People, I have fulfilled a little dream!

That's why you haven't heard from me for so long. Last week I traveled to Patagonia to hike the W-Trail in the famous Torres del Paine National Park. When I found out that my internship was going to Chile, I had no idea what to expect. So I asked Mr. Google. The results: Visit the Atacama Desert and hike the W in the south. So I thought, okay, I'll write that on my to-do list.

Then I listened to a podcast about the national park and the trail, looked at photos on the internet, and was impressed. Yes, I want to see that!

This hiking trail is called the W because you traverse the national park in the shape of a W in 4-5 days. The West and East are connected by Lake Pehoé, on which a catamaran operates. In total, it covers 71km that you have to cover with full equipment. In the national park, there are various campsites or accommodations (called refugios) that you reach after a day's hike. The highlight of the park is the Torres del Paine, three granite rocks with a very special formation. You can also admire several glaciers (the largest and most famous is the Grey Glacier) and hike along the shores of various lagoons. The flora and fauna are also unique, and you can discover condors or guanacos (a special type of llama). According to rumors, you can even spot a puma on the O-Trek, which is a longer route.

When I arrived in Chile, I had some problems organizing this trip. Because in the high season, which lasts from December to March, all capacities were exhausted. In addition, the park is operated by 3 different tourist agencies, which means you have to book the campsites on different websites and coordinate everything yourself. I found all of this quite confusing, as I had not been there myself and did not really know how everything works. There was also the question of whether to rent complete camping equipment and carry food for 5 days on my back or sleep in rather expensive accommodations. Since I was traveling alone, I opted for the latter and booked a complete program through the tourism center Fantastico-Sur.

That was the right decision because the hiking trail is demanding, my backpack already weighed 13 kg, and it's the low season. That means the weather changes every 3 minutes, with winds of up to 200 km/h, and many rainy and snowy days.

In the following days, I will report to you in detail about the days, as it was a real experience for me. I made many nice acquaintances through the travel group, experienced funny incidents, and encountered some of my own limits. I wrote a diary during the trip, I will take photos of the corresponding passages and display the photos. (Then it's as if you were really there ;D) Forgive me if some recordings are missing, as I am still waiting for those from my acquaintances.

Here is a small photographic preview: