Patagonia on Foot

Patagonia doesn't do calm. Within a single afternoon on the W trek we had sun, sideways rain, and wind strong enough to knock a hiking pole out of my hand. The reward was the last mile before the base of the towers, when the clouds broke just long enough to see the granite spires lit orange.

Refugios along the route made the trek more comfortable than expected — hot food, dry bunks, and a surprising amount of pisco sour. Still, pack for every season in a single day.