Trekking the Patagonian Wind

The wind in Patagonia is not weather. It is a personality. It shoves you sideways on the trail, rips the breath from your mouth and, on one memorable afternoon near Grey Glacier, picked up my trekking pole and carried it into a lake.

The W versus the O

• The W Trek (4–5 days, ~80 km) covers the big three: the granite Torres, the French Valley and Grey Glacier.
• The O Circuit (8–9 days, ~110 km) adds the remote back side of the park, including the John Gardner Pass and its view across the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

I chose the O, and the back side was the best part: four days with barely another soul, guanacos grazing on the moraine and condors circling the ridges.

The sunrise at the Torres

Leave Refugio Chileno at 4 a.m. with a headlamp and climb the last steep hour of boulders to the lagoon. If the clouds cooperate, the three towers turn fiery orange for about ten minutes. If they don't, you'll still have a story.

Practicalities

• Book campsites and refugios months ahead — the park requires reservations.
• Season runs October to April; January and February are busiest.
• Pack for four seasons in a day: waterproofs, warm layers and sunscreen.
• Fly into Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales and catch a bus to the park.

Patagonia humbles you, then hands you a view that makes it worth every gust.