Adventure | Patagonia | O Circuit Day 6-8

Thursday,March 9: Grey to Paine Grande

The end is in sight and the now it’s all smooth sailing from here! Well, Day 6- at least. It would end up being an extremely easy day on trail with a hiking time of 4 hours and a distance of 6.8 miles to my next campsite at Paine Grande. I took my time with everything: packing up, breakfast, and even walking around exploring the area. Life was in slo-mo.

Some hikers choose to stay at Refugio Grey for two nights so that they can explore Grey Glacier by kayak or hiking/ walk on crampons on the glacier. I didn’t book that side excursion because I had some other ones planned when I got back to town in Puerto Natales. I’m a little sad I missed it because from the pictures I saw later- it looked amazing! A lot of my trail friends who had done it confirmed that sentiment.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Refugio Grey is considered the start of the “W trek” and now "the “O Circuit” hikers would all merge together. Compared to the rest of the O, I found this section to be pretty flat. I mean, after John Gardner Pass, everything feels like a walk in the park! There were some slight inclines in sections, but nothing really worth mentioning. The entire way you are treated to beautiful 360 views- Lake Grey on your right and Paine Massif with Cerro Paine Grande on left. Not too bad…. not too bad ;)!

Even though the weather had finally settled into mild temps, the winds were brutal this day. The thing about those Patagonian winds is that it doesn’t matter how warm and sunny it is, those gusts will literally come out of NOWHERE. Two of the times they knocked me over and luckily I was not near any ledges. Other hikers and I were holding onto rocks trying to keep our balance. They are that powerful!

The views continued on for the rest of the trail until the path divides downhill and you head toward Pehoe Lake/ Paine Grande. This would be my final destination of the day and where I would spend the night. Since I arrived super early, I decided that I would head to the restaurant there and grab a beer and chill out. Yet again, I ran into all of my trail friends and we all ended up hanging out for a couple of hours! We drank our australs (my favorite Chilean beer) and talked about what a shock it was being back to civilization with hikers from the W.

The one thing we all agreed on is that you could instantly feel the shift in energy as soon as you got to this section. It was reminding me of how commercialized it all felt my first day on trail. Unfortunately, you can only hike the “O Circuit” counterclockwise. If that weren’t the case, I would’ve went right back on to do it clockwise and hike back to Camp Central- the starting point for me. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the W and/or didn’t see gorgeous views, but truthfully- it’s a bit of a circus. There were too many people and the lack of trail etiquette was astonishing. I have never seen so much disrespect, to the land and others, in all of my hiking experience. It baffled my mind!

Friday,March 10: Paine Grande to Cuernos

Despite my not-so-good sleeping at Paine Grande, I was up rise and shine to watch the sunrise. I was oddly excited for the day even though I knew it was going to be a long one for me. I still don’t even know how many miles or hours I hiked this day LOL! The plan was to begin my way to my next campsite, Los Cuernos, and head up to the French Valley, which is the official midway point of the “W Trek.” I’ve heard this scenery rivaled some of the other spectacular sights we saw along the “O Circuit.” I ended up running into the Seattle 6 (trail friends) as I was leaving PG and I’ll tell you what- I couldn’t be happier I did! I would spend most of Day 7 laughing with them. Oh yeah….and hiking too!

Heading up toward Paine Grande, you notice that a lot of the trees were burned. I heard there was a huge fire years back that took them out. Despite that, there were still some great views of the mountains along the way! About 2.5 hours into the hike, we arrived at Camp Italiano. This is where many trekkers dump their backpacks off to take the popular day hike up to the French Valley. We decided this was a good time to sit around and have a quick snack before we continued on.

