---

Our last day in the park was our sunrise hike to the iconic Towers. We awoke at 3:30 am to make it to the top before sunrise. In the dining hall of the campsite we found some other groups getting coffee before turning their headlamps on and trekking up the mountain. My headlamp unfortunately was dead so I had to use our solar blowup camping lantern tied to my chest. In my mind I was sure I looked like Iron Man. It was completely black when we started. We could only see small bouncing lights in front of us as we passed some groups on the way up. At one point we had a guy behind us and we think he was scared to go in front of us because every time we stopped, he would stop and wait for us to continue going first – weird though that he never spoke a word. Maybe he was a ghost.

After about 45 min we had made it above the tree line and were now facing a long stretch of boulder scrambles in the pre-dawn darkness. We were following this French couple that seemed to know where they were going. We could see other people’s headlamps way up the mountain from us, so we all just kept climbing up, hoping we were on the actual trail. It was just starting to become a little lighter when we finally found the trail again. Now we were only a short way from the Towers. You have to just keep looking for the randomly placed trail markers until you ascend to the see them off in the distance looming over you. You round the corner to take your first look at this pristine mountain lake that sits at the base of the Towers. People were already spread around just waiting and hoping for the clouds to clear and the sunrise to hit the tops of the towers any minute now.

• 

• 

• 

Unfortunately for all of us there that morning, the clouds lingered. So we found a spot and met some other Americans as we waited. The local fox was about, probably on his usual daily routine of begging for food and searching for crumbs. He came and went sniffing around and you could tell that he was pretty used to people.

• 

• 

• 

At a certain point, you could tell the sun had already come up behind us but it was being blocked by clouds to the east. The chatter amongst the crowd was growing as people were getting impatient and started climbing some of the rocks on the lake to take pictures. It was excitement met with disappointment knowing you had to go because you still had a lot of hiking ahead of you and you weren’t going to be able to see the Towers. They never did fully come out but these were some of my best shots:

• 

• 

Staying as long as we could, the sun did peek through a couple of times. Even though we didn’t get to see the full towers it their entirety, it is still amazing and awe-inspiring to be in the presence of these granite towers on the top of a mountain. And of course…it was just another reason to come back here someday!

• 

• 

• 

• 

At some point on the trail going back down the mountain, because it was now light out, we were able to see how utterly OFF TRAIL we had been when we going over the steep rock scramble. The actual trail was much easier and made way more sense. We were cracking up looking over at this giant boulders we had been scaling for no reason.

• 

Below on the left is a picture looking down what we had climbed up – the trail curves off to the right through the tree line, as you can see in the picture on the bottom right. But just went STRAIGHT up in the dark, just seeing that people’s headlamps were way up top so we figure it was the way to go. I’m sure we weren’t the first people to make this mistake in the dark.

• 

• 

We made it back to Chileno campsite a little before the lunch hour and we still had to take down our tent and hike back down to the welcome center. One of the campsite workers came over to our tent as we were packing up telling us we needed to leave so others could have our spot. She was nice about it and we packed up pretty quick. Now we could just chill for a bit at the tables outside the dining hall for lunch. We could see the towers somewhat from the campsite and it looked a little cloudy still. Saying goodbye after lunch, we set off back down the windy pass.

• 

This day was especially tiring because we essentially did TWO difficult hikes in one. From Chileno campsite, up to the Towers and back, was 7 miles. That’s a full day in itself, not to mention one of the steeper parts of the O circuit! But we also got to do that part with very light packs, as we had left our whole campsite still pitched down in the valley. Post-lunch, we had to strap on the full, heavier packs and do another 3.5 miles back up through the windy pass and then down to base Central…even though our legs had decided they were already done for the day when we sat down for lunch! Toughed it out though, as our bus ride out of the park and back to reality awaited us at the bottom.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The rest of our way back down was filled with a lot of reflection about our last 12 days there and how it was better than we could have imagined. We were pretty tired and it was a good nine miles or more that day. We made it to the Central refugio near the welcome center and bus pick-up, and still had an hour or so to spare. Time for a well deserved meal and beer! So hungry, tired, and slap happy, we ordered a bunch of food that consisted almost entirely of straight carbs with varying cheese. Demolished it all though….and then, ZONKED OUT on the bus ride, hour and a half back to Puerto Natales .

Pictures tell the whole story (also, you can see on the beer label how the towers look without cloud covering):

• 

• 

• 

• 

The next morning, back at our Airbnb and with wifi, we began to dig through what had happened in the world while we were hiking the O circuit in Torres del Paine National Park.

