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ADVENTURE TRAVEL |
DIENTES DE NAVARINO TREK BY JEFF BERT
“ I LOOKED OUT MY WINDOW. I SAW WHAT COULD ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS THE MOST JAGGED, INCREDIBLE MOUNTAIN RANGE I HAD EVER WITNESSED”
As our plane touched down in Puerto Williams, Chile, I looked out my window. I saw what could only be described as the most jagged, incredible mountain range I had ever witnessed. These were the Dientes de Navarino, the teeth of Navarino Island. For four days, my family and I were going to hike around the most southern hike in the world.
After grabbing our backpacks from the small wooden airport, we began our walk into town for lunch and fuel for the trip. After an hour on a dusty dirt road and a van ride from a hostel owner, we made it into the small town. With only 2,500 residents, we had trouble getting fuel, but we found a few cans, and were on our way.
Our 53 kilometer trek began with a dirt road out of town. Soon, we made it to the trailhead. The trail began by winding up a steep hill called Cerro Bandera with a waving Chilean flag at the top. After passing the flag, we followed cairns and minimal trail markers along the side of a ridge towards our first nights campsite. We experienced rain, sleet, snow, and heavy winds as we kept hiking towards Laguna Salto. Finally, we made it. My sister Heidi and I began to set up our tent. By the time we were done, it had snowed 3 inches. We got into our sleeping bags, ate our dehydrated meals and went to sleep.
The next morning, we woke up late, packed our gear and got back on the trail. Along the edge of the lake, we met two guys from Germany. After we chatted for a bit, we followed the extremely steep trail up a high alpine pass. As we crested the top, we could see why the Dientes de Navarino capture outdoor enthusiasts across the world. Dozens of