A Solo Trek through Chile and Argentina

Hiking the French Valley is part of the W-trek through Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. It’s about 16 mi round-trip from Refugio Paine Grande to the French Valley Mirador, to see the French Glacier and the Paine Massif as close as you can get. The trail is diverse and only reaches a steep height at the last 5.5 km on the way there. You begin at Lago Pehoe and take grassy paths through the forested valley, on an terrain that the locals call “Patagonia flat,” i.e. an undulating up and down of several feet. On the way you’ll see tiny magenta--and edible--berries that taste just like apples; you’ll cross small glacial streams where you can fill up your water bottle with fresh, wild water. You’ll trek right by the Cuernos, or the “Horns,” another well-known set of peaks in Torres del Paine. Over the French River you go as you get deeper into the valley, over wobbly rope bridges. The final 5.5 km to the French Valley Mirador has you balancing on thousands of loose boulders on your way up. The very top of the trek feels like being in the middle of a Patagonian fishbowl: Paine Massif to your left, French Glacier in front, the Aleta de Tiburon (the Shark’s Fin) and the Cuernos to the right, and turquoise Lago Pehoe behind you. The weather up there turns freezing since you’re so close to the glacier, so make sure to wear all your layers once you stop. The whole trek takes about 10 hours with a group. On the way back, be prepared for crazy weather patterns as you go in between the mountain passes in the afternoon; it can turn windy, rainy, cold, then sunny all in the same hour.

On a sunny day while hiking the French Valley in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, you’ll be lucky enough to witness an avalanche (or five) over the French Glacier. The sound is completely uprooting; it sounds like a metal car crashing down from a crane, it’s so loud. But when you look up, all you see is a puff or powdery snow cascading down the cliff, looking peaceful as it falls apart. It’s very cool to watch, and it’s a definite perk of hiking in the high Patagonian sun in spring or summer.

One of the shorter hikes of the W trek in Patagonia is to Lago Grey to see the famous Glaciar Grey. From Refugio Paine Grande, it’s about 4.5 km through a glacial valley before you reach the edge of the lake, where you board a small boat to head right up to the massive piece of blue ice. Comparatively to the rest of the W, this is an easy hike, but it’s still a constant terrain of inclines and declines all the way there, plus cold and windy weather in the valley pass. You can break for lunch and an Austral beer (the local brew) at Refugio Grey before the final 1 km to the boat. You board at the shore of Lago Grey and coast right up to the glacier to take in it’s blueness up close. The patterns within the ice are incredible to see, as well as the jagged formations that make up the glacier. Unexpectedly, we were served pisco sours--on chunks of glacial ice--on the boat’s deck while aboard.

Consisting of 25 domes, EcoCamp was inspired by the round houses of ancient tribes that formerly inhabited the area now known as Torres del Paine National Park. There are three categories of domes, all made from green plastic with sheer windows. Standard domes feature twin or double beds and a shared, campsite-style bathroom. Standard domes don’t have central heating and can be nippy in the Patagonian climate. Superior domes have gas heaters and en suite bathrooms. The suite domes are similar to the superior rooms, but have wood-burning stoves (and the suite dome loft has two floors). Domes are connected by raised wooden walkways for minimal environmental impact. Communal meals and pre-excursion briefings take place in the central community dome.