March 3rd – March 15th, 2020

If you think about that timeline, the coronavirus had just entered New York and Seattle. Italy hadn’t gotten bad yet. And the virus had not entered South America yet. It was around the times of the toilet paper panic in the US…

Argentina had already shut their borders. All the national parks were closing. Torres del Paine closed 2 days after we left – we barely got to complete out entire trek. We met many people who were just arriving in town to go start their trek only to find out they couldn’t. Hotels and hostels were closing left and right. Airbnb hosts didn’t want us because we were American and anyone from America or Europe was considered a risk. We tried to tell many hosts that we had been in South America for 70 days so there was no way we had COVID19 but the answers were still no. Our current host Maria was so gracious and understood our unfolding dilemma and told us we could stay as long as we wanted with her.

• 

The kindness of strangers that we experienced in South America is something that I really can not overstate. Having had this brief but rewarding experience, I wonder about the perspective of US citizens that there was so much fear (even pre-pandemic) to travel to South American countries…sadly in recent years, our country has really developed a fear of the unknown.

• 

• 

• 

It was the email from the US Embassy in Santiago, Chile that made our final decision. The email stated that if you are a US citizen, you should book flights home immediately before commercial flights were no longer available and Chile’s borders close. We called our parents and told them we were coming home in 3 days. Of course we were totally crushed, not only because this amazing trip we had only just started was cut short, but additionally shocked by how exponentially WORSE this epidemic had grown while we were off the grid.

It was a lot to take in on March 16th – Gabrielle actually got nauseous from reading the news that day.

Three days left in Puerto Natales until we took a bus to Punta Arenas to board a flight to Santiago to Atlanta to St. Louis. We decided to make the best of things and we enjoyed some final shopping for treasures and keepsakes, delicious Chilean food, wandered the streets, and gazed at the mountains across the bay to the West and North.

• 

• 

• 

While there were still no confirmed coronavirus cases in this region of Chile, the influence of the media/pandemic had already hit this little town at the Southern end of the world. Places were closing with signs about COVID19. The small grocery stores were starting to look bare with long lines outside. Mask wearing was becoming more and more prevalent. Many stores had signs in their front windows that read “Sin Desinfectante.” It’s Spanish for “no sanitizer.”

• 

Trekking the O circuit in Torres del Paine – 80 miles over the course of 12 days – was an iconic end to an unforgettable and phenomenal backpacking trip, albeit shorter than originally expected. We felt welcomed and safe at all of the homes that opened their doors to us in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. While we certainly saw the signs of poverty and injustice in many places, we also observed so much good will and small joys, as well as evidence of people EVERYWHERE trying to stand up and fight for change to make a better society and a better world.

• 

…Which I guess is a theme we can all relate to no matter where we are. And it’s been made even more vivid by the realities that this year has brought – realities that have often been there all along, but are finally coming more into focus now that things have happened that made people see.

Not if but WHEN it is safe to travel there again in the future, David and I look forward to exploring new places in that amazing continent that sits to our South, and will surely return to some of our most treasured places.

---

We awoke in Torres Central campsite to the sound of the morning chattering parakeets back at work on the food hunt. This was going to be an easy day for us since we didn’t have too far to travel up to the Chileno campsite. Taking our time, we got up and walked over to the Welcome center for coffee and donuts! We also loaded up on a sandwich to split for lunch and a big bag of these veggie root chips. After packing up camp we are headed back towards the Hotel Las Torres, which we’d pass along today’s route up the valley.

On the trail there, we were commenting on how light we felt, how accomplished we already were from everything we had already tackled, and how excited we were for the last two days to see the iconic Towers. This experience has been so different and more amazing than anything else we’d ever done before.

Hotel Las Torres is a pretty grand and sprawling place with multiple buildings joined together from the main lobby area. They house multiple barns on the property with livestock and horses. There are also greenhouses where they grow vegetables for the farm to table restaurant. If you want luxury at the end of the world, this was it. We stopped in to look around and cozy up to the lobby bar for a beer. Little did we know that they have a little “nano brewery” onsite that makes just one beer – a hoppy pale ale that is made with endemic hops that they grow in the greenhouses! Maybe it was partially the excitement and hype of the moment, but we thought it was spectacular.

We left the Hotel on a high note and with a little buzz rolling, we headed back up the mountain. After passing the point where the trails converge, we were passed again by the horses that were carrying supplies up the mountain to the campsite. Before you get to Chileno you must go through the Windy Pass. Its not visible until right at the top of the canyon crux.

