W Trek Diaries: My Unforgettable Adventure in Torres del Paine

Pratyusha Chintalapudi

My "Why" for doing the W Trek

A few months ago, my dad asked me if I wanted to do a 5 day hike in Patagonia, Chile. My dad is a pretty big hiker, and usually, when he asks me if I want to go, I say "No." My family did the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu many years ago, and that hike scarred me. I got terrible altitude sickness and was miserable the entire time. This time, when he asked me, it was different. First, I felt I needed to be disconnected from everyone and focus on myself. I felt overwhelmed and needed to reconnect with myself because I had been getting advice from everywhere and was completely confused. I needed to go back to myself, and I knew that I was ignoring myself because my anxiety was very high, which happens when I'm not listening to myself. Second, I said "Yes" to this particular hike because I had seen the pics everywhere on Instagram, and the Torres del Paine became something I wanted to see. I also agreed to do this hike because I knew it would would help me grow as a coach. I knew that if I wanted to help people achieve big goals and improve their mindset, I also needed to put myself in an uncomfortable position that would also help me grow. Once I committed to the hike, I started preparing physically. I was weightlifting, going on runs, and doing incline walks. I wanted to feel as prepared as possible.

The day was finally here!

We flew from JFK to Puerto Natales, Chile. Unfortunately, the airline didn't deliver our baggage, and my dad and I were frustrated. We might have to repurchase everything for the hike. We were very worried and started looking around for replacement gear. In Puerto Natales, there were many hiking shops, so if you forget anything, don't worry, you'll be able to find what you need, but the shops were expensive, so we didn't want to have to repurchase everything. At this moment, I needed to prepare myself for many things not to go how I wanted them to and focus on positive thoughts. Some words I kept saying were, "Everything is happening for a reason" and "You can handle this." My dad called the airlines multiple times with no luck. My dad and I tried not to stress too much about the bags and decided to explore.

Crab and scallops

The food in Puerto Natales was terrific. If you like seafood, you'll love it here! The Airbnb we stayed at had a blackboard with restaurants and tours that she recommended!

That night, we went to a restaurant called Cangregio Rojo, where we had ceviche, crab, and scallops! The restaurant was beautiful, and the service was excellent!

After this fantastic meal, we returned to the Airbnb to rest.

The next day, the airline called, saying they would deliver our bags the next day. This was such a relief. We did some more exploring. We walked around the shore and saw this beautiful sculpture!

The next day, we got our bags, and a weight of stress was lifted from us. That night was before our big hike, so we packed everything we needed and started packing our hiking bags. We also looked and ensured we had all the tickets and reservations ready. While we were looking, we discovered we had forgotten to book the Catamaran from Mirador Salto Grande to Guardería Paine Grande. My dad and I were panicking. We thought this would ruin all our plans and that we wouldn't be able to make it to this trek. After not getting our bags on time, I started worrying that we weren't supposed to do this hike. When these thoughts came up, I kept saying, "You can handle this," "Everything will work out."

We started looking at different articles, anything that would reassure us that we could buy the tickets there. I found an article that said we could buy the tickets in person, so we were relieved but unconvinced. We barely slept that night because our nerves were freaking out about doing this trek. I tried to keep saying my affirmations, but they were not helping. I slept for an hour that night because my head was spinning, and all the money we had spent on this trip might've gone to waste.

Monumento al Viento

We woke up at five the following day and caught the bus from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park. Then, we had to walk to the Catamaran and wait to see if they would let us buy tickets there. They allowed everyone who had tickets to go, but about 10 of us didn't have tickets. After about 10 minutes, they said there was still space left and let us in.

Getting on this Catamaran was a huge relief. We could do the hike that we had planned for many months! While on the Catamaran, we saw this beautiful view of the Torres del Paine!

Torres del Paine

We finally got of the Catamaran and we walked to the start of the trail.

Our hike began with the first 7 miles, and within a mile, the backpack's weight was getting to me. I was getting worried that I didn't properly train for this. Also, the lack of sleep made these even harder. The scenery was gorgeous, though, as we hiked toward the glaciers.

My dad is way more fit than I am and was always ahead of me. I just wanted to finish; I wasn't worried about my pace. We finally finished the hike after many hours, and that night, we stayed in a tent that we had booked beforehand.

You can book a hostel, a tent, or a space at the campsite if you want to bring your tent. There was also a restaurant where you could buy dinner, which was cheaper than purchasing it in advance. We didn't know this and bought all of our meals in advance. There were free showers and bathrooms. They were immaculate. They served our dinner at 7 pm, buffet style. We got to meet other people who were doing the W and O Trek there. It was nice to meet people from all around the world. After dinner, we bought wifi for 1 hour to inform my mom and sister that we safely made it to the campsite. The wifi was $10 for 1 hour, and we only bought it for this night.

Then, after talking to my mom for a bit, my dad and I went back to our tents to sleep. The winds were howling, and it started pouring rain. My dad and I weren't able to sleep at all. Then, a couple of hours later, I had to pee and use my phone as a flashlight. It was raining hard, and I was so scared I would get lost. It took me about 20 minutes to find the bathroom. I was soaking wet. I returned to the tent and thought sleeping in the wilderness wasn't for me. I tried to think about the lessons the universe was teaching me. It was telling me to stay calm and trust the process. I also needed to embrace being uncomfortable. We had booked a glacier tour the following day, so I needed to get some sleep. I fell asleep for a couple of hours, and when I woke up, I found out that my dad and I had overslept and missed our glacier tour. My dad and I knew it was more important that we slept than to go on this tour, so we weren't upset that we missed it. I later learned how fun and gorgeous the glacier tour was, so now I am highly disappointed that we missed it.

