In my three weeks in South America I found Chile to be raw and local with modest food and accommodation. Whereas Argentina had higher prices, delicious lamb and beef dishes, much more shopping and a large touristy vibe. Read below to learn the essentials regarding the main cities in Souther Patagonia…
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The refugio and hotel infrastructure in Torres Del Paine make this landmark accessible through a variety of experience and exertion. Visitors can simply bus into the Lago Grey Hotel to view an astonishing scene of dark jagged mountains, bright green trees, and turquoise blue glacier lakes from the lounge. They can take a boat to see Glacier Grey or the Catamaran to Paine Grande where they can do day hikes. Visitors can hut-to-hut hike with a light pack between refugios or they can carry all their belongings and backcountry camp. Torres Del Paine is a true multi-purpose park. On the trail we saw people from their 20s to their 70s, a very balanced gender distribution, two person partners, solo hikers and guided groups.
On my W Trek I spent two nights at refugio campgrounds, one at a primitive free campground one and ended the trip with two nights in a refugio. I also experienced several meals inside the cooking huts and the refugio dinning halls. The goal of this post is to describe the refugio experiences on the W trek so you too know what to expect.
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Torres Del Paine National Park is located in Southern Patagonia, a couple hours north of Puerto Natales, Chile. The W-trek is a route through the park’s contrast of colors: jutting grey stone pillars, dark black jagged peaks, turquoise glacier lakes, deep blue spine-riddled glaciers, luscious green foliage and vibrant red fire bushes.
Patagonia as a whole is an ancient landscape formed by glaciers with little human structures or inhabitants. A land with no dangerous predators besides the mountain lion, ruled by the domineering weather and its famous wind.
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You are all excited to come down to Patagonia and do the Torres Del Paine W Trek. All you have to do is plan it… Not to worry! This guide should help answer some common questions people have about the W and how to make it a reality.
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To the average person National Forests, Parks, Wildernesses, Monuments, Demonstration Areas, etc. are all the same. These are areas of land protected from human development. However, it wasn’t until I started backpacking heavily that I started to understand their differences and how I could leverage these differences to create different experiences. Lets explore…
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For the high mountains and the North, Summer is over and hiking season has come to a close. However, we are just entering my favorite time of hiking in the Bay Area where I can explore the beauty of ridge lines in greens instead of golds. Below I’ve listed my favorite multi-day trips within a couple hours of the bay. Enjoy!
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“Everyone wants to climb a tallest peak, it is often much more difficult and pristine to climb a second tallest peak.”
At 14,380 ft, Mt. Williamson is the second highest peak in California (5th highest in lower 48). To reach it you must suffer through an unrelenting 10,000 feet of gross elevation gain over 12+ miles. As a result you’ll find yourself mostly alone compared to other 14ers, like Whitney or Shasta where I could see a line of people coming up Avalanche Gultch. When the four of us were on the mountain over August 28-30, 2015 we encountered just two other people trying to summit the mountain the day of, a few trail runners single-day peak bagging and a half dozen other backpackers the entire trip.
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I’m always looking for parks that have a unique story. I’ve found the Bay Area to have a rich mining history and I find those mining artifacts really add to the outdoor experience. Especially the ones you can explore yourself!
Lucky you, I’ve done all the research to find three favorite parks hosting mines so you so you can simply head out and discover!
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I fell in love with mountains and became a hiker in Utah’s Western bite of the Rocky Mountains. That summer, in a dry desert area North of Salt Lake City. Fueled with inexperience and a taste for adventure I wound up in several off-trail scrambles there which taught me a foundation about how to descend loose rock and dirt. This Spring I had to use these skills again in an ‘Oh Shit!’ moment near Castle Peak where the trail forward simply ran off a cliff and turning around meant descending icy snow in hiking boots. As a result, my group chose to descend 1000 ft of loose dirt/rock, many doing so for the first time.
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When I envision camping I picture undisturbed wilderness and sounds of trees blowing in the breeze among singing birds. Backpacking provides this ability to see nature off the beaten path, experience nature’s pristineness and escape the summer crowds and noise of car camping sites. However, not every backpacking trip needs to be a multi-day ordeal. No matter where you are in the SF Bay Area there is an accessible and beautiful location near you. Read on for my regional favorites and a complete catalogue of all backpacking sites within two hours of the SF Bay Area.
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