Day 15 – Monday 22nd October 2018
Day 2 : Refugio Grey – Refugio Paine Grande
Distance travelled:-
By plane – 0
By foot – 22.6 kms/ miles 13.71
By public transport – 0
Steps taken – 26,284
Last nights sunset on the glacier and icebergs had been captivating. The silience, the thunderous bangs as the glacier calved, the colours, everything was perfect.
Some more photos from last night.
Today we woke to beautiful sunshine, blue skies and no wind, just the perfect day.
Before leaving camp we wanted to check out the beach area. So we wandered down and touched some icebergs which had broken off from the Grey Glacier, providing a truly spectacular sight. Enormous ice blocks floated to the lakes shore. Providing the perfect photo opportunity.
Maybe I could live right here
Once again we had to tear ourselves away from such beauty and begin our hike back the way we had come only yesterday, towards Refugio Paine Grande….at this point we were thinking why didn’t we just set up camp at Paine Grande yesterday when we arrived, left our heavy rucksacks there and taken our small light packs, hiked up here, then headed back for the night….instead of doing a ‘heavy hike’…lesson learned but too late!
So off we headed with that thought in our heads!
The walk back out was much steeper than the walk in…it was hot (loving that) and hard going (not loving that)…..and heavy (really not loving that).
The sleeping bags that we hired were massive and heavy, it was well insulated and of course we did need this as it got really cold at night, but if I had known how heavy this beast was going to be I would have just brought my bed!!!
The routes were rambling and chaotic at times but the rewards were big.
Hats off to Sherpas in Nepal…I’m carrying next to nothing compared to them but it feels like everything!!
Nevertheless we are in one of the most beautiful scenic places on earth, views are spectacular and we couldn’t have wished for a better day, honestly, so no complaints…it’s all good.
On the way back once again we enjoyed the awe-inspiring Grey Glacier, the southernmost tip of the Chilean Patagonians Southern Ice Fields.
At this point I then realised this is why we chose to camp last night at Refugio Grey, so we would be able to take another whole day to view this amazing glacier and that we did.
I love glaciers, I find them fascinating.
We sat and had a long lunch at a view point, it couldn’t get any better. We knew we had loads of time to play with so we did.
Then we hiked some more, a whole lot more actually but enjoying the amazing scenery along the way.
Eventually we saw Paine Grande in the distance it was a sight for sore eyes (and back, and shoulders and neck and legs and feet).
We needed to get down to that lake
We reached Paine Grande camping zone which is known for being SUPER windy and tried to set up the tent as close to the mountain as possible, but not quite, it was pretty crowded here, well in our terms anyway so we chose a quieter spot and weighed our tent down with rocks and tied our tent to a fence…honestly…but we had a pretty nice spot and space! Let’s hope were still here tomorrow.
Our little secluded spot
The busy spot but looks quite cool & colourful
Paine Grande is probably the busiest campsite here. It sits where the catamaran drops you off so if you want a leisurely cruise over and a nice room for a night here’s your place. You can do individual day hikes from here and stay whatever amount of days you liked….it’s a nice spot but it will be good to leave.
The campsite on a clear sky gives you amazing views to Paine Grande which is the highest mountain peak in the park at 3050m. It also gives you views of the back end of those famous towers.
Today and tonight we had the most amazing views of Paine Grande and right up to The Towers (the back side of The Towers) …talk about room with a view!
Tonights dinner consisted of pasta, chorizo, tomato sauce, fajita seasoning and parmesan cheese….and it still tasted good!
And just to celebrate completing day two of the trek we sampled some Chilian wine…and that tasted good too.
‘Not all girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice…some girls are made of adventure and wine and all things fine’
Mary's Outdoor Adventure's 
The weather looks good blue skies everyday with beautiful and amazing scenery. Wonder what the sky looks like at night! Love your room with a view, time relax with a nice glass of wine and think what you have both achieved so far. Good to be away from the busy campsite but also to know there are like minded people around. Have you had a chance to talk to others on the trek or at the campsitex who are sharing these breathtaking views and hearing their stories.
Theresa x
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Yes…we have been lucky. Really hot most of the day but it’s weird as soon as the sun sneaks behind a cloud it gets really cool…then at night cold so usually in tent pretty sharp….sky is so dark here at night….and the stars just gleam, really pretty, no light pollution.
Yes we have met loads of people, either same people who are staying in same campsites as us so following same route or just random people at different times…yes I’d agree it’s good to chat to like minded people and hear their stories….it’s been great….that’s why staying in hostels at times is good also as it gives you the opportunity to speak to other people with similar interests…it’s been great x
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You’re certainly being rewarded with beautiful views after your hard hiking! Those mountains look magnificent. The Towers look like skyscrapers…and not a cloud to be seen. You deserved that glass of Chilean wine! Checked out the label….Tescos sell that one! It’s a good one..you probably paid half the price for it there! Hope the good weather continues for you.xx
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Must have missed this one so catching up now. Love the
Title red house is that an office or what ? Notice that your hikes ate all after Eurean countries, Italiano France Brittanics, Do you know the reason for this? The sunsets look spectacular, I used to love the winter sunsets over the As when we went to Murren for Christmas. Clocks go back tonight(Saturday) so that’s the end of our summer time😩😩. Happy camping .
Love /God Bless.
Aunty Alice xxx
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