AA 4531 Departs CVG 10:30 AM, Arrives MIA 1:10 PM (scheduled)

I had to make a run to pick up some last minute items on Friday night, so just a little last minute chaos before leaving on the trip. Then of course there's always that feeling as you leave that you've left something behind or forgotten to turn off some appliance or something that …

The flight to Santiago headed south from Miami over Cuba, through the Caribbean, then across Panama. The flight stayed over the Pacific Ocean for the most part, skirting Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru, before arriving in Chile.

Served a decent dinner on LAN, along with complimentary wine (nothing fancy but didn't have to pay for it like one would …

The pick-up for the ride north to Puerto Natales arrived shortly before noon at Oro Fueguino. Met Scott and Theresa, Elisa, and Alexis in the common room of the hotel who would also be heading to Torres del Paine. The Cascada Expediciones van picked us up for the ride north, but we had to stop back at the airport to pick up some additional …

The alarm dragged me from sleep very early in the morning (6:00 AM) as we had an early departure time of 6:50 AM for the trip north to Torres del Paine. A nice continental breakfast in the hotel, a quick walk around outside the hotel and then we were in the van and heading out. On the outskirts of Puerto Natales we could see Dorotea where we had …

Today was destined as the longest day of hiking for anyone who chose to make the trek all the way to the top of Valle del Frances. So a fairly early start was on the docket from Refugio Paine Grande. First call for breakfast in the dining area was 7:30 AM and we were there to try to get an early spot to run through the line for our first fueling …

Happy Thanksgiving!!

After two long days, it was somewhat of a relief that today encompassed only a short hike from Refugio Los Cuernos to Eco Camp (out past Hosteria and Refugio Las Torres). All in all we only about 10 km to hike today and all morning and afternoon to accomplish it. After yesterday's 22-24 km or so, this should be a piece of …

Once again I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous morning. After the horror stories I had read about Patagonia weather the luck that I continued to have day after day this week was amazing. It was a bit chilly climbing out of bed but Las Torres awaited and so whatever small piece of me wanted to stay warm was ignored to get moving, fueled, and …

By the time morning finally arrived, the rain had finally stopped although the wind continued to blow and gust throughout the day. Not as hard as the night before, but still more blustery than we had experienced to date other than perhaps on our boat journey on Lago Grey. And Las Torres were also obscured from view from the low-hanging clouds …

An early, early morning alarm (5:50 AM) as I had to finish packing my pack (some last minute laundry had been hanging in the tent to dry), grab some breakfast, and be ready to depart at 6:45 AM for Cerro Castillo. There was myself and 3 people from the other group that were heading for El Calafate so I wouldn't be transferring entirely alone. …