The Torres del Paine W Trek Tour with ChileTour: Patagonia’s Best Hike

Don’t forget to check out my entire Torres del Paine W Trek Photo Album! – There’s too many to post here 🙂

 When we got to our refugio and were shown our beds, we noticed that we could see the stars in the sky! This was a good sign… right?! I even hung up my poncho to let it dry in hopes I wouldn’t need it the next day. It was cold – very cold. Like, we could see our breath even inside the refugio! After another yummy three course dinner, we bundled up and went to sleep – dreaming of a clear day for another big viewpoint tomorrow.

Torres del Paine W Trek Day 3: French Valley AKA White Wonderland

Our hopes were high, but we woke up and it was well and truly snowing. Not raining, definitely snowing. And hard. We made our way 30 minutes to a campsite called Italiano where it’s okay to leave your bags for a few hours while you ascend the valley to two viewpoints – Mirador Frances and Mirador Britannica.

 When we reached the campsite we were informed that the highest viewpoint – Britttanica – was closed. Nooooooooo! I was SO bummed out since we missed the first viewpoint too, and now the second!? But staying positive is key, and we suited up in all our gear to try and make it through the snow at least to the French viewpoint.

This hike was pretty spectacular. It was snowing quite hard, which made me as giddy as a little child because snow is not something I am used to (being from the coast of Southern California). As we ascended the mountain and the snow got thicker and thicker, we lost different members of our group who decided to cut their losses and head back to warmth.

But if you know me at all, you’ll know I wouldn’t turn back around in a million years! Making the most of everything is the name of my game, and if making the most of my Torres del Paine W Trek includes hiking through a snowstorm, then so be it! One other trekker and I continued on as the landscape turned totally white, coating the rocks, leaves, and trees into a white winter wonderland.

We were actually really starting to enjoy making our way upwards through the snow – probably about 3 inches deep at that point – when our guide ran up panting behind us. He told us that the rangers had deemed the trail unsafe at that point and that we had to turn around because it was too dangerous. Again, and even more intensely…. NOOOOOOO!

I was actually quite upset because I personally thought I was totally and completely fine to keep going (which is also classic for me to do). But, as our guide had worked 14 years in the park, I simply had to take his word for it and put safety first. Reluctantly, I trudged back down the mountain, saying goodbye to the beautiful snowstorm and the French Valley for good. There’s no way to return here – I guess we had better hope for better luck when we return one day in the distant future.

The rest of the day just involved a quick 7.5k hike from Italiano to Paine Grande refugio, the other corner of the ‘W.’ ‘It should be easy enough,’ we thought. Around here 7.5km is nothing. It was fairly manageable for most of the way – so much so that I even got my camera out (which was actually a big move given the past few days where it only came out for minutes at a time).

But, towards the end, Patagonia really showed us her true wrath. Not only did we get the classic Patagonian wind – so strong it could knock you over – but there was also whipping freezing rain in that wind as well! It was quite intense for a little while, but in the end I couldn’t help but laugh.

Patagonia truly isn’t a gentle creature, and that was oh, so clear to us by the end of day 3. We arrived early at our refugio (because taking 4-5 hours out of our hiking time to the viewpoint made us way ahead of schedule). We still hadn’t seen the tops of the mountains we had been hiking around for three days, and could hardly even see the snowy bits of them from the large open refugio window.

We spent the afternoon/evening enjoying some hot chocolate, amazing chicken, and wine, observing the wind and rain from behind the comfort of a glass window (and feeling quite awful for the poor people camping outside!).

Torres del Paine W Trek Day 4: Grey Glacier and.. is that… THE SKY?

We were honestly quite worn down by the time we woke up on day 4, ready to throw in the towel and vow to return to Patagonia another time. The weather had not given us much at all so far. Today was to be the last bit of new trail we would see – trekking from Paine Grande along the last straight of the W to Refugio Grey – and a bit farther if we wanted to see Grey Glacier and some hanging bridges.

