10 Weeks: NZ, Argentina, Chile and Patagonia

As most of you know, I have just emerged back into civilisation from 10 days in the Torres Del Paine National Park. I now have running water, a cosy bed, and Wifi. Unfortunately I have no more epic views of mountains, glaciers and valleys to wake up to. My time in Patagonia is coming to an end. After six and a half glorious weeks in this absolutely breath taking area of the world, I think I am finally ready to move on to the next adventure. I am also ready to wear shorts again and free my head of this beanie I have been wearing constantly!

It is hard to believe that I began writing this post on Easter Sunday, a quarter of the way through 2018 =. I left Australia to embark on my epic 12 month journey just after Christmas and New Years and the last 10 weeks have just flown by. Oddly enough when I sit here and reflect on all of my experiences had, friendships made and places visited in that time it also feels as though I have been travelling for several months.

There are so many places, hikes, adventures and people that I want to write about in greater detail. I thought now might be a good time to do a recap of what I’ve been up to these past two and a half months.

Where have I been?

New Zealand – 2 weeks

• Christchurch 1 night
• Greymouth 1 night
• Westport 1 night
• Richmond / Nelson 1 night
• Picton 1 night
• Levin (via Wellington) 1 night
• Otorohanga (Waitomo) 2 nights
• Rotorua 3 nights
• Mt Maunganaui / Thames 2 nights
• Auckland 1 night

Argentina – 4 weeks

• Buenos Aires 6 nights
• Iguazu 2 nights
• Mendoza 2 nights
• Bariloche 8 nights
• El Bolson 3 nights
• El Chalten 6 nights
• El Calafate 1 night

Chile – 4 weeks

• Puerto Montt / Puerto Varas 2 nights
• Hornopiren 1 night
• Pumalin Park 2 nights
• Futaleufu 2 nights
• Puyuhuapi 1 night
• Coyhaique 2 nights
• Villa Cerro Castillo 4 nights
• Puerto Ibanez / Chile Chico 1 night
• Puerto Natales 6 nights
• Torres Del Paine 9 nights
• Punta Arenas 2 nights

What have I experienced?

Hiking, hiking and more hiking in Patagonia!

When I tally it all up, I hiked almost 300km in total during my six weeks in Patagonia. That included 190km of day hikes and multi-day treks in and around Bariloche, El Bolson, on the Carretera Austral and in El Chalten. It also included  a massive 110km from my 9 day “O Circuit” trek in Torres Del Paine. It is pretty amazing to think that my feet carried me that far over mountains, through snow and glacial rivers, up steep slopes and down rocky screes.

To put it into perspective, here are some of the hikes I’ve done in Patagonia (I have highlighted my four top picks as well):

• Refugio Frey, Full loop, 7 hours, 22km total, Nahuel Huapi National Park, Bariloche
• Refugio Otto Meiling and Cerro Tronador, 2 day trek, 36km return, Nahuel Huapi National Park, near Bariloche
• Cerro Campanario, 1 hour 30 minutes return, Bariloche
• Sendero Cascada, 5 hours return, 5.6km total, Pumalin Park
• Sendero Volcan Chaiten, 5 hours return, 4.4km total, Pumalin Park
• Queulat Hanging Glacier (Ventisquero Colgante), 2.5 hours return, 6.6km, Queulat National Park
• Enchanted Forest, 30 minutes return, 800m (under repair), Queulat National Park
• Cerro Castillo, Las Horquetas 4 day trek, 52 km total (give or take depending on day hikes from camp), Cerro Castillo National Reserve, Carretera Austral
• Cóndor Lookout, 30 minutes, 1km, El Chalten
• Mirador Las Águilas, 30 minutes, 1.5km, El Chalten
• Laguna de los Tres, linked with Laguna Torre, (Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre) 3 day trek, 30km total, El Chalten, Glacier National Park
• The O Circuitn Torres Del Paine, 10 days (9 days trekking), 110km, Torres Del Paine National Park, Puerto Natales

Now that I have wifi again I will be compiling some useful guides for each of my favourite treks and regions in Patagonia. So stay tuned for more information in that regard if you are considering heading to Patagonia in the future. 

