Four Days in Patagonia
Surrounded by the mesmerizing beauty, I felt right at home.
Last fall, a friend completed a multi-day hike in the Alps. One day, while fondly recalling the remarkable journey, she turned her thoughts to Patagonia, another hiker’s paradise.
“I want to go there someday,” she mused, “but frankly, it feels a little intimidating. It is too remote, too raw. Unlike the Alps, which, being more populated and closer to civilization, gives me a greater sense of comfort.”
I nodded, as I shared her sentiment. But when I planned a trip to South America shortly after, almost impulsively, I identified Patagonia as one destination.
To be precise, I went to Torres del Paine National Park, the crown jewel of Chilean Patagonia. I know Patagonia is a vast area. I will definitely return for more visits. But with only four days at my disposal, I wanted to have a focus.
Now I can tell her with my four-day journal and lots of pictures that yes, Patagonia is at the end of the world. Its landscape is more untamed than that of the Alps. Sometimes the weather is bad. Sometimes the hike is tough.
But it is not menacing.
With its mesmerizing beauty and the camaraderie often felt among fellow hikers, I felt right at home.
