During the last few posts I’ve been trying to catch up on trips where I made some notes at the time, but never actually wrote it up properly. One such example was for the O-Trek in Chilean Patagonia. Then in November, a tragedy happened on that trek, where five people died after being caught in adverse weather conditions whilst attempting to climb the infamous John Garner Pass.
We completed the O-trek back in March 2022, and whilst we enjoyed it overall we had a tough climb going over that pass. Having the awful event of November 17th on the news made me think a lot about our own trip, so in the end I decided to write it up. Reading through the notes I made at the time brought certain points into sharp relief, such as complaining about the weather or the food. It seemed so small and petty given what happened to the hikers a couple of months ago. I considered re-wording parts to show more respect to the tragedy, but in the end I felt that I should just go with the notes made at the time, rather than almost four years later, as they were our immediate thoughts whilst completing the trek. So, if you do want to read about our experiences doing the O-trek, then please click here, but be aware that the points were generally written at the time and not after the events of November 2025.
For now, I’d just like to write down some thoughts that we’ve been mulling over about whether a tragedy like this was inevitable on the trek or whether it was just one of those freak occurrences that can happen when hiking in remote places.
When we completed the hike, we had gusts of wind at over 100 km/hr on the John Garner Pass. This is a lot lower than what is estimated to have been on November 17th, and yet it was still enough to potentially cause major issues. And whilst we had been informed by the ranger at Los Perros campsite of the intense winds that were forecast, we were still encouraged to complete the hike. The major differences between our day on the pass and the one of the tragedy, is that our visibility was still fine and there wasn’t snow on the ground. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like not being able to see and hiking over icy paths.
At the time we didn’t give any consideration to what would be the evacuation plan if there was any serious incident. I guess we were a bit complacent in those regards, but given that we had paid park entrance fees and the high costs to stay at the compulsory campsites, I guess we thought that there would be some strategies already in place. We also trusted the opinions of the ranger. Although, given that we did make it over without serious injury, I guess it could be argued that he was right. Reading about the recent incident, it does not seem that there are any real exit strategies if anything goes wrong; which is quite crazy given the commercial nature of this particular hike. For something to be marketed so heavily without having more stringent safety protocols seems quite unethical. This is not a normal ‘back-country hike’, where you accept that there is little to no infrastructure in place.
We also thought about whether there should be some chains or some better indication of the path in case of loss of visibility. But having researched it a bit, it seems that having the ‘safety-net’ of chains on the mountain might actually be counter-productive, in that it might encourage more people to try and complete the hike even in conditions when they just shouldn’t be there. So, not having the path marked in that way may actually be the safer decision overall. It just comes down to the fact that those hikers just shouldn’t have been on the mountain in those conditions.
As well as a lack of rangers and consistent decision making, there also seems that there was a lack of communication between the two different companies that own the different campsites in the park, along with the park authorities themselves. The campsites are as full as possible at any given time, and thus if the flow of people going around the trek is disrupted due to not being able complete the days hiking, there doesn’t seem to be enough facilities for the extra numbers. This does seem to be an issue with the commercial nature of the campsites and can encourage people to try and continue, even when it is not safe to do so. It also makes people ignore their own intuition if you are going to lose an expensive booking and potentially have no place to stay. Surely there needs to be a certain level of flexibility with booking the sites in case of emergencies? It is hiking in an isolated destination after all.
Having the infrastructure in place and charging the fees that they do may also encourage people to try the hike who are not really experienced enough to be doing so. We had years of hiking in the Swiss alps behind us and yet we still found the O-Trek to be challenging. And this was whilst renting tents at the campsites – so we weren’t even carrying all of our own stuff. Whilst everyone should have the opportunity to be outside and enjoy hiking in beautiful nature, they need to understand that hiking is dangerous and experience needs to be gained over time, bit by bit.
That experience also links into the equipment that you bring. I have no idea if the hikers on November 17th were fully equipped and by the sounds of it, it probably wouldn’t have made any difference either way given the horrendous conditions; but each hiker has a responsibility to be as prepared as possible to minimise any potential risk.