The hike up to the French Valley ran along the river and was protected by woods. It wasn’t too difficult, but also not the easiest. Steep and rocky in certain sections and a nice little asskicker. Not too far into it, you arrive at the Francés viewpoint, which runs along a pretty ridge and has an incredible view of a mountain face with glacial ice. We decided this was another great place to chill out. Those views were just gorgeous! My trail friends would continue further up to the next viewpoint, Britanico, but I had to turn around here. My campsite was further away than everyone in the group and going to Britanico would’ve added an extra 7 miles to my journey. I already had a ways to go and wanted to make it to Los Cuernos before it got dark.

As I headed back solo toward Los Cuernos, I stared in marvel at the brilliant shades of blue that is Lake Nordenskjöld. I wondered if Nordenskjöld was the inspiration for the color of my Patagonia jacket because…. #twinsies! The path to my campsite began with a descent into a valley before climbing a ridge and crossing back into a wooded section again. The rest of it followed the lake- where I was treated to cool weather with a light rain and breeze the entire way. It was so refreshing! I’d finally arrive at Los Cuernos, right before sunset, where I’d find my tent on wooden platforms on the sloping hillside.

This was another one of those days I felt BEAT! I heard there was a working warm shower at the Refugio and I decided to give it a go. As soon as I got in, the lights in the bathroom turned off and the water turned fifty shades of freezing. I heard girls screaming and I stood there wondering if this where it all ends LOL! I jumped out immediately, but was unable to see a thing. It was pitch dark. Thankfully, one of the girls brushing her teeth had her headlamp on her and helped the other girls and I out of the bathroom. I’d later learn the Refugio lost power and that our dinner would be pushed back a couple of hours until the electricity came back.

Saturday,March 11: Los Cuernos to Camp Central to Puerto Natales

Time flies when you’re having fun! That means that I must’ve had LOTS of fun, as this backpacking trip flew by! Today was my last day on trail and I’d have 12 miles and a 1,600 ft elevation gain to get me back to Camp Central- my starting point and where I’d catch the bus back to Puerto Natales. In my first blog post of Patagonia, I wrote that Carrie (owner of the company I booked through) told me that I could add Mirador Los Torres to this day if I wanted to, but I’d be hiking 21 miles instead of 12. I already had a fairly long day and it was something I grappled with, as I obviously wanted to see the base towers.

My biggest pet peeve is being rushed and I didn’t want to do it just to say I did it. That didn’t make sense to me. I also realized the final section of that hike may take me longer than intended, as I heard it was pretty challenging and had a steep incline going up to the towers. I knew I could do it if I really wanted to, but if one thing went wrong- I’d be late and miss my ride back to Puerto Natales. And all of the buses heading back to town were sold out for the next three days. My head was spinning thinking of it all. I didn’t know the territory well enough to take that chance and as hard of a decision as it was- I decided to cut it out of my itinerary and just really soak up my last day. In my mind, it gave me another great excuse to come back to Patagonia in the future and finish what I started :)

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect! No winds, bluebird skies, and a moderate temperature. To top it off, it was a true “enjoy the ride” day- my favorite kind of day. I got to soak in every single little detail of the trail and Mother Nature, as I strolled along with views of the lake almost the entire way. (S)miles on (s)miles! I’m so glad I made that tough choice. Even breaking a camera lens and tripod couldn’t wipe the big grin off of my face!

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves on the remainder of this day. Surprisingly, I got back to Camp Central faster than expected and had lots of time to kill before my bus got there. First things first: SHOWER! This was my first real one in 8 days and I stood there soaking up every last drop of that water for 10 minutes. JUST DELIGHTFUL! I’d argue that there is no better feeling than a shower after being outside for days at a time. The only thing tied with that is the first bite of a real meal or the first sip of celebratory beer, which I would immediately get when I got to Central. Because…. WHY NOT?! It was time to celebrate this amazing accomplishment!

I took that big ol’ beer and went out into the grassy area of the Refugio, where I was able to see clear views of the base towers in the distance. Tears of gratitude filled my eyes staring up at those mountains. Memories flooded my mind of the journey and all of the hard work it took to get here. The conclusion of this trail signified so much. It was more than accomplishing a 1,000 mile hiking challenge that rewarded me this opportunity and even more than those 8 days backpacking. It was knowing that everything was necessary in the journey- both the sour and the sweet- to getting me to that very moment. Especially the sour. None of this would have been possible without it. It was seeing how all of the pieces of the puzzle finally came together and now everything made sense. That, to me, is what the significance of this was all about and why it all meant so much.