But, we were totally surprised to see some blue sky emerging as the sun rose, illuminating some fluffy lenticular clouds as we ate our fifth Chilean breakfast. Confused and not sure whether to actually have hope yet, we checked the weather. It actually looked… good. Like, hardly any lower clouds were forecasted for the whole day, and only a tiny bit of precipitation!

We started walking as the sun came up, and sure enough the lenticular clouds became orange and pink as the sun rose above a distant mountain. The feeling of relief was overwhelming, and our spirits were noticeably higher. The SKY- the actual BLUE SKY!

During our 11km walk to the next refugio, we were only showered with rain a couple times, and we were completely awestruck at the first sight of the Grey Glacier. It was massive and opulent, commanding miles and miles of space between white capped mountains in the distance with its razor-like layers of ice. We even picked up a few small slices of ice on a lakeside beach, exploring through the tall grasses with our newfound sunlight-fueled energy.

We took a quick break at the Refugio before three of us decided to keep going to get closer to the glacier and check out these hanging bridges everyone had been raving about. I simply could not stay inside on the bright sunny day! The fall colors seemed brighter, the water looked bluer, and it was an all around incredible day.

THIS is what Patagonia is supposed to be like!

With our very first view of the actual mountaintops on our right (remember, on the FOURTH day), the bluest glacier and water of our left, and bright yellow, red, and orange leaves all around us, we trekked all the way about 5km to the second hanging bridge. As usual, I took far more photos than necessary, and we took time to photograph and marvel at the true natural splendor of this part of the world.

I even had a moment – you’d remember it if you watched my Instagram story – of complete overwhelm. I was wide-eyed trying to comprehend the beauty of the snow-capped and jagged mountaintops that had finally revealed themselves to us on day 4. They were surrounded by the brightest fall colors, the most intense blue sky, and then I looked to my right and saw the most impressive glacier I’d ever laid eyes on, with blue stretching for miles and miles.

I started laughing, But I wasn’t sure why. I was probably laughing at how IMPOSSIBLY beautiful this place was, at how lucky we were to see it, and at how cheeky Patagonia was for only revealing herself to us this late.

I kept laughing, switching my gaze between all the views of utter insanity that were sure to be some of the best on this earth. I was trying to figure out how in the hell I was meant to truly appreciate this fleeting moment of being here, and hold it in my heart forever.

Then I felt something else… was it… surely not. My eyes felt heavy. Was that… tears welling up?! I was so taken aback and surprised by this physical reaction that I laughed even harder, making silly laugh-snort-tears for a moment until I finally got a grip on myself 😛

Apparently something like this reaction has a name, Stendahl Syndrome, and that it’s not an official thing but is experienced a lot when people view famous works of art in Florence. Ha! Imagine that😂 But I’m just going to shut up now and let the pictures do the talking for this day.

Torres del Paine W Trek Day 5: Pure Mountainous Magic

We were up before 7 to make the 3.5hr trek back the last line of the ‘W’ to Paine Grande, to take a catamaran back to a bus station to take us back to Puerto Natales.

Since the same trek took us over 4 hours with stops the day before, (and today we only had 3.5), we hustled back along the lake, stopping for photos of a spectacular pink sunrise but nothing more.

We were hurrying to catch the 11:30am catamaran, to get back to Puerto Natales early because we had big plans for tomorrow: to come BACK into the park (!).

Why? Because Patagonia had shown us her true colors this week, herpowerful wind, whipping cold rain, and blizzards of snow. Because we had extra time (and another tour member who had missed day 1 due to an airline strike), we were going to try again.

Because dammit, if I am here, I’ll walk another 20km up a mountain. If that means I’ll see what I came here to see, sign me up.

The catamaran trip was stunning. We finally said hello to the Torres mountains, around which we had been hiking for 5 days but would not even have known existed. All we knew was there previously was greyness!

They jutted vertically out behind the blue glacier water, with sunlight illuminating little gusts of snow gently blowing off the highest peaks.

It was finally like what we had seen in magazines, on Pinterest, and National Geographic. The view was finally here, but we were leaving. We took thousands of photos, but none could compare to what we had missed in the first three days.