Equipment that we think everyone should have include the following:
– Worn-in, waterproof hiking boots. These boots should have a good sole with plenty of grip and provide good ankle support. Hiking in Patagonia or other alpine environments is not the same as taking your dog for a walk in the park. Not having proper footwear increases the risk of injury in difficult conditions.
– Hiking poles. When I was younger I used to like having one pole to aid with balance, especially when descending. As I got a bit older I started to appreciate the benefit of poles in helping to take the pressure of your back and joints, especially when carrying a heavy backpack. It also helps to make hiking more of a fully-body exercise. By the time we did the O-Trek, I was happily using two poles. They help with balance, rhythm and spreading out the pressure throughout the body. In difficult conditions, they can also help reduce the risk of slipping and falling.
– Waterproof clothing. Admittedly, I rarely use my waterproof trousers but I’ll always take them on longer hikes just in case. A waterproof jacket, however is a must. Walking when you are soaked through is not fun. And in extreme conditions can be dangerous. When hiking with large rucksacks, we also tend to take ponchos that can quickly fit over both ourselves and the backpack.
– Warm clothing in the form of layers. Every hiker should have a good layering system. This should include wicking materials closer to the skin to help try and reduce moisture; then layers that provide good insulation; before finishing with soft shells and a lightweight waterproof jacket or a waterproof hard shell to stop the wind and rain. Having varied and plentiful layers with you means you can adapt to different situations.
– Hats, gloves and a tunnel. Having both a warm hat and a sunhat on a longer hike might seem like overkill but both can be very important in different situations. A tunnel is also a nice piece of equipment, as it can act as a scarf, a balaclava, or a headband. Radka likes to use hers to keep hair out of her eyes. But it is a very lightweight option to help you stay flexible.
– A first aid kit and an emergency blanket. The little foil blanket that you’ve seen people receive at the end of marathons weighs next to nothing and yet can be very effective at reflecting your own thermal radiation back towards your own body (just remember to have the shiny side facing towards yourself). And a first aid kit needs no explaining.
– If there is any chance of there being ice or snow on your route, then you should consider taking a set of micro-spikes. You can get some really nice lightweight options now-a-days that slip over any boot size and they can make a real difference in slippery conditions.
– A whistle. Many rucksacks now incorporate a whistle into the chest strap but if yours doesn’t then you should consider carrying a small whistle separately, in case you need to make others aware of your position if you’re having difficulties.
– Other essentials include sunglasses, sunscreen, snacks and plenty of water.
This is not an exhaustive list (and certainly not a full list of what we took on the O-Trek). It was just to highlight some items that we feel are essentials and yet not everyone carries them. The purpose of highlighting those items was just to try and initiate a thought process for what equipment should be considered whilst hiking. The items may add quite a bit of extra weight but it helps to reduce potential risks. If the extra weight is a problem then that probably means you haven’t done enough training. Please feel free to add to the comments any ‘extra’ pieces of equipment linked to safety that you think I’ve missed off the list.
So, I think I’ve managed to mention the major issues Radka and I have talked about between ourselves since the tragedy. There is also quite an extensive Reddit thread that brings up quite a lot of interesting points if you want to look into it further.
In the end, I’m not sure what our conclusion is to the event. These terrible incidents can happen when you’re in these types of places. And yet the main issue with this particular event seems to be that the hikers should just not have been on the mountain at that time. Whether it was the park’s fault for not properly informing them, or whether the hikers should have better researched the weather conditions themselves is open for continued discussion. There is also the added debate about the pressures applied due to the commercial nature of the campsites. But there does seem to be a feeling that this was an avoidable tragedy, which makes it all the worse. So, whilst it is a beautiful area and we are very glad that we managed to hike there, people need to treat it with the respect it deserves and make sure they are as prepared as possible to face the challenges that may occur.
Brit and Czech Abroad 