Sunday, March 12: Eberhard Fjord

The day after I returned from the “O Circuit”, I had an excursion planned to boat in the Eberjord Fjord with a tour guide. This day is such a blur, as I was still coming down from my adventure. So, while I cannot tell you the names of anything you’re looking at- I can tell you that we sailed around the fjord, ate great food, drank good coffee, and would later create our own off-land adventure hiking!

Monday, March 13: Estancia La Peninsula

This was surprisingly one of my favorite days in Patagonia! Such a unique and authentic Patagonian experience.

Known as one of the most remote and beautiful places in South Patagonia, this tour included a 40 minute boat ride through the Last Hope Fjord to Estancia La Peninsula. Upon arrival, guests can either horseback ride or do a trekking option, which last approximately two hours. Afterward, you get to enjoy a traditional Patagonian lamb barbecue followed by a demonstration on how herding dogs work and a sheep shearing. These activities are accompanied by a thorough explanation of the history and work life of a Patagonian rancher.

Words from the official website: https://estanciaspatagonia.com/

About: The Estancia occupies 19,000 hectares between two defining landscapes of Chilean Patagonia - the pampa and the fjords. The combination of alpine environments, native forests and the coastline fosters a rich diversity of plants and animals, unique in the area, even when compared to Torres del Paine.Only 2,600 hectares of this area is being used for cattle raising and tourism, while the rest is protected as natural and pristine habitat

History: In the late 1800s, the MacLean family came to settle in the Última Esperanza region, and chose the area to begin cattle breeding. Harsh conditions drove most of the early settlers into Puerto Natales, but later generations returned to Antonio Veras Peninsula to set up permanent settlements. While the family focused on sheep farming, they also turned their sights to tourism, and now open their doors to guests from all over the world to showcase the rich history of this land.

Arrival: Upon arrival to the estancia you’ll be greeted with hot tea, coffee and fresh sopaipilla – a traditional fried pastry. The estancia offers a Patagonian barbecue known as the 'asado al palo' each day; lamb cooked on the spit, served with salad, an open bar (Chilean wine, beer, and soft drinks), and dessert. The estancia focusses on high quality food which supports local growers and producers as much as possible. Vegetarian options can be arranged, please let us know beforehand.

Sweeping vistas as far as the eye can see with looming glacier-capped mountains and dazzling reflections from the fjords
They offer daily sheep-shearing demonstrations and a huge, traditional Patagonian asado for lunch
You'll roam around wide-open pampas, green southern beech forests and the coastline with a gaucho and bilingual guide. The Estancia's white horses are loveable and well-known, along with the amazing viewpoint photos.
As part of the ride you'll visit an archaeological site and learn about native flora and fauna along the way.

Tuesday, March 14: All good things must come to an end

Someone wise on the trail said that you don’t go to the trail to gain, you go to let go. (Insert mind blown emoji here) I never thought of it that way. Exploring a place as wild as Patagonia is a sure way to bring you back to yourself and to learn who you are and what you are made of. As a solo female traveler, this adventure was not only about exploring breathtaking landscapes, but also about embracing the freedom and joy of traveling by myself. I found the camaraderie and community with my fellow hikers on the “O Circuit” to be one of the best parts. Humans who love life and value travel and experiences over material things as much as I do. There’s just something so special about sharing experiences like this with like-minded people from all over the world. The memories made will always stay near and dear to my heart.

With a heart full of gratitude and a belly full of australs and dark chocolate- cheers to you, Patagonia, and thank you for one of the best travel experiences of my lifetime! You’ll be seeing me again very soon :)

Happy Trails! xoxo, Brooke