White Water Rafting

Signing up for class IV and V rapids in Futaleufú was the best last minute decision ever. Futaleufú is in the top three in the world for white water rafting rivers. This was my second time rafting in my life and when they told me the only option was IV and V I knew I had to do it. I literally had a smile on my face from the start of the very first rapid until the end of the very last. 

Hitch hiking

There’s a first time for everything, including hitch hiking! I hitch hiked with a variety of people including friends I met on the road, people I bumped into on hikes and even other travellers I met while hitch hiking. I also did some very successful hitch hiking on my own (sorry dad!). The Chilean people are some of the friendliest and most generous people I have ever encountered. It was a humbling, exciting and rewarding experience. I often found myself sitting on the side of the highway, surrounded by mountains in the middle of nowhere, thinking to myself “wow, I really can’t believe I’m actually here and doing this”. 

Carretera Austral

The Carretera Austral was one of the best experiences of my life to date. It was a combination of so many things. The feelings I had while I was there, and now feel in retrospect are so intense and lasting that it is difficult to put into words. It was the first time in my life I felt as though I was truly travelling and experiencing a country in a real and raw way. It was the first time I felt truly free and open as a person in this world. I could really choose my own adventure and path and it was everything I wanted out of this trip. My favourite part about the unique and remote highway that is the Carretera Austral, is the person I am now after my journey on it. It is something that is completely priceless and I will treasure it forever.

The O Circuit, Torres Del Paine

The O Circuit in Torres Del Paine was one of the most adventurous, challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. What I experienced on the trail far exceeded anything I could have ever expected. It wasn’t just the views that blew my mind, but also the people I met and the deep connections I made with them along the way. There was a solid group I bonded with almost immediately and I am so grateful to have shared this experience with them and all of the other amazing people I met along the way.

The profound realisations I had on the trail each day also changed me in ways I can’t even begin to describe. I realised I am a much stronger person than I ever thought I was and am so proud of myself for persevering and staying positive on the trail. There were some days when the cold, the rats or the weather tried to break me. There were even a couple of points in time where I really didn’t think I could go on. Despite this, I managed to get up every day, continue hiking and pushed on until the end.

I had everything I needed to survive on my back for 9 days in a row, for the total distance of 110km. For some of the people I met on the trail, this trek was one of many they had accomplished in their life . For me, this hike was life changing and taught me just how far I can push myself both mentally and physically to achieve my goals and chase my dreams.

An amazing road trip with my mum

It feels as though my epic road trip with my mum happened six months ago, and yet writing this I realise it was only about two months ago. My mum had not been on a real holiday, just for her, in such a long time. She really deserved a getaway and we desperately wanted a road trip together. What better place to go than New Zealand. With all the rushing around before I left we had also been short on time together. It was absolutely perfect to spend two solid weeks together in our little hire car and tents exploring the South and North Islands of New Zealand.

We are the perfect travel buddies. She is one of my best friends in the whole world and we had the most amazing time. We had two weeks of exploring, laughing, cooking, taking selfies and talking to almost everyone we came across. And so many cups of tea!! I am already planning my next road trip for us – maybe Tasmania next time, ay mum?

Patagonian weather

The Patagonian weather definitely deserves it’s own heading. I had read about it and I had tried to prepare myself in relation to my gear and my clothing. But I was certainly not mentally prepared for the extent and variety of weather you can experience in Patagonia. The irony is that I had been expecting the craziest weather on The O Circuit in Torres Del Paine, when I actually struggled the most with the weather while hiking overnight in El Chalten.

In Bariloche I had beautiful warm and sunny days, then by the time I got to Cerro Castillo on the Carretera Austral we had snow, increased wind speeds and pretty cold nights. We even had to take the emergency exit on Cerro Castillo because we almost ended up in a white out situation from the combination of rain, snow and wind.

By the time I got to El Chalten I was expecting it to be a little colder but definitely underestimated it. The temperatures dropped to -8 and then -10 degrees celsius overnight while we were on a multi-day trek. That was by far the coldest and longest two nights of my life, ever. A 2 degree sleeping bag and thermal liner really does not cut it when it’s that cold.

