...we wake up and I try to dry my socks over an open fire for the stove with partial success...we set off on what is supposed to be a short downward stretch through the forest, wander off the trail and put enormous effort into battling tree branches, fallen trunks and swampy areas, with extremely slow progress.....until we find the trail and finally arrive at the road after 3 hours walking....we get picked up almost immediately, we meet my former travel companion...

...in the morning the tent is quite moist from condensation and the dogs - it seems - have abandoned us....we set off and on the beginning the trail is quite easy to follow but soon becomes convoluted and difficult;...we venture into very steep slopes with extremely muddy surface where we have to grapple onto tree branches to even think of continuing and we redefine the term "trail";...I lose my hat and struggle back to find it;...I fall too many times too count ...

...I wake up and find everything covered in snow...I set off and immediately lose one of my gloves, backtrack and find it again!...the dogs still follow me though more reluctantly...I struggle to find trail in the forest, slip and fall for the first time, breaking off the tip of one of my sticks...I catch up with two backpackers from Santiago, who spent the night at the same place as me and we continue together; Sebastián is a psychologist and Camilo - a doctor;...

...After a quiet night I wake up to two bits of news: two of the dogs like us more than we thought and are still here and Ingrid got sick so my mates are turning back; I'm continuing alone;...all the other campers have left so I take the map, the GPS and...follow the dogs, who seem to know the way and are happy to show me;...I pass through the trail's second highest pass - Paso Australia - at 776m - windy!!!...despite a few stressful moments when the trai...

....At Punta Arenas airport they can't find my ticket for the flight to Puerto Williams ("it was just a booking, not an actual ticket!") but finally they do and they forget about their strict baggage allowance in the process (you are allowed 10kg, I carried 22kg! Yesss!)...I arrive In Puerto Williams, marvel at the majestic mountains on the horizon and wild crowds around me (what was supposed to be a small twin turbo engine craft turned out to be a regular Bo...