10-11 Mar 25: Our journey began the early hours of a cold, dark Monday morning when we arrived at our RHQ in Glasgow having either flown from Belfast or crossed Scotland from our Squadron locations. We paired up with our tent buddies to share poles and canvas, have a final rummage through our ration packs, and adjust our trekking backpacks before collectively departing for the airport which would take us to Punta Arenas over two days via Heathrow, Madrid and Santiago. From here, a clear view of the Andes and its volcanoes followed us and never ceased to amaze. The magnitude of the expedition had now become real.
With our bags strapped precariously in the boots of taxis, we drove through Punta Arenas, a large city spread along the coast with all the appearance of a frontier town. Shortly arriving at Hotel Los Navegantes, we managed a quick admin turnaround before heading out for dinner. [Thanks go to Sgt Stewart for our Exped MT co-ordination and LCpl Millar for the dinner bookings].
12 Mar 25: The next morning, after collectively descending on the supermarket to collect supplies, we had a steady shakeout hike led by Maj McGrory [30 SR]. He took us on a shorter route through the nearby Magallanes National Park, a beautiful, forested area beside a small ski resort (closed and empty due to the season) that slowly gained in height until leaving us with sprawling views of Punta Arenas and the Strait of Magellan in the background. Delivering a couple of Summer Mountain Foundation (SMF) lessons along the way, this got us accustomed to hauling the 20kg sitting on our shoulders and gave us plenty of opportunity to adjust our kit accordingly. A long coach trip to Puerto Natales ensued after, which we bunked up for the night in preparation for the long drive to the Torres del Paine National Park [TdP] the following morning and the start of the main effort.
13 Mar 25 – W Trek 1 – Central Camping to Mirador Base Torres & back to Central Camping (Strava: 22.00km – 1,770m – 6h 42m): Just past 0600 saw us quietly eat breakfast in the dim light of the hotel kitchen before slipping out with our bags to catch the coach to our goal. A couple of hours later and we arrived at the foothills of TdP, always now in its shadow. LCpl Boardman was now ready to set out on her quest to Highland fling along the Patagonia Way.
On arguably the most daunting hike of the trek, the luxury of a return trip to Central Camping meant that we were able to drop down to daysacks for our ascent to the Torres. Beginning with climbing paths and passing outcrops in the bright sun, an unerring wind whenever we moved out of shelter continually persisted along the valley. Soon though, we were trekking through shaded woods before a final, rocky scramble to the lake where we gathered facing the three towers that dominated the landscape. Photos and the opportunity to soak in the magnificent views followed.
After descending back the way we came, we pitched our tents, conducted admin turnaround, then headed for dinner. We were fed well at the Refugios – the three course meals in the evening and our packed lunches of chicken rolls, giant oranges and protein bars added nearly another 1kg to our packs.
14 Mar 25 – W Trek 2 – Central Camping to Frances Camping (Strava: 17.16km – 668m – 4h 45m): We passed through the trail with the lakes to our left on a remarkably still day when compared to just 24 hours earlier. The mountains continued to dominate our view for miles, engrossing everyone with their striking scenery. Before making the final break to camp – 300m uphill – we sat refuelling ourselves and told jokes to keep the morale high (depending on the quality of the jokes). We arrived in the woods of the Frances camp, where we could hear the rumble of avalanches from the mountains in the distance.
15 Mar 25 – W Trek 3 – Frances Camping to Paine Grande Camping via Mirador Britanico Viewpoint (Strava: 22.20km – 960m – 06h 16m): An early start in anticipation of a long day, we left as dawn broke, tabbed a couple of miles and then left our heavier kit in a range hut and dropped to day sacks. On the ascent to the Mirador [viewpoint], we could see and hear avalanches around us, testament to the bright weather we were experiencing. The scenery was a mixture of snow-covered mountains, with the torrent river below of clear blue flowing through the wooded glades. There were plenty of boulders to navigate through, whereupon Maj Tibbetts inadvertently gave us a demonstration of the Glasgow Kiss [the boulder lost]. Our climb completed, we headed back down to the range hut to collect our kit and then continue to our next camp site. Here, we finished the day in the straw grass, clear blue sky and crisp wind while stretching off with some yoga.
16 Mar 25 – W Trek 4 – Paine Grande Camping to Refugio Grey (Strava: 14.82km – 538m – 03h 52m): After some further SMF lessons which had been continuing at intervals throughout the trek, we left the campsite and headed north. Hugging the lakeside towards Glacier Grey [the portal to the Southern Patagonia Ice Field], we crossed the occasional river over makeshift wooden bridges or holding onto ropes. The weather all week was dry, with temperatures 5-15C on average, partly cloudy for most of the days with occasional high winds from the west at 25-45km/h – colder and windier as we ascended higher ground, but still temperate enough for the trek. When we arrived and pitched up, we then walked down towards the cove where we got a close-up view of the floating chunks of luminous blue glacial ice sitting upon the water.
17 Mar 25 – W Trek 5 The Finale – Refugio Grey to Paine Grande Camping via the Grey Glacier (Strava: 24.91km – 861m – 04h 57m (including a small boat trip)):
We walked the small path towards the boathouse where an adventure team briefed us on the trip to the incredible Grey Glacier. With our crampons and helmet, we made our way to the imposing ice wall only a short distance away via motorboat. From there, we were given ice picks and hiked around the various parts of the glacier with our four guides providing several bits of information as we explored. We were led in small groups into a cavern that had recently formed and shown various striking formations in the ice that will soon disappear. It was here that we could see the effects of global warming in real time as the glacier had reportedly been reduced by some 3-4 miles over the last couple of years.
As it was St Patrick’s day, we saw two complete rainbows, a lucky charm for our return leg later in the day (we hoped). As we left though – via the reverse route of day 4 – the rain massed, and the winds picked up with that glacial chill. We quietly made our way back over the mountain where both rain and wind disappeared, and we were back in the warmth of the Paine Grande campsite again.
18-19 Mar 25: After breakfast, to depart TdP we caught the catamaran to Pudeto before waiting in the café beside the log fire for our coach. Upon its arrival, we then drove to the prehistoric Mylodon Caves for another walk in an area famous for its discovery of prehistoric animal remains – most notably the mylodon. With some final SMF lessons here in-between the walk amongst three separate, humongous caves, the long drive back to Punta Arenas then followed. All week, we were obsessed with the moon, stars, and planets appearing upside down, and finding the Southern Cross (that lies horizonal and is featured on the Magallanes flag).
Next morning, we unexpectedly went birdwatching due to the weather forcing a change in our itinerary. The key moment was watching Andean Condors hovering and swooping above a cliff top, their wings outstretched – unlike the one that we thought we’d seen yesterday and were told was in fact an eagle. Once Maj McGrory had enough of ITR Bird Recognition V.2, we headed back.
A final meal at La Luna followed, including a quick but fully appreciative after-dinner thank you from Maj Tibbetts, on behalf of the group to Capt Robbins for the hard work put in to coordinating and providing the trip of a lifetime. With that, we sat circled in the hotel lobby, chatting away, until we gradually went to our rooms and prepared for the long journey home.
