Day 2 - Campamento Italiano to Campamento Torres

Our second day of our trek was a complete mind f*ck. We got up to what looked like good weather. While it wasn’t super bright out, the sun was shining and we started our hike about an hour or so past sunrise. The trail followed the path of the River Frances and was a bit challenging, but the views of glaciers dropping down along side the river was stupendous. After we clipped along at a decent pace for about an hour, we were engulfed in a complete fog bowl. Within minutes the sky went from relatively clear to visibility dropping to basically nothing. Kirk suggested that we turn around so we could be in a better position tomorrow for more pristine views when the weather hopefully improved. It sounded reasonable, so we headed back down the trail we had climbed half way up. When we arrived back in camp, we packed up immediately and as we left looked up and the weather had cleared. Kirk suggested going back up, but at this point I was adamant about moving on. I didn't want to end up going in circles. So we headed to the next camp, which was over 20K (12.4 miles) away.

The trail was beautiful and relatively empty with lakes bordering a good bit of the way. At one point we stopped for a break and view and watched a slew (at least 8) of condors circling in the distance. It was a shame that you couldn't camp along the lake shore, but they were very strict about campsites and for good reason. The park was kept in great shape, no litter or contamination anywhere to be seen.

We stopped at Albergue Los Cuernos (a refugio along the way), hoping to buy a quick lunch. No dice, they just served breakfast and dinner. So as any self-respecting trekker would do to help save time, we loaded up on what we could buy. Unfortunately, that was junk food (Mostly cookies and chocolate for a whopping $10). We made pretty good time. The trail as a whole was easy, however in places it was quite difficult. Including a small river crossing that left every trekker guessing as to what the best route across was. After much debate, there was no good route. On the bright side, while it looked like it had clouded over again in the valley we just left, we enjoyed relatively good clear skies with no wind. With a heavy pack (how heavy, stay tuned we find out how heavy) and 70 degree temperatures I was sweating buckets. Still, with lots of hydration, a little Gookinaid, and salty peanuts I was feeling pretty good. My feet hurt, but not from the surgery I had previous to the trek, which was a good sign. Kirk struggled a bit the second half, but we both maintained a respectable pace. We even detoured around a lake to see what kind of birds were crowded on the distant lakeshore. Unfortunately, they were common geese shown to the lower right.

The big test came when we reached the next refugio/campground Albergue El Chileno at 7:30 PM. We were both exhausted, but a campground (Campamento Torres) that would put us in a better position to see the Torres (Torre De Agostini, Torre Central, Torre Norte, and Torre Monzino) at sunrise (one of the highlights of the trip) was an hour uphill. We decided to buy dinner at the refugio, soup with mystery meat, chicken and rice for the main meal, and a dessert for $16. Tasted great, but then my shoe probably would have as well. Talked to a nice Brittish couple who thought that all you needed for energy was chicken soup, while good for the soul, not much of a calorie king in my opinion.

Fortified with our meal, we decided to head to the better camp. At first, we made good time and saw the 1/2 hour sign within 20 minutes of walking. However as it started to get dark, we were seeing no signs of camp. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived. We didn't hear the roar of the river as in the past camps as this camp only had a tiny steam for a water source. Fortunately it was drinkable, so we were happy.

Finding a site that late was a big challenge. We didn't succeed very well. The only sites left were on an angle, so we slid quite a bit during the night. However as tired as we were, we really didn’t notice much.