Breezy'n Around The World

The only thing I unwrapped on Christmas morning - my ankle

I joked with Laura that the only thing I got to unwrap on Christmas morning was my ankle. Halfway through the second day of our five day trek on "The W" in Torres del Paine, Chile, I rolled my right ankle. I can't remember the last time I rolled it prior to that day, however it was an old wound and I used to roll it a lot when I was younger. I knew from previous experiences that having injured it once would make it weak and vulnerable for some time to come.

Our small first aid and emergency kit lacked an ace bandage or a good supply of ibuprofen. I took what we had of ibuprofen to keep the swelling down and slept with my ankle raised at night. The next day, I wrapped it as best I could with gauze and quarter inch tape but ended up rolling it again on our way down from a morning hike to the Frances Valley. Luckily this time, I only had my day pack on. Unluckily, we had a whole day of hiking with our large packs ahead of us to our next destination and another two days after that to reach our final destination.

Even without an injury, "The W" was by no means easy and the weather was definitely a contributing factor. We encountered relentless wind like I had never experienced and rain that made backpacking and sleeping outside not fun. The climate was cold enough to have to wear layers yet the terrain was exhausting enough that we were usually sweating through those layers. It snowed one afternoon and was so warm the next that I was sweating with shorts and a t-shirt.

I felt extremely privileged to be experiencing a beautiful place and accomplishing such a trek. However it was also Christmas and I was feeling a bit homesick. Needless to say, "The W" was challenging and an injury only added to its physical and emotional demands. It was the kindness of others that kept me positive and allowed me to finish the trek. Laura carried extra weight so I wouldn't have to put so much pressure on my ankle, Mike and Erin, a couple we met, gave me their only bandage out of their first aid kit and a few Aussies showed me how to wrap my ankle differently to provide it with more support. Even some of the park staff turned a blind eye and let us use staff facilities to cook and gave us free food and hot chocolate. I guess generosity is more abundant during the holiday season, but I'm pretty sure everyone who helped in some way would have done the same had it not been Christmas.

Below is the video journal Laura and I kept while on our trek through "The W." In less than 5 days, we walked about 45 miles, by far the longest backpacking trip in duration and length I have ever done. Given the above circumstances and knowing what I know now, would I have still done it? Absolutely! And I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Pre-departure packing.