This traveller blog comes from Mark, who took on the Patagonia W Trek in March, alongside his two teenage daughters, Lacey and Summer. Together, they travelled with our team to the far south of Chile to cross glaciers, mountains and some of the wildest landscapes on the planet, all while raising an incredible amount for charity.
Our Trek Through Patagonia
The first question people asked when I said we were doing a charity expedition in southern Chile across the Patagonia glaciers was, why there?
The answer is simple – two reasons. The first is that I’ve always believed in go big or go home, and the second is that I was taking on the challenge with my teenage daughters, Lacey, who is 13, and Summer, who is 15, and the dates coincided with the Easter break from school.
Why We Took on the Challenge
My wife, their mum (Natalie), had been suffering not only from MS for five years but had also been hit with a double whammy and, six months ago, was diagnosed with MND. She had been helped so much by a small charity not far from where we live that I wanted to help them to enable them to help more people like my wife.
We signed up five months before the trip started and it was a big undertaking, even though I’d shown the girls pictures and talked them through the itinerary in depth. I’m not entirely sure that they knew exactly what they were signing up for – then again, I don’t think I did either.
Fundraising and Training
The plan was to raise money and train ready for the expedition. I told the girls that if we did this, they had to be involved in the fundraising, as it wasn’t going to just be me begging, stealing and borrowing from everybody I’d ever met. We planned a teenage party where the cost of the tickets went directly to the fundraising, and this helped give the girls a sense of involvement.
As we started training as best as we could in the village we live in, Natalie took a turn for the worse and we moved her into a hospice near where we live, knowing it was only going to be a short time. A week later she passed away peacefully. Our world was shattered and we had to navigate our new normal, whatever that was going to be.
I asked the girls if they wanted to continue with the expedition and, because it was something Natalie knew about and was so proud of the girls for, it was a resounding yes.
Leaving for Patagonia
So, less than three months after she passed away, the time came for us to leave for Patagonia.
We had bought all the kit, we had raised over £28,000 for this tiny charity, and we were ready to go (we had a lovely video from the charity before we left telling us that we were the highest individual donation they had ever received, which was a real boost before we left).
We had a night flight out to Santiago after a busy day, with Summer having her Duke of Edinburgh training and me having been at work all day.
We met at the airport in the evening, introduced ourselves to Rhiannon, our group leader, and Jasmine, our medic, and a couple of the people. I went off to dinner.
Lost Luggage in Santiago
We boarded the long flight and luckily managed to sleep for most of it, waking up in Santiago. I received an email from British Airways saying that some of the cases had not made it on the flight and mine was affected. Mild panic started to set in, as this was all the clothing and equipment that we had bought especially for the trip.
We had about eight hours at the airport to kill, which worked out in our favour as it gave us enough time to jump in an Uber to a local camping store and pick up new clothing and equipment needed for the trip.
The Action Challenge staff were great in helping us all navigate and organise trying to get our bags back, and what we would need as an emergency to go out and buy.
A few hours later, we were back at the airport with our new rucksacks, ready to go.
Weather Delays and a Long Detour
That evening, we boarded our flight to Punta Arenas to head down to southern Chile for the next step of the expedition.
After nearly four hours’ flying time, the pilot made an announcement in Spanish and, whilst we waited for the English translation, you could see the look on some of the local faces. It wasn’t good news.
The weather was too bad to land, so we had to fly back up to Santiago – four more hours in the air just to land exactly where we started.
When we landed back in Santiago, it was about 5 am. We were all exhausted.
We all sat together in the corner of a coffee shop. This is where we were introduced to Rafa, our local expedition guide.
Rhiannon and Rafa did an amazing job and spent the next few hours arguing with the airline, trying to find us a flight to get us back on track for the trip.
Finally Heading South
A few hours later, they came back with some good news. We had a flight for all of us together – it was just at 4 am the next morning.
This time the weather had cleared and we managed to land perfectly. From here, we had a three‑hour coach ride, where we stopped for some lunch and a walk around a small village before another three‑hour ride in order to catch the ferry to the first camp.
On the last part of the coach ride before we made it to the ferry, the driver pulled over as there were a few cars stopped on the side of the road. It was then we realised why – he had seen a puma not too far away in the mountains.
These incredibly beautiful and elusive animals are so hard to find. Already, we felt that our luck was turning in our favour. To see one of these animals in the wild was not only beautiful, but very lucky.
Arriving at Camp
With precision planning, we made it! What a journey before we’d even started. It was now close to 72 hours since we had left the UK, but we got to camp – albeit one day late, which was a real shame because we had missed the first warm‑up day of the trek. At least it meant we could do the majority of the trip.
The team had been fantastic, faced with two huge obstacles – lost luggage and a flight that couldn’t land – but they kept us informed and found a way to get us there ready for the trip.
We had a briefing on what to expect the next day, and a dinner that I was pleasantly surprised by. One thing I’d been worried about was the food, especially with two teenage girls and the fact that our bag of snacks was in the missing suitcase.
The first dinner was buffet‑style, with a really nice chicken soup followed by roast beef, which was absolutely delicious.
First Days of Trekking
Myself and the girls were absolutely exhausted but incredibly excited to get underway.
Already, it was weird seeing the immense beauty of the region. All the colours seemed so much brighter and more vivid than anything we had ever seen before. The greens of the trees were vibrant, the turquoise blues of the lakes and lagoons popped with colour, the white of the snow was fresh, and the greys and browns of the rocks and mountains were pure.