There was a cool lookout point that I told Gabrielle to run up ahead so I could take her picture. Unfortunately, it was closed off, most likely for restoration purposes.

It began to drizzle near the end of our hike, but the views did not disappoint!

We made it to the Chileno campsite, halfway up the valley to the Torres (towers), with lots of time to spare so we looked around for a bit and then set up our tent on our platform which was VERY high up off the ground on one side!

After some showers, it was time to feast. We could not use our camp stove at Chileno because of the high winds restricting open flame/high fire danger, so we had to buy tickets to the dinner in the lodge. It worked out well, though, because we had wanted to try at least one of the refugio’s paid meals, so how fitting for our last night in the park! The night’s special was a scrumptious salmon platter with salad, grilled veggies and a creamy lemon polenta that went perfectly with the salmon…Yum! We made friends with some other Americans and shared some steins of the Torres del Paine Helles Bock beer from Cereveza Austral that we had come to love so much. Its label is a picture of the Towers so, I mean…you gotta drink that beer when you’re in the closest campsite to the towers and you can SEE them dominating the horizon from your seat in the dining room.

Everything was eaten and they wouldn’t give us seconds even with Gabrielle asking nicely for more multiple times! The server just kept laughing and telling us there was only so much for everyone. It was amazing though and we retired to our tent very satisfied. The alarm was going to come early for our sunrise hike to the Towers and we slept like two fatted pigs.

---

---

As luck would have it, the story of our 10th day on the trail was another perfectly clear blue sky with lush sunshine touching everything and giving it the fantastic hues that only sunshine can give. Oh, what a life it was to awaken to the wild of Patagonia every morning.

Los Cuernos campsite and refugio sits on a slope that curves down toward the edge of the lake, Lago Nordenskjold. As such, our tent site was on a wooden platform, which was commonplace for any of the campsites that sat on uneven ground. The sun rose up over hills and hit our tent early, as we were situated in an area that was mainly brush and small trees, so very little tree cover to block sunlight. And it was quite perfect in that regard, as we got to truly drink in the majesty of the Los Cuernos rock formations and granite spires to which we were in such close proximity.

Awe-inspiring. And with the moon just above it, too!

Someone sitting next to us the night before at dinner had mentioned they occasionally had fresh bread leftover and available for purchase in the morning. As an afterthought, we went to the refugio’s front desk to ask and found that the morning luck was still with us: They had a warm, freshly baked full loaf of bread available, and even a couple eggs if we wanted to pay a little extra! We bought 6 eggs and a loaf and treated ourselves to an incredibly simple and storybook-level-good breakfast of scrambled eggs and bread.

I don’t think either of us have ever enjoyed hot scrambled eggs and fresh, warm bread as much as we did on this day. Whoever said it first wasn’t lying when they said it’s all about perspective. Perspective helps you find the joy in the simplest of things….even if you’ve done the same thing a hundred times before in your life, that ONE time can be totally different 🙂

Happy minds and happy bellies, we struck out to the East and began our trek to Campsite Central (Cen-TRAL). There was a fun little hill just next to the Los Cuernos campsite, and it gave fantastic views for the start of our hike.

Not for the first time (nor the last), I thought to myself how we could’ve sat and stayed on that boulder a good while longer, simply looking, listening, and breathing in and out.

Fluffy clouds sat cushioned amongst jagged rock formations above us as we went, and made for beautiful, wispy, and sunny contrast against the dark stone.

We crossed many small streams and medium-sized waterfalls this day, and the amount of detail you could observe in the water was intense and exciting. With the sunlight piercing every part and shadow of the water, you can see through it and it is just as crystal clear as your imagination wills it to be, like something out of a dream.

I would stop and want to fill my water bottle with more fresh water, even though it was still half full from the stream we’d crossed a mile back! The mere fact that you can just fill your water bottle with any of these stream’s water invigorated me to just keep doing it whenever I got the chance. I mean, how often in your life to you get to drink this caliber of pristine, naturally-occurring agua? Without a doubt, I planned to SAVOR that shit like these were our last days in Patagonia……. (And yes, the irony of that statement just slays me).

Had a calm lunch on our own at a clifftop spot about halfway through our day. We could still see Los Cuernos in the distance, getting smaller and smaller. This day took us alongside the southern edge of a different peak, Monte Almirante Nieto, or in English “admiral grandchild.” Not quite sure why it’s named that, but I’m sure there’s a story behind it.

