It’s hard to believe that the big 2-5 is the only birthday I’ll celebrate with my family in five years. I spent the last two birthdays in Chile and will be in Gambia for the next two. I feel so lucky to have celebrated this milestone with my family in one of the world’s most beautiful places.
I trekked 71 kilometers (45 miles) and albeit far, I only saw a small part of the huge region that spans two countries. As in nearly all of my South American ventures, Nora was by my side. For 5 days, we hiked the popular W-shaped trail in Torres del Paine in what felt like a beautiful fairy tale ending to this chapter of my life.
I knew the four-hour uphill hike in the snow would not be an easy one for me, someone who is admittedly out of shape and not a huge fan of physical activity. Regardless, I wanted to experience the adventure of hiking an active volcano and I knew any hardship would likely be worth it in the end.
