O-Trek

As someone who loves to hike, I had wanted to try the O-trek for as long as I had wanted to go to South America. The permits and red tape nearly scared me off. I’m glad I got the advice to go for it. The hike is world class for a reason, and it was worth all of the hassle to get there. The three “non-W” campsites are not as hard to get. I was able to get a permit for these sites a week before online with no trouble, for only $11 a night. A comparative bargain to some who spend upwards of $1,000 for a permit. Only having these three sites necessitated an itinerary that bent but did not bend the rules. Oh does this park have rules: no running, no night hiking, hike only in one direction, no hiking off trail, no fires, trails close at certain times, etc. etc. It seems like the park is bizarrely trying to discourage people from hiking anywhere beyond the main O/W trails. What concerned me more than the rules though was how commercialized the wilderness had become. Each camp had showers, a store and even a chance to buy wifi. Despite all these absurdities., the trek was extremely worthwhile.

On the first day, I caught a bus from Puerto Natales. I camped in Natales and caught the first bus in the morning. From there I had 20 miles to go to the first camp. To me, this is a chill day, but the rules dictate you have to be certain places at certain times. I didn’t quite pass the first camp by the allotted time, but no one seemed to mind. By the time I reached the first permit checkpoint, I was back in the clear. My conspicuous lack of nights on my permit seemed to raise a few eyebrows, but no one said anything. At this point, I knew that I would be good to go for the next few days. I had a seven mile day and a nine mile day to follow.

Doing a few shorter days gave me a chance to get the full trekking experience that I had eschewed so far in South America. On all other hikes I had seen very few hikers, and had never seen anyone twice. On this hike I got to hang out with people in the indoor cooking areas, and see them for three nights in a row. Overall, I was still put off by how commercialized the Chilean wilderness was, but this was a nice change of pace. On each of these two short days I got going and quickly passed a few large groups. There were about 100 people all going the same distance, but they were going the same direction. Once I got out front, I had the trail to myself. On the second day, there was a mandatory 7am start to get over the pass and hike the nine miles. Many people started well before 7am, but I quickly passed them.

Paso John Garner provided incredible views of the Gray Glacier. The wind was whipping so hard I could barely walk, but I continued and soon I was walking across the infamous swinging bridges. This trek really is epic. Not long after I was resting up down and camp. As much as I hate to admit it, getting to camp at 11am sure is relaxing!

Having super chill days 2 and three set me up extremely well for a big day four. I was planning to meet my family just outside the park that evening, so I needed to hustle. I hadn’t seen them in four months, so I was excited, but I also wanted to finish the “W” portion of the trek. Technically you are not allowed to night hike, but I woke up an hour before the sunset, and did have to use my headlamp a bit. Let’s call it civil dawn. The 32 mile day went smoothly. It is easy to hike a bigger day when the scenery is this beautiful. As per park rules I did not run or jog. I kept a steady pace. The last obstacle was the trail closures. Each section of trail closes after a certain time of day. Some as early as 7am. Luckily I was able to hike quickly enough to get through each section of trail before it closed.

After the 32 mile push, I got a hitch out of the park to a hostel and met up with my family. It was great to see them after so long. We went back a few days later to finish the final part of the W, hiking up to Lago Torres for Sunrise. Starting at 3am took a little bit of convincing, but it was definitely worth it to beat the crowds. There were still about 100 people at the lake at this hour. Clearly the no night hiking rule is not that strictly enforced. The hike back was certainly a shock to the senses. A literal wall of people marched up the trail, one after another for miles and miles. Clearly this one portion of this one hike captivates many people’s imaginations from around the world. This location is truely awe inspiring and world class for a reason though. I had no problem sharing it with so many others. Instagram has a uniquely concentrating effect on a few locations. As the park closes more trails, this effect will no doubt be exacerbated.

My family and I spent another day driving around the park, and then headed down to Ushuaia.