Trekking Trip Patagonia · 2026
Santiago de Chile · Puerto Natales · Torres del Paine National Park · W Trek · Punta Arenas · El Chalten · Laguna de los Tres · Laguna Torres · El Calafate · Perito Moreno Glacier · Santiago de Chile
May 3, 2026
Laguna de Los Tres – foolish and unforgettable.
“What am I even doing here?” I stare at the sheer wall of rock, the sun beating down on my face, just like the icy wind. Somewhere beyond this absurd barrier of scree lies the view of Fitz Roy—Argentina’s Matterhorn. One of the most striking, rugged, and beautiful mountains in Patagonia and the world. I don’t want to climb the summit; I just want to get to the viewpoint at the glacial lake Laguna de Los Tres. But that’s a 15-mile hike, with the last 0.5 miles wrapping up roughly 1300 feet of elevation gain. Insane. I have a fever, I’m cold, I’m sweating, my nose is running, and my eyes are burning. “That was really stupid,” I say before I keep going. Uphill.
Everything seemed perfect on this day—until I notice a hint of aching limbs and a scratchy throat. A few days ago, on a long-distance bus, we had passengers coughing and sniffling in the row diagonally behind us. Great. Thanks for nothing. I try to ignore the symptoms, but I know they’re real. I’m getting sick. Of all days, today. I’m freaking out. Then I pack a few ibuprofen, tell myself that fresh air will help, and we set off. A story of recklessness, strength, despair, silence, and beauty.
April 10, 2026
Penguins in Patagonia: Where the Fluff lives.
We'll probably end up seeing just a few black-and-white spots way off in the distance, I think. Spotting wildlife is always a bit of a gamble.
We’re looking for penguins on the Strait of Magellan in Patagonia, Chile. Penguins! These little creatures in tuxedos, waddling with arms outstretched across grass, ice, and snow, threatened by climate change and other human-caused hardships. I want to get to know and understand them better; not behind bars in a zoo, but out here.
I look out over the shore of Magdalena Island, where large, round, smooth rocks lie in the surf. Wait, isn’t something moving over there? I slide right up close to the window, and my jaw nearly drops. There are penguins! Right there, just over on the beach. Exactly where we’re about to walk. Of course, in a designated area so as not to disturb the animals. “There!” I shout like a child, pointing through the boat’s window at the scene outside. My husband grins. He’s had to listen to me say three thousand times today just how much I’m looking forward to the PENGUINS (all caps). Now we’re here. With the Magellanic penguins in Patagonia—and about to take a little walk, guests in their world.
March 28, 2026
On the W Trek in Patagonia: A Story about Willpower.
The ranger, who speaks only Spanish, holds the carpet knife to my husband’s arm and implies that we could simply cut it off. Meanwhile, her co-worker folds a sturdy cardboard box into shape. Then
we all laugh. We are in the middle of the Andes, at world's end, no cell service—trekking for five days with a tent and backpacks on the W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia. Now
also available with a broken arm. The W Trek is one of the great long-distance hiking trails in Patagonia. 43 miles, a total elevation gain of about 10000 feet, gale-force winds blowing sideways,
granite towers, turquoise lakes, red flowers, glacier peaks, icebergs, gnarly forests, and total despair always just a breath away from total enchantment.
This is the story about how we braved accidents, black eyes, kidney stones, storms, heat, foxes at night, and a monumental climb up a scree slope. How we hiked through one of the most beautiful
landscapes in the world and were lucky enough to live in it for a few days. How this experience pushed us to our limits and beyond—and we didn’t come back as the same people.