BUT – we still had hope for the next morning. As the true adventurer I am, I wouldn’t give up without a fight.

After everyone left on the bus, I decided to stay and opt for the later bus in order to hike 3.5k to another viewpoint directly across from the fierce granite mountains.

I was quite happy to do it as I really do prefer solitude a lot of the time. And there is no way I would waste another perfect day doing nothing in Puerto Natales! I brought my packed lunch and explored hills, lakes, and beaches with pristine views of these ever-evasive views, just bathing in the moment and enjoying it to its fullest. Wouldn’t you have stayed if it meant getting to see these views?!

Torres del Paine W Trek Day 6 (Out of 5): The Return Proves Worthwhile

The next day our alarms went off at 5. ChileTour Patagonia had organized for us to go back into the park, and had prepared things for us accordingly like the legends that they are. Breakfast was at 5:15 and we were to leave at 5:30. As they expertly suggested, we wanted to get into the park before 8 so we wouldn’t have to pay another entrance fee and so we could get up to the towers – if weather permitted – before it got too cloudy.

And this, we did. At 7:30am we pulled up to the trailhead, with stars visible in the sky and a faint hint of a sunrise light in the distance. This was a good sign.

The trail was familiar as we walked by the light of our headlamps, as we had already done half of it 5 days prior. But it felt different this time – there was more on the line as this was our last chance, and we were more determined than ever.

When the sun came out and spewed pink and orange hues across the entire sky and valley, we knew Patagonia just might be on our side today. This was the most spectacular sunrise yet, and it was sure to illuminate our way to the towers.

In record time we made it to the last kilometer, which was by far the hardest and most vertical part of the trek. The trail weaves through rocks that were strewn across a hill by ancient glaciers – none of which were too stable, but walked by thousands of feet. Let’s just say I was glad to have my hiking poles!

In the last few hundred meters I truly understood why they close this viewpoint if it’s snowing – we were walking in footprints calf-deep in snow! It was tricky enough to navigate in good weather, but I couldn’t imagine doing it in the rain or snow. It was slippery and the chance of accidentally stepping through the snow and into a crevice between rocks was high; I saw multiple people do it!

We inched higher and higher until the towers came into distant view, revealing more and more of themselves with each step we climbed. They were still in and out of fog, but the fact that we were able to get to this point meant that we could definitely see the view we had been waiting for. They close the last kilometer if weather is bad… or the last 4 km as they did for us a few days back.

When we finally traipsed over that last little hill and the view of the lake came into view, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and revel in the feeling of pure happiness that occurs when you finally find yourself somewhere you’ve been dreaming of for years. We had done it.

After a gulp of water and my snickers bar, it was time to get THE most perfect photo.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiSCAG-HsbA/?taken-by=kimmconn

Patagonia is a cheeky one, that’s for sure. I found a great spot and called the lone other hiker over who had made it to the top. Just in time for our little photo shoot, the fog cleared a bit and illuminated the tops of the towers in sunlight. Just for a very brief few minutes, the wind on the water calmed down as the sunlight broke through, leaving a reflection on the water so beautiful I might as well have had another overwhelm-attack!😝

But just as fast as it had come, it was gone – in true Patagonian fashion. But this time, we had captured it.

It was all worth it – every iced knee, every frozen extremity, every drop of water and snow soaking through my clothes, every squelch of mud, every early morning… all for this moment right here.

So thank you Torres del Paine, thank you Chiletour Patagonia, for allowing me to live this story. Every little part came together to make it what it was – the bad days made the good days that much more incredible, and made the unpredictability of the area that much more real. I now feel like I truly know Patagonia, and all the different sides she can present – different personalities, if you will. I can’t know her sparkling viewpoints if I don’t know her face-whipping freezing rain, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Truly.

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Thank you to ChileTour Patagonia for hosting me on one of the most incredible adventures of my life! All words are completely my own, and, if you couldn’t tell I had an absolutely fantastic time (which wouldn’t have been possible without their help!)