February 7, 2019

Jonathan isn’t far from Charlotte and they’re seeing some incredible vistas.  They all laced up their boots and headed into the Silence Valley for a day trip from Refugio Chileno.  These photos are absolutely stunning.  Patagonia is famous for rock walls, glaciers and neon-green glacial rivers and lakes.  From the photos, it looks like they got a good dose of all three today.  Johnny said they did have a little rain today, but like I always say, no rain-no rainbows.  More adventuring continues tomorrow!

Luke Reilly

February 7, 2019

Now this looks like a good time.  Charlotte and her trekking crew kicked off their trip with a visit to the Perito Moreno glacier today near El Calafate, Argentina.  I got an update from Charlotte and she said, “All good here!  We had a great day of exploring the Perito Moreno glacier.  The boat trip was awesome, the visitor’s center was great, and we even saw some flamingos up-close on the drive to and from the park.  Everybody’s stoked.  Drinking Malbec, eating lots of empanadas, and looking forward to heading to El Chalten tomorrow.”  I guess that pretty much sums up today for them.

Luke Reilly

February 6, 2019

The Towers (Jonathan Schrock)

The Patagonia trekking crew made the drive from Puerto Natales this morning to the Torres del Paine National Park.  They took full advantage of the nice weather and boogied right up to the tower lookout.  Jonathan fired off a photo this afternoon of the group in front of the towers that the park is named after.  Weather in Patagonia can be shaky from time to time and getting a clear view of the towers isn’t a certain thing, but they lucked out today.  They are all settled in at Refugio Chileno for the night.  Today had some pretty good elevation gain on the trail and I’m sure it’ll be time to put the head on the pillow early.

In another part of Patagonia, IMG Guide Charlotte Austin has met her private trekking group in Calafate, Argentina.  All duffel bags have arrived in country and the team is ready to start a great trip. They’ve got some fun adventures planned for their trip which will include a visit to Perito Moreno glacier tomorrow, a few days of trekking in Chalten around the Fitz Roy Massif and then polish the trip off with a 4-day trek of the Huemul Circuit.  This is going to be a fun one, so follow along!

Luke Reilly

February 5, 2019

Our private Patagonia trip to Torres del Paine was a huge success and had a blast earlier in January.  Next up is IMG Senior Guide Jonathan Schrock and his crew.  Leading the trip with Jonathan is local guide, Tadeo Sotomayor.  Between the two, I’m sure there isn’t a plant, trail or rock wall they couldn’t identify.

Everyone has arrived safely in Puerto Natales, Chile and have started the prep work for the classic “W” trek in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine.  As always, some gear checks are in order and then a team meeting to discuss the upcoming trek.  Jonathan checked in just now and said the trekkers rented some bikes and took a ride out to the Singular hotel for lunch.  This is a spectacular place to have a meal, right on the water.  The plan is to regroup this evening for another group meal and get some rest before driving into the National Park tomorrow to begin the adventure on the trail.

Luke Reilly