Those of you that read our previous days’ posts from our hike in Torres del Paine may recall this: On our 8th day of this O circuit, we went through a valley that had frequent daily avalanches from hanging glaciers that were warmed in the daylight. You would hear an intensely loud crack like thunder, and then the avalanche of snow would plummet down followed by a new waterfall that sprang from where the snow had been shifted. It is just the most incredible thing to witness. I bring it up again now because what was just so, SO cool is that we could STILL hear the avalanches that entire day – and we were hiking continuously away from it! Every time we’d hear the sound of a seeming crash of thunder in the distance behind us, it brought a smile to our faces. It was almost like….we had a shared secret, and anyone hiking in the opposite direction towards that valley didn’t yet know that secret 🙂

Even when we arrived at our campground for that night, Torres Central, we could still hear the avalanche thunder, albeit more muffled. The distance at that point was about 14 or 15 miles. What a wild and crazy thing she is, that Nature.

Also, lots of fun bridges to swing from!

FYI, not recommended to do with a full backpack on. My arms almost died.

Near the end of this day’s trek, we passed by a tranquil little lagoon. It was almost like glass – not a ripple on the water. Until I poked it with my hiking pole.

We ran into two older ladies with a guide that had walked up to the lagoon from the Hotel, only a short mile or so. We had pleasant conversation – one of the ladies was American. When she found out that we had been out in the wilderness for the past 10 days and didn’t have any access to phone service, wifi, or news, she elevated to a new level of alarm and took it upon herself to start telling us of the state of emergency the world was in and how we needed to get back to the States ASAP because COVID-19 was taking over the planet.

(Soooooo….forgive me while I borrow an apropos line of Angelica’s from Hamilton for this moment and what was going through my head as this lady spoke to us….cue the music) “And I re-a-lize three fundamental truths at the EXACT SAME TIME.”

Number One: We probably would’ve been better off not hearing any of this and finishing our last two days in this park without the damn news of how the outside world was going to hell in a handbag. I mean…c’mon, lady.

Number Two: It was obvious that she did not understand the crash of negativity she was bringing to our vibe, and was probably thinking she was “saving” us and doing us a favor….I don’t hold it against her. I wasn’t angry. More just saddened by this sudden reality check and the simultaneous realization that we were likely going to have to face some somber stories and hard decision making in near future.

Number Three: Up to this literal second, every night we had camped in Torres del Paine people had NOT ONCE brought up the topic of the outside word and what was going on with coronavirus. I hadn’t even realized it until these very seconds that this lady made me realize it. Was the fact that it was never a conversation topic intentional? Accidental? Uncanny to say the least. Made me feel hopeful, too. Hopeful in that after a day of sharing the trail with fellow hikers, having encounters with wild animals, experiencing the peace and joy of being in the wilderness….that a group of strangers from various countries and backgrounds can come together and focus on THIS day, THESE memories, and not need to read things on their phones, post immediately about what they are doing, or hear about what is happening anywhere else other than Right. Here.

I think those are the kind of places where the root of happiness lives, metaphorically speaking. 10 straight days of an unspoken agreement to live in the “here and now” and forget the rest. What a change of pace it was, and a whole new perspective from what I’d become accustomed to in our country’s typical focal points and stressors that we (much of the time) bring upon our own shoulders – myself included!

Again….perspective is a blessing. I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through these past 5 months without it. Hell, I don’t know how some people go through LIFE without it! I feel bad for them, though, because they are missing out on a depth and richness that is otherwise unreachable.

We finished the last ~mile to Torres Central. After heading over to the refugio’s hotspot, we paid the money to get an hour of wifi, let our parents know that we were healthy and significantly better than okay. Checked to see if Chile had locked down its borders (it hadn’t)…and then we let go of what we couldn’t control.

Put the phones away, walked back to our tent and enjoyed the now familiar bodily fatigue of a good, long day of exercise. Laughed at the hilarious squawking of the Austral parakeets that filled the campsite, drank a craft beer and watched the sun set over Monte Almirante Nieto.

**Disclaimer: There are far too many photos of me in this post and far too few of David. It’s really just because there are far less in quantity. I will now, from here on out, be making a point to stop and take more photos of my love while on the trail!

---

---

We planned this day to be a short day, 2 mile walk from Campsite Frances to Los Cuernos Refugio. Since there was time to spare, we took our time getting up and ready in the morning and waited for everyone else to be on their way so we could actually have space to cook breakfast in the tiny kitchen area! We packed up and took some last pictures from the bathroom/kitchen area and set out for a nice afternoon stroll.

Our path ran along the big lake (Lago Nordenskjöld) most of the day up and down the terrain of the foothills. There were great examples of Lenga and Ñire trees everywhere and David pressed some leaves in his journal.

