorm rooms or private rooms or camp. And there are also camping sites, you can book tent or bring a tent but they limit how many people can bring tents too!

But we had it all booked! EVEN BETTER- Kelsey chose the ‘West to East’ route, which meant we ENDED at the towers, which I think is the best way because you end at THE BEST PART. While many people go East to West, starting with the towers? No way, West to East!

So today, we WENT KAYAKING ON THE LAKE BY GLACIER GREY! The weather was unreal, clear skies and NO WIND. The guides kept telling us how rare it is and how lucky we were!

We were given half wet suites that had these cool skirt things that attach to the kayak to make it seal up where you sit. We were given a little lesson and were told what to do if we FLIPPED OVER, the water is just above freezing, so…that would be awful, but don’t worry, we didn’t flip! Also, the paddles had built in water proof gloves you stick your hands in which was amazing…however…Kelsey’s were chafing so she took her’s off…only to get the WORSE sun burn on her HANDS later!

In the kayak I volunteered to be the rudder, which means I steer because the person in back has a rudder to steer! It was so fun!! Kelsey was in the front with her nice camera taking photos. The kayaking was amazing Obi, we got so close to the glacier and we were surrounded by ice bergs! And not to brag Obi…but me and Kelsey were one of the best kayakers, so many people just would steer badly or have something going wrong, but we killed it! There was also a family of 4, with 2 daughters in their teens that kept arguing and it made me laugh so hard and reminded of me being a difficult teen on family vacations.

After the kayaking they gave us tea and coffee which was amazing, I did not realize how cold I was until I got out.

After this we hiked to Paine Grande! But Obiwan…it was, so difficult. This was the first time I had ever hiked with a big back pack, and I don’t exercise, I mean I swing dance and rock climb, but I haven’t done that in a few months…and I just, I never felt pain like that in my legs and feet. I…hated it. Hate is a strong word, but I HATED it. It was walking up for…6 hours…6 hours up a hill, who does this, and why? WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS OBIWAN. It got easier on the way down…but even the way down had random parts that WENT BACK UP. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to throw my bag down and throw a temper tantrum and give up. But, I couldn’t. And I did it. I think it took us 8 hours, I guess it normally takes way less, but I was struggling so hard. But, we did it!

There were so many beautiful waterfalls!

Oh I rented my first walking poles and they are AMAZING!

Oh- we saw CONDORS, TWICE! We looked through Kelsey’s binoculars and the second time we saw one it was SO CLOSE and big!
Also, the pre-packed included lunch was disgusting, it was ham and a mystery weird GROSS vegetable and MUSHROOMS and lettuce and SOGGY BREAD. So, I just threw it away and ate the ham. But, while lunch grossed me out, we ate it on this rock over looking the turquoise blue lake and mountains!

Oh! Look at THE CLOUDS Obi! Due to the incredibly strong Patagonia winds, they look extremely unique here, unlike nowhere else!

Finally, 8 torturous hours later, we made it to Refugio/ Campamento Paine Grande. It was so cute, it was a large log building and a sea of tents nestled together in a valley to block the wind. The bathroom was kind of a hike…but there were HOT SHOWERS, I thought I was never going to shower again! But, we showered that night! Oh, this site did not have mattresses or mats, we were spoiled from our first site! So I had to buy one, for 8 USD, and the first mat the gave me was so old that it was ripped in half and they had DUCT TAPED it together, it was like laying on a piece of paper. I returned it and asked for a better one, and they gave me a brand new foamy one of amazingness!

After showering we headed to dinner, and this place was different than last night, it was like a huge cafeteria, similar to high school cafeterias. And Obi, out of all food things that gross me out…large meals in a cafeteria are up there- as top 3 things that gross me out… People in an assembly line with hair nets and miserable expressions plopping mystery MUSH onto everyone’s plates. UGH.

Well, dinner was roast beef and mashed potatoes and it was just, gross to me. I tried as best as I could…even the dessert was pretty bad here. Other people seemed to love it! But oh well, it’s all good, I have snacks! After this we went to bed around 10. The bathroom was a good 5 minute walk through the cold, but, besides that, it was an amazing night sleep. It was one of the most tired I have ever been, I just died and passed out!

Oh, here are some pictures of us in the tent and my feet, covered in anti-blister Band-Aids, all over my new blisters 😫😫😫.

Goodnight Obiwan,
Love, Tú Madre,
Carly