I left my heart in Patagonia

Before coming to South America, the only place that I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I wanted to visit was Patagonia in southern Chile and Argentina. So visiting Torres del Paine was like a dream come true. The entire landscape in Patagonia is unreal. It truly feels like you're in a completely different world. In a series of miles you can be surrounded by deeply rolling hills covered in nothing but grass and shrubs before wind-gnarled trees come into focus, and then you find yourself stunted by mountains surrounded by painfully blue glacial lakes. 

I mean, THIS is the beauty we were dealing with, folks. Unreal.

Mountains, waterfalls... what more could you want?

When our bus neared the entrance to the park on Thursday morning, the expanse of the park was in clear view. We could see everything, even the Torres. And it was incredible. We took the catamaran to Campamento Paine Grande and started our 11km hike to Refugio Grey.

Me, on the catamaran, ready to go! Also, I look ridiculous.

Sophie, Dan and I... I represented Nebraska with this look for five days.

After maybe one-third of our hike, Lago Grey came into focus, and with it Glacier Grey. Yeah, that's right, I saw a glacier, no big deal. The farther we walked, the closer we got to the glacier and to where we would be camping that night. As far as weather goes, I think we got really lucky. Weather in Torres del Paine can be fickle at best. The sun's reflection off of the ice plain just northwest of the park makes it possible to experience rain, sun, hail and winds that will knock you over all in the span of several hours. However, our first day was mostly warm and sunny with just a taste of strong winds as we looked out over the glacier and lake.

The glacier is to the upper right, but Sophie was really excited about the iceberg.

When we got to camp, Ryan, Dan and Sophie decided to walk a little farther to get a better view of the glacier while I decided to lay in the sun and try to ask my legs for forgiveness. When they returned, we sat down for our first cooked meal of the trip: chicken soup mix with couscous and lentils. (How fancy and awesome are we?) It was also over this meal that I shared with the others that I would not be joining them for the remainder of the hike.

I did, unfortunately, miss some really incredible scenery.

Let's face it folks, I was completely out of my league. The 11km hike to Refugio Grey was beautiful, and I'm so glad that I did it, but the hike back to Paine Grande was daunting enough. I didn't feel like four more days of hiking approximately 70 more kilometers was a realistic choice for me. Could I have done it? Maybe? I don't know. But I do now that I couldn't have done it and been happy. If fact, I probably would have been pretty miserable. So, when we packed up camp early Friday morning, I stayed behind at Refugio Grey for another night. I napped in the grass as the sun shined on me at the base of a mountain. I walked up past the refugio to get a better view of the glacier. And I got complemented on my Spanish... TWICE. Here's a pretty accurate update on how learning Spanish is going for me. When I'm speaking to people who primarily speak with native speakers, they look at me as though they wonder why I'm even trying. HOWEVER, when I'm speaking with people who primarily speak with tourists, I am a Spanish-speaking goddess! So, if nothing else, this trip will be a huge boost to my Spanish-speaking self-esteem.

BUT... this was the view from my campsite at Paine Grande... no too shabby.

Saturday morning I woke up early and set off on the hike back to Paine Grande. I wouldn't say it was easier on the way back. I did, however, enjoy it a lot more. I took my time, sat by a few mountain streams where I filled up my water bottle and enjoyed the overwhelmingly beautiful scenery. Of course, when I got to Paine Grande I spent more time lying in the grass at the base of a mountain, an activity I'd be okay making a habit. That day and the next continued with more beautiful weather, and while I wasn't with my friends for a few days, Patagonia is a pretty great place to pass the time. Aside from the grass-lying activities I've already mentioned (trust me, they were plentiful), I met some fellow travelers, spent some time writing, listened to the chaos of languages that surrounded me, and took part in some of the best people-watching I've ever seen.

My bag all packed, ready to hop on the boat back to my friends.

Monday morning I packed up all my gear and took a ride back to my friends on the catamaran. We headed back to Puerto Natales to shower and eat Sophie-mandated pizza.