As we traipsed along the way we could still hear the occasional small avalanche behind us as Paine Grande and the glaciers of the Frances Valley melted in the sun.

Rounding new corners brought sights of new waterfalls flowing from way up high to trickling over the trail in front of us.

We took a nice long break for lunch sitting by the lake on a beach of rocks. Tranquility at its finest.

As we arrived to Los Cuernos refugio/campsite, the sun popped out and lit up the mountains!

This campsite was named after the iconic rock formations under which it is situated, Los Cuernos. Literally translated, it means “the horns,” which they resemble. The O trek of Torres del Paine is a circle trek, so you end up back where you started if you walk long enough. The area of land around which the O trek makes a ring is called the Paine Massif. It is a cluster of mountains, granite towers, and spectacular rock formations. Most any image of the Paine Massif features Los Cuernos front and center, as it is an unmistakable image of “the horns of Patagonia.”

---

While our 8th day in the park dawned still a bit overcast (bummer), we kept our hopes up for partly sunny. Maybe, just maybe…there’d be some clearing and sun by the time we got to the top!

The hike up to the Británico mirador/overlook was 4.2 miles from our starting point at the Frances campsite, which made for (up and back down) a total of 8.4 miles. Elevation gain up to the mirador is 2,011 feet, so not an insignificant climb! But – and this is a big BUT – this being our first round trip day hike in Torres del Paine, we got to leave the vast majority of our stuff in the tent. Which means LIGHTER PACKS! We took only extra clothing layers, lunch, water, first aid kit, and trail necessities. We left our tent pitched with the sleeping bags, air mattresses, stove and utensils, hobo rolls with all the clothes, extra books or journal, and everything else. 

It was just the most thrilling thing to start our hike with backpacks that felt like they were carrying nothing but air. I remember for the first twenty minutes or so, the two of us would randomly burst out laughing at how strong we felt having removed all that weight. It was a nice treat, and put into perspective just how much stronger our bodies had grown in only 8 days. All those people that pay to have the horses or park employees carry their stuff/food and do the hike with the lightest of backpacks…well….good for them for having that kind of spending money! But believe me when I say they are missing out on the highly rewarding weight-training-style satisfaction that comes from finally doing a hike without your full pack. WORTH IT. Felt like kangaroos sometimes, with a little extra jump in our step.

We wound our way up the Valle del Frances, which extends north from Lago Nordenskiöld and keeps to the east side of the valley’s river, Rio Frances.

The Frances Valley is a special place. Not only is it awe-inspiring from every angle, but there are hanging glaciers spread all across the tops and crags of the mountains that give you daily shows: Avalanches! Now, these aren’t the kind of avalanches that hikers need to worry about, as they are too small to cause any kind of danger, and the trail is far enough off of the fall zone.

At first (and partially because everything was still shrouded in clouds throughout the morning), David and I thought the rumbling we were hearing was thunder up the valley. It sounded almost exactly like a storm in the distance. As we approached and were able to see more clearly in the presence of the mountain, we witnessed it firsthand. The warmth of the sun works on the hanging mountain glaciers up high, and then a loud crack or a loud rumble is the first sign. If you turn fast, have a clear line of sight without any tree blockage, and are lucky enough to find the movement in time…then you watch in amazement as a huge patch of snow and ice breaks off and falls down the sheer face of the mountain-side, plummeting everything in its path. And every time, without fail, a brand new stream of meltwater bursts from where that avalanche had just fallen. 

We were watching waterfalls being created.

It doesn’t get old. 

After a snack break at the Frances mirador, we pressed on. The paths today were up often on tree-covered ridges, which made for cool perspectives looking down on either side as you walked.

At one point, we passed an impressive and larger multi-tiered waterfall on the Rio Frances. I made sure to hold on to sturdy branches as I got up close to it! I love the tendency that large waterfalls have to take over all your senses. It’s very meditative. You have to treasure those things that help you slow down the mind when it is usually so hard to do. 

While we had glaciers and avalanches to the west of us, granite spires and towers lined the sights to the east and north. And sure enough, as it got closer to midday, the clouds began to clear out and the sun came out to light the way.

By the time we reached the peak, Británico mirador, it was 360 degrees of awesome and you just can’t help but be humbled by the geologic power displayed in your surroundings. 

While it was a bit crowded up there, we stuck around and enjoyed for a good long while. I saw one girl arrive, take a few selfies, and then leave to head back within 5 minutes. WTF?! I was still eating the same piece of beef jerky for the duration of it. People baffle me.