It was a feast for the eyes and we hadn’t even begun.
That first night, we were in small tents raised off the ground on wooden platforms. I think at this point we were too tired to even think – we crashed out, ready for the next day.
Mirador Francés and French Camp
We were up bright and early, had a big breakfast, packed our bags and were ready for the first proper day trekking.
Today, we walked to Mirador Francés and then on to French Camp.
They have an expression in that part of the world where the terrain is “Patagonian flat”, which basically means it’s anything but flat!
The walk was incredibly breathtaking. One minute you’re looking up at glaciers, the next you’re overlooking lakes and lagoons, and then you turn a corner and you’re walking through what feels like a dense forest.
More than anything, you’re reminding yourself to look up and take it all in, because you can’t quite believe what you’re seeing.
The Group and the Experience
The views were outstanding, and as soon as you thought you’d seen the best one, you’d walk for five more minutes and it would be even greater.
We had three local guides with us who were all incredible – knowledgeable, polite, helpful, and most importantly, fun to be around.
It’s amazing on this kind of challenge: as you’re walking, you introduce yourself and find out a little bit about the people on the trip with you. What’s their purpose? Why are they doing such a trip?
Personally, I found these conversations to be like an open‑air therapy session. Everybody had a reason for being there; everybody had some kind of connection. This most incredible trip, in the middle of nowhere at the bottom of the world, brought people of all ages and from all walks of life together.
Central Camp and the Final Push
That night, we finally made camp at the end of a long day. This camp was totally different to the last. We stayed in tents high up on stilts, tucked away within the mountain.
Each tent felt like you were secluded in the middle of nowhere, but with the most beautiful views. Again, there was a communal area where we could all meet for dinner and breakfast, and showers and toilets that were surprisingly clean and warm.
The next day, we walked all the way to Central Camp. Again, we followed the lake for quite a way, giving us the most incredible scenery, stopping at freshwater springs to fill our water bottles, taking in the fresh air, the beautiful sights and enjoying being outdoors.
Each day was tough, each day was long, but each day was exhilarating and fun – and I want to do it all over again.
Once we arrived at Central Camp that evening, we knew we were there for two days, and we had the promise of receiving our suitcases back thanks to the amazing efforts of the local teams who managed to track them down from British Airways and then bring them all the way to our camp – something we were all grateful for.
The Hardest Day
That night, again, we were treated to a lovely meal with hot showers, and the news that we would have an incredibly early start at 4 am, as it was the last day of the trek and the toughest to reach.
I was super excited about this – the thought of sunrise on the mountains.
We were told this was the hardest day in terms of climbing and to expect clambering over boulders and a real uphill challenge.
Off we set in the dark with our head torches on. This was most definitely the toughest day.
We had our first break around 7 am, where we watched the sunrise over the mountains – a stark reminder that we live in a beautiful world and it’s ours to explore.
The trek continued, and we were treated to wind, rain, sunshine, hail and snow. If we had been in a feature film, you couldn’t have written the script!
Reaching the Summit
This was by far my favourite day. I loved climbing over the big boulders. I loved the challenge, and I could see that my daughters did too.
You’re walking for what feels like forever. It’s freezing cold and incredibly windy, and it feels like you’re never going to make it.
Then you literally turn a corner at the top of a big rock and you are treated to this view – one I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words.
They call them the Three Amigos: three huge natural pillars sitting at the top, and underneath them a turquoise glacial lagoon tucked away in the mountain.
I cried.
The sense of achievement was overwhelming – knowing that I’d done it, knowing that I’d done it with my daughters, knowing that I’d done it for my wife, and that we’d raised so much money for charity. Rafa, the lead guide, came and gave me a massive hug, congratulated me on making it, but then quickly reminded me that being at the top meant one thing… we were only halfway, as we still had to get back down!
Reflection and Gratitude
We stopped there for lunch, although it was bitterly cold, and then headed back down the mountain to Central Camp for our celebratory meal.
I felt incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to do this with my daughters. The entire trip was bittersweet, because it was the last thing in the future that my wife knew we were doing. I couldn’t shake the feeling that once this was over, I was really on my own. Anything past this trip she knew nothing about, and that was quite sad for me.
However, my daughters are my rocks and they give me purpose. I was worried about doing such a trip with them – were they too young? Would this be too much for them? How would they interact with people of all ages from all walks of life?
They embraced all of it. They took it all in their stride, built connections and chatted to people within the group, whether they were 30‑year‑olds or 70‑year‑olds.
Everybody made them feel incredibly welcome. Everybody encouraged each other to succeed. It was a feeling like nothing I had ever experienced.
I was incredibly grateful to everybody and felt incredibly lucky to be able to say that I’d done this expedition – and that I’d done it with my daughters.
Final Thoughts
It’s definitely opened my eyes to the fact that there’s a big wide world out there that we need to go and find, and explore.
Whatever your situation, wherever you are in life, I urge everybody to take a step out of their comfort zone and try something like this.
If you’re lucky enough to do it with your children, it’s something you will never regret.
If you’re doing it on your own or with your spouse, take the plunge.
And if you can do it while raising money for an incredible charity like we did, then it’s even better.
If you’d like to make a donation towards the work of the Chiltern Neuro Centre, you can do so via Mark’s newest fundraising page here.
if you’d like to fund out more about the Patagonia W Trek, the click the button below:
