THE TRANSITION

Well, the first half of our Sabbatical has come to an end. Although we could easily spend the entire six months in Asia, it is time to move on to South America. Our standby options from the Philippines were to fly to Buenos Aires through Detroit or Honolulu. Naturally, we picked the latter. Why not soak up some sun for a few days? We had nothing but rain for the past few weeks and yet to see what the Hawaii hype was all about. We were also headed to Patagonia in T minus 5 days to take on one of the most challenging hikes in the world so definitely needed “down” time before that. Makes sense right? Onwards…

Our buddy Diego just so happened to be on family vacation in HI. Per his suggestion, we headed straight to a quaint AirBnb in North Beach. We lived it up with him and his fam for the next few days – drinking cold ones, playing spike ball on the beach, getting crushed by the biggest waves we had ever seen, and doing some epic hikes (what we classified as training for Patagonia).

Ehukai

We walked to this spot from our BnB. Located behind Sunset Beach Elementary School in North Beach is a sneaky little entrance to this lovely hike (~2 miles round trip, easy difficulty). We tried jogging the beginning of it (its only like 30 mins) and quickly were put in our place by mother nature. Through a wooded little forest to the hill tops where you encounter two graffiti-laden World War II bunkers. The sunset view of Oahu´s North Shore from up there was perfection.

Pillbox (Lanikai)

Thanks to Erica for getting everyone out of bed at 4am and for driving, we did the famous Lanikai Pillbox (~2 miles, easy difficulty) hike for Sunrise and it was certainly worth it. It was a little slippery and cloudy due to the on-and-off rain, but everything opened up for the sunrise. This hike is arguably the best sunrise you can see on Oahu. Make sure you start your hike about 45 minutes before the sun is supposed to rise, and once you get to the top don´t stop at the first crowded bunker. Keep walking as there is a second bunker and a great photo-op location where the crowds don´t go. It´s a short but steep hike and an absolute must do. The contrast of colors from the blue water to the bright orange sky will give everyone a surreal euphoric experience.

We had crashed the Colchao´s family vacation for long enough. It was time to head from North Beach to Honolulu to see our girl Nadia and enjoy calmer waters. Her and her friends wined and dined us like royalty, and gave us all the Ohana feels (thank you for having us!). We took advantage of being on this side of the island by exploring local acai spots, the touristy downtown area, the infamous Waikiki beach (which we immediately ditched for a lesser-known and much more beautiful local beach) and, of course, squeezing in another hike to prep for Patagonia.

Kokohead Hike (Koko Crater Railway Trail)

Another sunrise hike, the alarm went blaring at 4 am. Linds is usually bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning, but this specific day she wanted to sleep. I turned off the alarm per her request, waited a few minutes, then decided to be the positive influence and pushed her out of bed. The hike is ~30 minutes totaling 1,048 torturous steps, and on an abandoned railroad track that has random missing pieces, broken wood, and steps you could easily fall right through. All of this being done in the pitch-black (bring a headlamp) to get to the top before sunrise. Start ~45 minutes before sunrise to claim a good spot on the rocks, and be prepared for a grueling but well-worth it hike. A fellow hiker even played the Lion King theme song as the sun rose. It was pretty epic.

Hawaii was the best layover we could have asked for, but it was time for a drastic change in environment. Planned for over six months, we met our go-to hiking couple (Adkins and Diana) for our first backpacking trip. Of course, we picked one of the hardest and most mentally-challenging hikes at the very bottom of Earth – The W Trek on the Chilean side of Patagonia.

Words can´t describe this experience and we highly recommend every person do it at some point in their life (no excuses – most of the hikers along the trail were 55+). We hiked the stunning W Trek from West to East in five days and four nights, highlighting the best of Torres Del Paine National Park including Glacier Grey, French Valley, and the base of the Towers. We found this 55+ mile hike to be one of the most challenging yet liberating experiences we have had to date. From the lowest of lows (seriously, we had thoughts of not finishing), to the highest of highs, completing The W left us feeling accomplished and inspired. We were told to be prepared for all climates as the weather in Patagonia is about as unexpected as it gets. Sure enough, we walked through all four seasons during our time in the park. We experienced some of the heaviest winds to hit the area, hard sleet, cold rain, and the scorching sun.

We felt like horses to the stable each day when the camp sites were finally in sight. We would run. After setting up our tents, and then a shower if we had the energy, we would chef up our delectable dehydrated meals, slug back a shot of whisky, and snuggle up in the comforts of our down sleeping bags to rest for the next days adventures.

The four of us decided while planning this trip that we were going to rough it as opposed to using pre-set tents and paying for pre-cooked meals at the camp site. We carried our own camping gear (tent, poles, etc.) as well as enough food and snacks to get us through 5 days. Every little bit of weight adds up when you´re lugging it on your back.

Due to our intended campsite closing a couple weeks before our start date, we were forced to splurge on a refugio (glamping at its finest) for our fourth and final night. This was quite possibly the greatest thing that could have happened to us. A nice cozy bunkbed when our bodies were weak, a hot and clean shower, and a delectable plate of salmon and smashed peas… heaven. It was so hard to leave this place in the morning for our final hike up to the Torres.

Puerto Natales was our port town. We stayed there the night before heading to the W to collect all the rental gear we needed (get your gear from Guillermo at Rental Natales – he is THE man and couldn’t have been more helpful). We also stayed there upon our return and hit the “Last Hope Distillery” (dope gin distillery run by an Aussie couple) – guess all of our fellow hikers had the same idea. It turned into a pretty awesome bar party as all the people who had just completed the hike went there.