Torres del Paine W Trek - Day Three

It rained a bit for a couple hours as we slept but nothing my rainfly couldn’t handle! Fortunately, when we woke up at 6AM it was clear again. We packed up quickly for a 7AM breakfast at the refugio – cereal, oatmeal, toast, and coffee. Then we headed down to Bigfoot for the glacier tour!

At Bigfoot they gave us small backpacks with the gear we would need on the glacier. We took a quick boat ride to the west side of the island in the middle of the glacier where we would begin our hike. The 45-minute hike over the island felt like another planet. The stone seemed very volcanic with turquoise ponds sprinkled on top. We hiked up and over the island and paused before stepping onto the glacier to put on our gear. The guides helped me with my crampons (I’d never used them before!) and we also put on harnesses and helmets. They taught us some techniques for walking on ice and using ice axes before we finally set foot on the glacier! Up close it looks like a bunch of ice cubes stuck together. We hiked up to a small hill which gave us views to Grey Lake and the Andes to the north. They took us around to waterfalls, deep pools, and crevasses. I’d never seen anything like it. The crampons and ice axe were fairly easy to use – I’d definitely like to try it again! My favorite part was probably the variety of deep holes and ponds with clear blue water/ice descending as far as you can see. It was incredibly beautiful.

After the boat ride back we caught launch at Refugio Grey which was pasta with meat sauce, bread, and juice. Then we hiked back to Paine Grande and it seemed a lot harder than the way out, maybe because we’d already seen the views.

We made it back in time for me to grab a quick hot shower (so awesome!) before playing jenga at the bar. Dinner in the cafeteria was more asparagus soup, potatoes, meat, salad, bread, and a tapioca dessert. I was starving but the refugios definitely serve up some hearty meals.