I backpacked for 9 days in Patagonia (southern Chile) in mid-November, 2001. The first 5 were solo, with one hut (refugio) to stay in; whereas the final 4 days I met lots of other fellow travelers and stayed in refugios all 3 nights. The Paine Circuit could have been hiked in 7 days, but I took advantage of several beautiful side trips and turned it into 9. Enjoy!