The Británico sights are worth spending the extra time. I mean, let’s be honest…the whole park is. 

Another thing that’s funny was that David and I both remarked later that when we hit the mirador at the peak, both of us were a bit surprised that the upward climb was over, feeling like we could’ve kept going and done more! That is SUCH a great feeling, and I hope everyone either has experienced it or gets to experience it someday. Validation.

Our hike back down the valley was as if the wind we felt at the top had come through and whooshed all the rest of the lingering clouds out of the valley. 

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. 

There were a couple times on the way back down that we’d hear the loud crack of an avalanche and both of us would instinctively jump before remembering after a second what it was. I said earlier in this post that it doesn’t get old…additionally, you really don’t get used to it, especially when it is so close in proximity!

For dinner that night, we wanted to check out the nice view overlooking the lake down by the Frances restaurant, and refugio domes, so we brought all our dinner stuff down the hill (to hell with the steep walk back up!). We found an empty table on which to cook, some rocks on which to sit, played cards, watched the line of sun creep up the mountains across the way…and (if I were to put it simply) –  found yet more solace in this place where solace is overflowing.

---

I recall feeling pretty good as we rose and began the breakfast routine on our 7th day in the park. We were past the halfway point! It was both an exciting thought as well as a sad one…simply because we were that much closer to having to leave this wild paradise. I recall thinking how I wanted to be sure I cherish these memories now as I will look back on them often in the future. 

Little did I know how right I was, being as this was our last big adventure before having to return to the US to quarantine and then hunker down for an undetermined amount of time. Isn’t it funny how poignant (and ironic) a moment can seem in retrospect? I feel like that happens more and more to me as I get older. Maybe that’s what elder folk (all you with the silver and white hair!) feel like every day.

Anyway, back to our trail. After breakfast, we bought a couple important items at the camp store of Paine Grande – espresso shots, 2 beers to have with lunch, a can of sour cream and onion Pringles, and a bird identification guide. Treasures, all! The hike to our next campsite, Frances, was 5.9 miles Northeast. Onward, baby. 

The view looking back towards Paine Grande as we climbed up and away from it was really great! The higher we got, the more we could see the wide and expansive scale of the lake we’d be on. 

This day was 100% cloud cover all day – just another variety of your classic Patagonian weathers. You never know what you’re going to get! At a couple campsite check-ins, they had a sign hanging up that said “Don’t ask about the weather…Live the Patagonia.” It always made us laugh. I am going to have to get that on a shirt at some point. 

The clouds covering the mountains and views up high had the effect of keeping our eyes and focus more at ground level all day. Which was definitely interesting in itself – your daily dose of streams and waterfalls, autumn color in the leaves, blooming flowers, and winding trails was all we needed. The first half of our trail was still through a lot of the burned area from the wildfire in 2011, so we did see many scars of that as the ecosystem continues to heal itself.

I like to think of waterfalls like snowflakes…each one is completely unique, no other like it on Earth. Oftentimes on this day, we’d come across distant waterfalls seemingly pouring from the clouds themselves! It was both mystical and quite enchanting. 

We came to a lake called Lago Skottsberg, which seemed a good stop for lunch. As luck would have it, we didn’t have too much of a crowd hiking this day, so we were pretty isolated for lunch which was really nice. Of course…I say isolated and I mean people. We of course still had our now-expected Chimango caracara pals, always looking for some type of munchies. But because they hung around us, David got some fantastic close-ups of these raptors, and even made me run at one of them so he could get some shots of it in flight. 

From our lunch vantage point, we could look down into the lake water and actually SEE the shelf dropoff, which made for a captivating and lovely color contrast, even without the sunlight. It never ceased to bring me wonder how clear and clean the agua is.

The second half of the hike went beyond the extent of the forest fire from 2011, so we transitioned back into more lush greenery and grasses of the Andes lowlands. For a bit, our trail was just hiking through a small stream, which was really cool because you are able to see all of the runoff from rains and meltwater up high trickling into where we were walking. 

Some of the blossoms we saw this day were just so striking, and unlike anything I’d ever seen.

For a brief 5 minutes, a cloud moved out of the way and we saw some of the Los Cuernos formation to which we were getting closer! It was a swift and very cool moment – felt like a gift in the mist, like something out of a spooky movie.

