D23 -- Whose idea WAS this?!?

Although it rained all night, we slept well and got up relatively late. After breakfast with Alex and Dorothy we set off in a light drizzle and strong wind. After an hour, Thomas realized that the rain cover had blown off his pack, along with our waterproof pants. He went back to look for them but the wind had long since carried them away. We debated what to do, and Thomas decided we should go back to be safe, because if we hit heavy rain we’d be soaked and extremely cold. After 40 minutes of backtracking I decided that I didn’t want to waste money (we had already paid for board and lodging at two refugios), so he agreed to turn around AGAIN!

It was less rainy than the previous day but the wind was the same, if not stronger. The rain was pelting us again and the wind almost knocked us over several times. It was actually pretty funny. Thank goodness for walking sticks! The trail took us to the shore of Lake Nordenskjold, and we had to stop two or three times to brace ourselves as incredible gusts of wind slammed into us carrying water picked up from the lake. My cap flew off at one point but Thomas saved it. Now it was more miserable than funny, and I told Thomas to cancel our treks in Nepal and New Zealand as soon as we got to a computer. The terrain was easier than the first two days, but the wind really beat us down. We were glad to reach warm, cozy Refugio Cuernos after six hours of hiking.

We dined with a Polish woman named Danuta who’d been one of our roommates at Paine Grande. She’s very nice and it was interesting to learn more about Poland and Switzerland (she lives in Geneva). After dinner we were exhausted and bummed to learn that tomorrow’s hike was 6 hours, not 4 ½ like we thought. Thomas had a splitting headache and my knees had begun to plot a mutiny against me. On a positive note, we did have one beautiful view from a place called Camp Italiano. A rickety bridge over a raging river looked up the valley to the mountains and a glacier. I bet it’s gorgeous when it is sunny.

-Elva