“You learn that how you got there was what’s important. Not what you accomplished.” – Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, Inc.

Torres del Paine National Park sits on the southern edge of the third largest ice field in the world and is home to some of Patagonia’s most striking scenery. Over five days of camping and 50 miles of hiking, natural beauty surrounded us at every turn.

Here are four memories we’ll never forget:

1. The vivid colors

– A rainbow appeared just as we broke through the treeline after hiking through 3 hours of rain and hail in the French Valley

– The snow white, glacier blue, and rich greens set against the varying grays of mountains and rocks never got old

– Enjoying a sunset over one of a dozen turquoise lakes formed by glacial runoff

– A rare break from uphill hiking during a morning stroll on day 4

2. Really cool rocks

Rewarded with amazing views of three impressive peaks at the top of the French Valley

Taking it all in at the top of the French Valley

The Torres briefly turn a beautiful red as the sun rises

Boulders left behind by receding glaciers are one of the defining features of the landscape (as Erika put it so eloquently – “Glaciers are basically rock hoarders”)

Enjoying the view in front of the granite peaks of Torres del Paine just after sunrise

3. The amazing wildlife

(NOTE: wildlife seen, but not pictured includes a pair of hawks feeding their babies, an armadillo, and countless butterflies and birds… turns out that taking animal photos is hard!)

Baby red fox patiently waiting for hikers to go by so he could cross the path

A guanaco (wild llama) grazing 50 yards away as we waited for the bus to take us out of the park

4. The weather

Glacier Grey sits on the tip of the Southern Patagonia Icefield and is one of the primary reasons behind the regions unpredictable weather

So we cooked behind a windscreen

And made sure our tent guylines were nice and tight!

As we walked up into the French Valley, one of the famed Paine “horns” was barely visible as we were pelted by a hailstorm

30 minutes later it was bright and sunny, with barely any clouds in the sky

Our week of Patagonian camping was unforgettable and I’m honestly a little nervous that Erika will now expect everywhere I take her camping will be this beautiful (NOTE: yes, I convinced my up-for-anything wife to camp for her first time in a foreign country, thousands of miles from home… and it couldn’t have gone better!).

Up next, Argentinian Patagonia, including a walk on a massive glacier and a horseback ride around more cool rocks!

– Phil