We crossed another river, the Rio del Frances, and the Frances Valley stretched North into cloud cover. Our hike tomorrow would backtrack slightly and head up into this valley to the Britanico viewpoint/mirador, which makes the middle of the “W.” It was such an odd feeling crossing that bridge, looking Northward, and not being able to see anything of where we’d be hiking! We crossed our fingers that tomorrow would be a bit clearer for us (remember, don’t ask park staff about the weather, live the Patagonia). HA

For now, we braved the bridge that said “capacity: 1 person” and walked the last 20 minutes to our campsite, Frances.

Such an interesting campsite! The whole thing is under canopy and on a mountainside, so it’s pretty much impossible to pitch a tent on the ground except for a few level spots. Everything else is on such an incline, so all the tent sites are wooden platforms sunk into the mountainside so you have a level wooden square on which to pitch your tent. Here’s the kicker, though – the bath house with straight downhill from the platforms, so you got a mini-workout coming back to your tent every time! 

Not just that, but if you wanted to go down to the store/refugio/spot with the cliff view, it was an even further and STEEPER incline downward, and you had to walk that much further uphill coming back from it to your tent. Normally, this wouldn’t bother me, but it does make it tougher when you’re trying to rest your muscles for the evening after already having hiked the entire DAY! Needless to say, Frances campsite is not for the weak of will.

We stayed 2 nights at Frances, as tomorrow’s trek was not a thru-hike – up the valley to the mirador and then back to the campsite. For that reason, we opted out of walking all the way down until tomorrow. After hot showers, we cooked a quick dinner because the Frances cooking area was way too small and everyone was elbow to elbow. Played some cards by lamplight in the tent as an evening rain made it way through the canopy above us. But droopy eyes were bound to come soon. 

Let me tell you…if anyone out there is having trouble sleeping at night and looking for a way to get some solid, restful, and all-through-the-night-sleep, a multi-day hiking trek would help you immensely! I would fall asleep faster these nights than most any other nights I can remember, and it is a recharge in every sense. Even just typing this makes me miss those restful nights….

---

---

Our day of rest yesterday paid off – we woke at Grey campsite feeling rested and ready for another day trekking through the unknown. And PUMPED! I mean, after conquering the monster that was the mountain pass, we felt ready to take on the world. Give me trail and give me LIFE.

Our morning started with a quick little 10 minute walk to a viewpoint of the front of the glacier, which we wanted to see before we headed off. We almost skipped it, giving how incredible our sights had been two days ago after John Gardner Pass. But on a whim, we thought it would be cool to see a different perspective and maybe some icebergs. SOOO glad we did this – not only were we right next to the icebergs, but also the perspective looking directly at Grey Glacier from the front was awesome. It’s a bit of an optical illusion because it’s hard to tell if it’s just inclining straight back or if it’s just a giant wall in front of you. Your mind would play tricks on you a bit as you looked!

Another amazing thing I want to mention is the COLORS of the icebergs. They are just all over the place! White icebergs, silvery grey icebergs, soft blue icebergs, bright blue icebergs, icebergs as clear as crystal that looked like blown glass sculptures, green icebergs… and the most unfathomably deep blues that take you breath away. Blues that I didn’t know could exist, blues that put human-made paint or markers to shame.

Blue diamonds of the glacial type, I’d say.

The more vibrant blue hues in glaciers come from compacted ice and trapped air bubbles. The stronger the blue, the denser the ice as the air bubbles become smushed tinier and tinier. This just means the light can penetrate the ice more deeply because the air in the bubbles is so small that it isn’t scattering the light nearly as much. It’s all very fascinating.

Sadly, the vast majority of the Southern Ice Field has been retreating in the past 30 years. This includes Grey Glacier, a big component of it.

For a good long while, we just sat quietly and enjoyed our Friend, Glacier Grey, and the icebergs. Every once in a while, we’d hear the sound of a splash and would quickly scan the waters to see where a piece of iceberg had broken off. It was up there with one of the most zen activities I can recall doing, listening to and observing icebergs (you’d think it would get boring but it DIDN’T!). We think we could’ve sat there a lot longer had it not been for the need to get on our way.

They are singularly captivating works of art. My mind was stilled and satisfied in these moments’ simplicity.

A good start to our day. We headed back to camp, packed up, and pressed on.

Grey refugio is the start of the W trek, which the O merges with, on the Westernmost side. Unlike the O portion, which you can only hike East to West, everywhere on the W portion of the hike can be hiked in either direction. This is because there are a lot of different places/campsites that people can start from, depending on how much time they have and what they want to see. Anyway, our 6th day on the trail took us from Grey to Paine Grande, 6.7 miles.

