bon voyage
Back to the trail

Letters back

  • Isla Brennan

    5 days ago

    Patience is a hiking skill. This is the reward.

The plan behind the postcard

Hotel, ride, who went, and the days — take what you need for your table.

The towers wait

February, six nights

The towers wait

Torres del Paine

Planned by Juniper Hale

Boulder

The towers were in cloud for three hours. Then the wind changed its mind.

Place
Torres del Paine
Magallanes, Chile
Family
2 adults
Two hikers. We measure trips in vertical meters.
Hotel
Paine Wind Camp
Eco lodge · 6 nights
Rental car
Hilux from Puerto Natales
Rental car

Goes into your bag. Sit at a table so friends can pack next to you.

Where they slept

Paine Wind Camp

The hotel

Paine Wind Camp

Eco lodge · 6 nights · Torres del Paine

Canvas and wood facing the massif. Full board. You come back to soup and a stove. That is the luxury.

How they moved

Hilux from Puerto Natales

The rental car

Hilux from Puerto Natales

Rental car · Europcar, Punta Arenas

Pickup in Punta Arenas, night in Natales, then the park. Full insurance. The wind is a character. Park it and walk.

The days

1

Day 1

The long arrival

Torres del Paine

  1. Fly into Punta Arenas.
  2. Collect the Hilux.
  3. Night in Puerto Natales. Early sleep.
2

Day 2

Into the park

Torres del Paine

  1. Drive to the lodge.
  2. A short walk to feel the wind.
  3. If the towers are in cloud, wait.
3

Day 3

The base of the towers

Torres del Paine

  1. Las Torres day hike. Start before the buses.
  2. Sit in the grass at the lake.
  3. Do not take another step if the light is already enough.
4

Day 4

A weather day

Torres del Paine

  1. If it howls, stay. Cards, soup, the window.
  2. If it clears, French Valley as far as the lookout.
5

Day 5

Grey and back

Torres del Paine

  1. Grey Glacier lookout.
  2. Photograph the same lake from a new wind.
  3. Last dinner at the lodge.
6

Day 6

Drive out

Torres del Paine

  1. Slow road to Punta Arenas.
  2. Return the Hilux dusty. That is correct.