We trekked through mountain valleys full of white and yellow wild flowers the first day. We had a hot and sunny day and then camped at Seron. The next day, we woke up to a rain storm which covered all the mountains around us in a dusting of snow. It rained on and off the second day while trekking about 6 hours to the next camp, Lago Dickson. We were camped next to the mountains, but it continued to rain on us all night and snow up in the mountains. The next morning, the rain was still very stubborn and would not go away, so we had to trek again all wet to the next camp, Los Perros. It snowed and sleeted on us as we climbed higher and higher over the trek that day. This camp was at the base of the mountain pass which we had to hike over, Paso John Garner. We camped there and finally it dried out the next day. But Jenn got sick with some 24 hour bug, so we all spent the sunny day relaxing, getting ready for the hard hike over the pass the next day. It wouldnt have been a good day to go over the pass anyways, since it was cover in about a foot of snow, and then you cant see the trail!
Hiking Over John Garner Pass
Hiking over the mountain pass was very difficult, since it was steep and rocky, above the tree-line and sometimes cover in snow. Once we got on top, the clouds blew away, and we were rewarded with a clear view of Glacier Grey, and huge glacier which come out of the icefield to the north. Now that we were up, we had to go right back down, but at least it was nice and sunny. When we got to the next camp, Campemento Paso, we were so exhuasted! The next morning we slept in late, and then got ready for another nice hike to Lage Grey, the glacier lake. Here we were treated to a hot shower! What a relief. We camped next to floating icebergs that night and howling wind over the lake. The next morning brought more rain so we had a late start hoping that if we waited long enough, the rain would stop. But it didnt, so we just started hiking to the next camp. It really cleared up half way through our hike, which was a relief. We saw a condor flying high over the valley besides us. We also finally got a peak at the tops of the mountains. They were all ragged and looked like Mordor from Lord of the Rings. When we finally reached camp Grande Paine, we saw the `horns` the famous granite peaks of the park. They were so cool looking! They also had a store there, so we got to taste real food, like milk, juice, cookies, and potato chips! Mmmmmmmmmm. The next morning, we continued on to Camp Italiano just 2 hours away, hiking along lakes in the forest next to the large granite peaks. When we got there, rain was misting over the mountain, so the camp was always wet. We set up camp and then walked up the valley to get a better view of the mountains, but the ever returning rain stopped us! The rain never stops!!!! The next morning, after deafening howling wind all night, we decided to finish our trek by going pack to Grande Paine and catching a boat to the exit of the park instead of hiking an additional 6-8 hours to complete the full circle finished at Los Torres camp. Thats okay! We were tired of trekking after 9 rough and tough days! We were all battered by the elements, but it was so worth it!
Now we are back in town, headed back to Punta Arenas by bus. We have a few more days before we have to go home, so we are going to Santiago. There, we will hang around the beach for a few days. After being so cold some nights here in Patagonia, we are looking forward to the heat in Santiago. It should be on the 80-90sF!!!
We are still alive!!!
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