It was weird at first having so many people passing us going the opposite direction, after hiking a one-way for so many days. Not just that, but there were considerably more people on this portion of the trail (from what I understand, this is fairly normal because the W is, overall, an easier hike than the back/O). It was funny, though, because we would comment to each other how new everyone’s coats, backpacks, or gear looked while a lot of the folks we’d grown used to hiking with on the back side had gear that looked old, weathered, broken-in. Take that how you will? Just an interesting observation.

In December of 2011, an irresponsible hiker tried to burn some of his used toilet paper and it got out of his hands and hit the ground. With dry summer conditions and the typical strong winds of Patagonia, it escalated quickly and became a massive forest fire that destroyed 125 square kilometers of the park (or a little under 50 square miles). Over the next 2 days, we would walk through portions of this fire, and it was all at once sobering, eerie, and beautiful. At least…in a hauntingly beautiful way.

It just reinforced for both of us how important it is to be careful with our stove flames and lighter. Bearing witness to the result of stupidity all around us, we just kept shaking our heads.

But of course – life finds a way! (Jurassic Park, anyone?) New growth was everywhere, both plant and animal.

We even saw a few Magellanic Woodpeckers hard at work. You could hear their pecking so loudly on approach. The females have the small splash of red feathers around the beak, while the males are the more obvious full head of red feathers. Really great to observe these industrious creatures in the wild, and a friendly passerby bird-watcher lent us his binoculars so we could get a close-up.

Everyone along these trails is in such a great mood. If you don’t feel similarly, you’re doing something wrong. Also, we were hiking below a snowstorm that day! Quite satisfying, beautiful, and kept drawing our gaze all day. We never at high enough elevation to be within the storm, so we just admired from below.

Lots of great miradors on the hike up, as today we were primarily continuing to walk the East side of Lago Grey. With each mirador that was further away from Grey Glacier, we’d stop to turn around and see if this was our last look at the big glacier.

Our windy lunch was accompanied by a new pal looking for scraps of food left by hikers.

Finally, after our lunch at the peak of the trail, we turned inland and had our last parting gaze of our Friend, Grey. It was hard to say goodbye.

We both plan to come back and see it again someday in the future. I think some glacier hiking and kayaking amongst icebergs will be in order then.

Came across the charming Laguna Los Patos in some late afternoon sunlight. Enjoyed the waterfowl out on the little islands.

It was a nice relaxing bit near the final leg for the day when we did some gradual downhill going through a wide valley. Finally got to the Lago Pehoe on which Paine Grande sits, and were rewarded with some nice, clear sunset colors over the Southwestern view of Los Cuernos and some of the smaller towers to the north. A rich reward.

Paine Grande was nice, one of the bigger refugios because it sits on a harbor where people can arrive by boat to start their hike of the W. A lot of hikers end up using Paine Grande as their home base. It was a little crowded for our taste – the kitchen was packed and we had to wait in a bit of a line to wash our dishes. Not a big deal, just a reality of being in a more popular spot.

The surprise kindness of strangers was always following us. A lady we cooked next to was asking about our time on the trail, our favorite parts. She had just done her last day that day and was headed home tomorrow to Spain. She gifted us each a full chocolate bar for the trail the next day, as she had some leftover that she hadn’t eaten. It’s the little things. Small wins.

It was a good night to hit our halfway mark – we felt alive and prepared, always hopeful and always curious of what the morning would bring. Still sore without a doubt…but in a mental state of living in the “now” more and more with each day.

We welcomed a semi-early bedtime with the dark and a few sips of bourbon.

---

---

• 

• 

After our very long, intense day of John Gardner Pass and then some, we gave ourselves a break day at Grey to relax and wash our clothes. Gabrielle slept in and missed our friend Kate leaving for Paine Grande (the next campsite) and I traded coffee with her and said goodbye. After handwashing our clothes and hanging them out to dry near the tent, we decided to splurge a little for a late afternoon lunch and got cheeseburgers and beers! The restaurant and bar in Refugio Grey was very nice and we scored a spot on a comfy couch next to the heating stove in the corner. Once we noticed that liquor was cheaper than beer, we ordered gin and tonics. We were happily surprised when these came:

• 

Giant Tanqueray and tonics with ice cubes literally from the Glacier Grey!! The bartender had a big block of ice behind the bar, chizzling chunks off. It was so crisp and refreshing – best G & T’s we have ever had!

• 

It was a very relaxing day and was much needed as we stumbled around camp that day in pain. Hard even to walk around and much stretching was needed. It was a nice break and we had completed the backside of the trek. The next day we would begin the W trek on the front side of the park.

• 

•