January 3, 2017

It rains in Patagonia. It’s windy in Patagonia. Sometimes it hails in Patagonia. Sometimes it does all three at the same time. Chris called in this afternoon from Refugio Paine Grande reporting that they had a pretty good day on the trail. The French Valley was predominantly socked in with clouds but they were able to get the occasional peak at the hanging glaciers. Instead of heading up to the viewpoint they opted for Plan B and went down to the river at the toe of the glacier.

After lunch they were ‘motivated’ to get to the hut by a little wind, rain and hail.  Refugio Paine Grande is a hut in name only, it sits lakeside and has more of a hotel feel. If I know this team they’ve already found the bar.  The weather has since cleared up a bit allowing for some great views…from the bar.

Tye Chapman

January 2, 2017

Today our Patagonia Trekkers enjoyed another day on the trail, this time up in the Bader Valley.  The weather wasn’t perfect but that didn’t stop them from having a nice lunch at the “big boulder”, a great vantage point even in less than ideal weather.

After lunch it was back to Refugio Los Cuernos for some bootleg sangria. That’s right, bootleg sangria. The team has taken to combining the fruit from their lunches with the wine served in the refugios to make their own sangria. It’s rough livin’ on this trek.

Tomorrow they’ll load-up and head over to Refugio Paine Grande, stopping in the French Valley for another postcard moment, weather permitting of course. Tomorrow is a bit longer of a day but a very enjoyable hike!

Tye Chapman

December 31, 2016

Our Patagonia trekkers enjoyed a great day up in the Silence Valley. Where the trail ends, our team kept going. The trail quickly turns from a wide trail full of trekkers into a ‘choose your own adventure’ through a boulder field, followed by a narrow foot path that meanders next to a swift stream. After a quick break they turned it uphill through a dry creek bed to the treeline. Once they caught their breath they pushed above the treeline and traversed onto the lateral moraine of the Silence Glacier. From there they enjoyed views of the massive granite peaks La Fortaleza (fortress) and El Escudo (shield). After lunch they made their way back down to Refugio Chileno where they will ring in the new year. According to Chris, the cooks were grilling up something special tonight!

Tomorrow is a relatively low key day (nice timing after NYE!).  Their one and only goal is to make their way to Refugio Los Cuernos, a manageable goal even with a hangover.

Let the countdown begin!

Tye Chapman