Canadian know-how helps restore Torres del Paine’s bucket-list hikes in Patagonia

Immediately, I felt the difference in my feet, knees, hips, and even my mind. Instead of the painful rocks, it felt like I was walking on pillows—almost as if the ground beneath me was made of feathers. After enduring the hard-packed trail that had made my joints protest for the past five hours, just a few steps on the newly designed but still unfinished path made me feel like I could keep going. Relief washed over me, followed closely by awe.

Brett believes that trails should tell hikers a story about the landscape. He's heading back to Patagonia for his 10th visit in September to continue his work on sustainable and social trail planning. He now runs his own consulting business, Earthbound Projects, but his first invitation to this wild part of the world came from a group that owns Reserva Las Torres, an 11-acre reserve adjacent to the national park. Several of Torres del Paine’s most popular trails cross through their private land.

Considering the mindset of international hikers coming to Patagonia, Brett realized he needed to adapt. "They have a very focused goal," he said, recognizing the need to create new trails that discourage determined hikers from taking shortcuts on the old route, which would undermine reforestation efforts. There are still two bridges to build and more routing to finalize, but he hopes the new section of the Mirador trek will be completed by April 2025. One of Torres del Paine's three granite towers rises as high as 2,500 meters, looming over the rocky trail below.