My dad and I packed our things, and I found out my phone was completely broken as we packed. It was because I was in the pouring rain for so long that the water destroyed my phone. I was completely pissed at myself. I was laughing because I wanted to be disconnected, but that didn't mean I wanted to break my phone!! I was not a happy camper. I knew this was a sign to slow down and stay present. Many things were happening that weren't going how I wanted them to, and I knew this trip would test me, but for good reason. I needed to learn how to handle stress better and to adapt.

We went to the restaurant to get our prepacked lunch. Then, we decided to see the glaciers from afar. This was my first time seeing glaciers, and they were stunning.

After seeing the glaciers, we ate our lunch, which was a chicken sandwich and some snacks. After eating, we started Day 2 of our trek. We had 7 miles to do again. While we were walking, I kept reaching for my phone, wanting to take pictures, but my phone had a green screen and was not working. This forced me to be present and just to let my mind wander. I thought about what I wanted to do in the future, who I was becoming, and whether I was doing things for the right reason. What was my purpose? That was a big one; thinking about your purpose can keep you occupied for hours. The hike took us 5 hours, so I had plenty of time to think about my whole life. I also thought about other things that were bothering me, things I wanted to do. One of those things was starting a blog. Viola, here we are, honoring that thought I had!

After finishing our 7 miles, we headed to the hostel because we booked a hostel that night. Our room had three bunk beds, and they were unisex, so my dad and I stayed in the same room. A girl sleeping in my room told me that she got bit by bedbugs from a hostel that she remained in the other day. That scared me, so I quickly looked at my bed to check for bedbugs, but luckily, there were none. If you plan on doing this hike and are staying in a hostel, check your beds for bedbugs! After checking my bed, I took a hot shower, ate our dinner, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Day 3 of the hike, we ate breakfast and got ready. We looked outside, and it was pouring rain, so we wore our rain jackets and covered our backpacks. This day was miserable. The rain turned into hail, and I felt freezing. It was brutal. We stopped at a place called Italiano and ate our packed lunch. We still had a little bit more, and we had to hike to see a scenic spot, but I was so cold that I told my dad I didn't want to do it, and we headed to our campsite. That night, we stayed in a premium tent. It's an elevated tent with a mattress and sleeping bag. I was freezing!

This day tested me. I was beyond uncomfortable. It made me grateful for everything I had: a bed, heat, a house, laundry, and proper sleep, all of which I took for granted.

The next day, Day 4, we woke up after struggling to sleep, and the weather was terrific. Everyone was so happy to see clear skies because the day before was terrible. We had about 12 miles to do this day. It was a long day, but because the weather was stunning, I didn't mind it. We took many breaks because the backpack's weight was still hefty. Slowly, we finished the 12 miles, and we were again staying in a premium tent that night. We made friends who were also doing this trek and hung out with them. After a couple of hours, we showered and ate dinner. We headed back to our tent and started packing our day pack because the next morning, we were playing on waking up at 3 am so we could hike up to the Torres Del Paine for sunrise. We packed all our energy gels and got out the clothes we would wear. They slept super early so we could wake up early.

The next day ( the last day of the W trek!), we woke up at 3 am. The campsite had our breakfast ready. We ate that and started our hike. It was super hard. We had our head flashlights, and hiking in the dark is not for the weak. I was going super slow. I was so tired that the last mile was the worst. It was utterly rocky and uphill. We got to the base of Torres Del Paine about 15 minutes before sunrise. It was stunning, and the view was worth it.

The hike down wasn't that bad. We got down about half the time it took to get up. After the hike, we rested for a bit, and then we had to hike 6 miles to get to the shuttle so we could return home. These 6 miles were terrible. My knees were killing me, and I was completely done. We were going super slow, but we made it to the shuttle about an hour and a half before the shuttle was going to come. All the other people who completed the O and W were there, and we waited for the shuttle. We got onto the shuttle and then dropped off at the bus stop, where we took the bus back to Puerto Natales.

I learned many things from this adventure; one of those things was that being wholly disconnected was precisely what I needed. I needed to listen to my thoughts and to focus on myself. I needed to experience our hardships because it taught me I could handle anything. This trip gave me the trust I needed to pursue my dreams. I learned I wanted to express myself more creatively and stop worrying about other people's judgment. I learned to practice gratitude. I'm so thankful to have warm food, a warm bed, a hot shower, laundry, and a roof over my head. This experience taught me that I need to be more grateful for the things I have. I love social media because it helps me share what's happening. I wanted to create a video or post many nights and realized that from this trip, that's how I unwind. I learned from the people who did this hike who were much older than me to enjoy your time and not take everything so seriously!The hike down wasn't that bad. We got down about half the time it took to get up. After the hike, we rested for a bit, and then we had to hike 6 miles to get to the shuttle so we could return home. These 6 miles were terrible. My knees were killing me, and I was completely done. We were going super slow, but we made it to the shuttle about an hour and a half before the shuttle was going to come. All the other people who completed the O and W were there, and we waited for the shuttle. We got onto the shuttle and then dropped off at the bus stop, where we took the bus back to Puerto Natales.

I learned many things from this adventure; one of those things was that being wholly disconnected was precisely what I needed. I needed to listen to my thoughts and to focus on myself. I needed to experience our hardships because it taught me I could handle anything. This trip gave me the trust I needed to pursue my dreams. I learned I wanted to express myself more creatively and stop worrying about other people's judgment. I learned to practice gratitude. I'm so thankful to have warm food, a warm bed, a hot shower, laundry, and a roof over my head. This experience taught me that I need to be more grateful for the things I have. I love social media because it helps me share what's happening. I wanted to create a video or post many nights and realized that from this trip, that's how I unwind. I learned from the people who did this hike who were much older than me to enjoy your time and not take everything so seriously!