D21 -- Let the Trekking Begin!

We woke up at 6:15 to catch a bus to Torres del Paine National Park to start our five-day trek. (I have decided that on the next leg of our trip there will be more sleeping in and more naps!) The bus dropped us off at a boat launch on beautiful Lago Pehoé, with its spectacular turquoise green waters. From there, a catamaran took us past snow-covered mountains to Refugio Paine Grande. Refugios are lodges where you can eat, stock up on supplies, and rent a camp site or a bunk bed in the dorm. We took advantage of the satellite internet connection to frantically blog for the last time, took some “start of the trip” pictures, and set off on our way.

We hiked for almost four hours on a rocky trail that took us past wind-carved mountains, beautiful Laguna los Patos, which looked like an infinity pool because it was right next to a steep drop off, a waterfall, and a bridge over Rio Olguin, which ran swiftly through a gorge. In all, we walked about 6 ½ miles to reach Glacier Grey on Lago Grey. The glacier appeared to have blocked off part of the lake, creating a pond with tiny icebergs that had nowhere to go – it was very pretty. We didn’t stay long, though, as it was overcast and cold and we were worn-out from hiking the up-an-down terrain.

We checked into Refugio Grey, where we shared a dorm room with 6 other trekkers. It wasn’t too bad – we rented sleeping bags since the beds don’t come with sheets, and Thomas had bought sleeping bag liners with us. The bathrooms, particularly the men’s, left something to be desired in the way of cleanliness, but at least there was hot water. After we both showered we sat down for dinner and were served soup, meat with rice, and mixed fruit – all three with hairs in them YUM! We later read in the guest book that this is the dirtiest refugio of them all.

-Elva