Given that we shared a dorm room with six other hikers, all on bunk beds, we had a relatively okay sleep. However, in the morning both Derek and I were counting and listing our injuries from the day before. This was going to be a long trek!
After breakfast that consistent of bread, cheese and the world’s worst coffee, we set off to the Base of Los Cuernos where our next refugio was located. The weather didn’t look very promising and worried we would get soaked, we both put on our waterproof trousers and I even donned my parka jacket.
Alas, all of it came off pretty quickly as the weather improved after the first 15 minutes and we had a fairly pleasant morning.
The trail goes through the Base of Almirante Nieto Mountain – part of the Paine Massif – with amazing views of Lake Nordernskjold (a beautiful emerald colour), Lake Pehoe (turquoise) and Lake Skottsberg (a deep, almost navy blue). It was like nothing we have ever seen before.
Then you look at the glaciers towering above you. Sheer granite blocks of rock are slowly getting ground to dust by the powerful ice.
We also hiked through beautiful flora. Being December, the “Ciruelillo” or “Fire Bush”, which takes its name from the red colour of its flowers, was in full bloom. It was simply stunning!
There was beautiful flora all around us. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the Fire Bush!
Sadly it was very difficult to enjoy any of these views for very long as the wind was just relentless. At a constant 60 km/h, with the occasional (every 10 minutes!) gusts of more than 100 km/h that would blow you off course. We constantly had to watch our step and hold onto our hats. Soon both of us were pretty grumpy and the weight of the bags and increasing size of our blisters did not help the occasion.
Don’t get me wrong, the scenery was absolutely breath-taking but the wind took some of the appreciation for the view out of our sails.
The great thing about walking in glacier country is quite simply the waterfalls and rivers. Every 45 minutes you need to cross a river or stream, sometimes by suspension bridge, which offers a chance to refill the water bottle with the freshest, cleanest but also coldest ice water imaginable. After your hands have defrosted from retrieving it, that first sip is sublime. But still, the wind…
One of the many beautiful streams we crossed along the way
At last we got to our refugio and our bags could come off. Our feet hurt, our backs hurt, Derek’s blisters, hips and bum hurt. The normal itinerary followed: shower, then beer. Bliss. We found a spot in the sun outside, clinked our beers and admired the view. Not for long though… the wind was buffeting the cabins with gusto. So much so that the waterfall above our lodge had stopped flowing. Actually, it was still flowing but uphill! Water that had fallen down the falls, quite literally did a u-turn and went all the way back up the falls. Now, we are not exactly talking Niagara here, but this was still substantial. Although the wind was so strong, it probably could have stopped Niagara…
We took our beers inside, found a puzzle and quickly got engrossed in rebuilding a typical Santorini scene. As you would expect, not all the pieces were there, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying at least two hours of puzzles and beer before dinner.
