April 2-3, 2019
Rain filled all the days we were in Puerto Natales. We were hoping and praying that it would stop once we began our hike. We couldn’t imagine coming so far and not being able to see all the beauty and mountains around us. We had an easy couple of days in this town waiting to start the W-trek. We picked up the rest of the food we needed, a camping stove, pot, trekking poles, and packed the bags we would be taking. None of us had done a hike this long before where we carry all of our own food and camp equipment. I was super excited but also pretty nervous about how strenuous it might be. The trail itself is not known for being particularly strenuous but mostly just long. It covers 63 miles which we will do in 5 days. For us, not being experienced “hikers” this seemed like a lot of ground to cover. We went to a great free talk about the W-trek given by a guy who had guided in this area for over 15 years. He had a ton of good information and really outlined what we could expect on the journey. After his talk, we all reorganized our bags and re thought about the food and clothes we were bringing. He had great tips about making sure everything inside our bags was waterproof and about keeping our dry clothes dry and being okay with the fact that our hiking clothes and shoes were going to be wet the entire time. He talked about Patagonia and the W-trek as being one of the world’s safest places to hike because the trails are well marked so you will not get lost. There are not any predators or insects that might kill you, nor are there people hiding in the woods to kidnap you. He said what makes Patagonia extreme is the weather. He said it can quickly change and the wind can pick full grown men up off their feet. Knowing that once we started the hike, we would be living off dried food. We made big salads the last 2 nights in Puerto Natales for something fresh. We talked with others at our hostel who had done the hike and grew excited and slightly nervous listening to their stories. We arranged all of our transportation to and from the park and to the town we were going to after our hike. We tried to go to bed early and be fully rested for our early morning bus ride into the park April 4th.