The W
Patagonia’s famous W Trail is a challenging but beautiful 4 day, 40 mile hike through Chile’s Torres Del Paine National Park. It was the part of the trip we prepared for the most, from planning to packing, and part of South America I was looking forward to the most.
The trek held to its reputation. Our expectations were blown away, and it remains our favorite hike of the trip (we’ve done a few more great ones since then).
Day 1 at the beginning of the W hike
The W was diverse. The east is green while the west feels more barren, spotted with trees charred from a horrible forest fire in 2011. We encountered everything from dense forests and muddy bogs to towering glaciers and roaring waterfalls on the trail. Some parts of it were bottlenecked with tour groups, other parts were desolate for hours. And the people we met along the trail ranged from newlyweds to newly retired, and hailed everywhere from Wisconsin to Denmark.
Passing through everything from burnt forests in Frances Valley to icebergs at Glacier Grey
The W was colorful. One particular morning I remember sleepily walking to the campground bathroom and promptly froze in place for 5 minutes when I noticed the sky, a crayon-sketch sunrise of brighter pinks and oranges than I’ve ever seen. And the blues of Nordenskjöld Lake and the lagoon near the Torres del Paine are so intensely...blue.
Hard to look away from the glacial blues of Nordenskjöld Lake and the lagoon near Mirador Torres del Paine
The W was surprising. The views, along with the weather, can change very quickly. About halfway through our hike up to Mirador Británico, the forest trail abruptly opened into breathtaking vistas of enormous glaciers and the Frances Valley, with the temperature dropping and winds doubling immediately around us. We were both awestruck and freezing within seconds. Not surprisingly, we wore almost everything we packed for the week, from shorts to gloves. Another fun surprise was the wildlife. On our second day, a pair of guanaco (the alpaca’s larger cousin) unexpectedly crossed the trail no more than 50 feet ahead of us. Spotting a few condors circling the skies right afterwards was icing on the cake.
Ominous clouds rolling through the Torres del Paine and our wildlife friends on the trail, the guanaco and condor
The W was tough. Our knees, ankles, and back took a beating. 10 miles and 300 flights of stairs a day with 25 pounds on your back will do that to you (especially as novice hikers). But the reward is so worth it. Sharing stories and beers at the end of each night with people we met along the trail was one of the most fun and memorable parts of the hike. Nothing like a little shared pain and no WiFi to bring people together.
Views and beer to end the final day
For any friends or family looking to do the full trek, here’s a few recommendations.
Book early. Only 2 companies provide camping and refugio options along the actual trail, Fantástico Sur and Vértice Patagonia. We booked 6 months in advance and still found availability limited (others shared similar stories with us). It can get tricky because you need to sequence accommodations at different locations based on where you will be each day of the hike, so it takes some route planning as well.
Don’t overpack. You need to carry your bag with you for most of the trek and you will feel every pound. But you also need to pack a wide variety of stuff to deal with the weather (rain especially can make this trip miserable). Solution? Get used to rewearing a few things to keep your pack light but versatile.
Refugio food is a good option. You can buy à la carte or go full board for a hot dinner, hot breakfast, and packed lunch + snacks everyday (which we did). It’s pricey but will save you the weight of carrying food around. Plus, it’s pretty decent (especially considering most of the food supplies are brought on horseback) and they accommodate dietary restrictions.
You can drink the glacial water from the streams. It’s delicious. And tap water is fine there, too. So bring a couple reusable water bottles and don’t stress about refilling along the way.
Bring Advil. Your joints will thank you for it.
