the "real" patagonia...

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile (wikipedia)

This spring, Jo and I are heading off to a "big trip."  We've both been to Asia and Europe and we want to do something challenging and off the beaten path.   We figured we would put our poser Patagonia clothing to real use by heading to it's namesake and doing some trekking.  We'll be going to Chile which is ultra-narrow (avg ~109 mi wide) and super-long (2,672 mi!) to see deserts, mountains, lakes and glaciers, followed by hitting the Inca trail and Machu Picchu, Peru (wikipedia)

Fortunately for me, the itinerary is set thanks to Jo's incredible trip planning skills. When I say incredible I'm really not boasting. (She literally plans complete itineraries/transport/accommodations in 2x real time, finishing the bulk (80%) of trip planning in 1 week. 

We're now getting our gear (more later) in order and doing some training by hiking Mission Peak in Fremont (2.8 mi 1 way, 2200 ft elevation gain), although most of the terrain is ~flat and on some local trails w/ packs.  Stay tuned for more!