The wind up at Fitz Roy also put on a pretty good show for us. It came out of nowhere and almost knocked us to our hands and knees. It forced us and the 10 others up there to flee the mountain top before we couldn’t see through the snow and find our way down.

When I finally tackled the O Circuit we were surprisingly blessed with pretty good weather on day one to three. While we somehow managed a very clear day for visibility on the John Gardner Pass, we also had to hike up the pass in knee deep snow. The descent down the other side was also pretty treacherous due to the extremely slippery ice on every downward step. It was definitely not the wind I had to worry about on that day.

I also experienced the real Patagonian winds when I was about half way around the O Circuit. We were blasted with 105km/hour wind from multiple directions for four and a half hours from one camp to the next. Needless to say, I entertained my hiking buddies by walking like a drunk person and getting thrown into a pile of mud. The hilarious part was that only ten minutes after my tumble in the mud the wind had blown all of the mud away.

So if anyone ever warns you about the weather in Patagonia, believe every single word they say. And mentally prepare yourself for it!

So much beer!

I have always adamantly hated beer. You would never have found me with a beer in my hand back home, no matter how hot the Queensland summer’s got. Since I’ve been in South America though, I seem to be drinking nothing but beer. I don’t know whether it’s because it actually tastes better here, if it’s just because it’s cheaper than almost everything else, or if it’s because I get to say cerveza instead of beer and it just sounds a lot more appealing. I can now proudly say I’m a beer drinker. Also, the wine here is amazing. I have definitely had way too much wine. 

Walking across the border 

When my friend Anais and I found ourselves unable to hitch a ride from Chile Chico in Chile to Los Antiguos in Argentina we were faced with our only other option. We had to walk 11km from Chile to Argentina with everything we owned on our back (and front!). We then had to walk a further 3km to the bus station in town. It took us several hours and was a bigger task than we had anticipated. Hiking 11km isn’t that difficult, but doing it with everything you own weighing you down is a bit more challenging.

On the plus side, it meant that we got to take some pretty cool photos at the “Welcome to Argentina” sign. It also meant that we walked almost never-endingly in nomads land between the two countries, which had a unique feeling to it.

Who have I met?

From day one in South America I have not really spent much time on my own. I never could have anticipated how easy it was going to be to meet new people, connect instantly and then go on these amazing adventures with them. Some of the people I met I travelled with for only days at the time. Others we spent weeks on end together and some I even changed my plans significantly for just to get a bit more time on the road together. Then there were some really special people I met who changed my experience here on so many levels. I know I will definitely need to visit them in the future. One of them I am actually visiting already in Santiago right now!

I’ve met and travelled with people from Argentina, Chile, the United States, France, Israel, England, Belgium, Colombia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, and so many more places. This is by far one of the most amazing parts of travelling long term and solo. I would highly recommend anyone considering a trip like this to go it alone. You will be the least alone you have ever been in your life. Every moment and encounter will be spectacular and leave you even more humbled by the human race than before.

What have I learnt?

About myself

Over these last two months I have learnt a lot of things about travel, the world, different cultures and people. I think the most valuable and rewarding things I have learnt so far though have actually been about myself. I feel that I’m not discovering myself on this journey, but actually becoming a better version of myself.

During these last 10 weeks I have had some of the most exciting and fun times of my life. I have smiled more on this trip than I have in years. I have also experienced some of the most challenging days of my life. This is where I believe I am truly changing and growing as a person. Even in extremely stressful and difficult moments I have reacted in a calm, positive and productive way. The short tempered, negative and pessimistic Caitlyn of the past has all but evaporated and floated off into the sunset. I am even helping other travellers to find their inner peace and positivity.

Moving forward

I am so proud of the person I am becoming as a result of this adventure. I am looking forward to seeing how much I change by the end of this year. Judging by the progress I’ve made so far in just 10 weeks, I almost certainly won’t recognise myself by then. Packing up my life and taking off on this insane solo adventure was and is the best decision I have ever made in my entire life.

-- Girl Seeking Purpose