It’s popular for people to hike up to the Torres viewpoint to see the sunrise. In December this means you have to start walking around 3am. This didn’t seem appealing to me. I hadn’t had the best view though and as I was talking to people, I started to think about hiking up again in the morning. But when morning came it was still cloudy. The Torres would probably be clear after about midday, which was much too late for me. So I said my goodbyes and was on the trail to Frances camp ground very early. It was great. I had the trail to myself!
I felt a bit weak after a night with limited sleep, but I soon forgot about it, since the sun was out in the valley and I thoroughly enjoyed the views. As soon as I left the Chileno sector and the Paso de los Vientos behind me, I could enter a quiet trail to sector Frances. It went up and down a bit, but wasn’t too strenuous. There was lots of interesting vegetation and the constant gorgeous view of the Nordernskjöld lake. It’s color resembled a bright blue opal and it was stunning from every angle.
On my other side the mountains were changing. There was a very cool rock formation with clear layers of different rock, with different colors. The spikes of the rocks resembled an open hand, palm up, with the fingers reaching for the sky. I found a big rock platform where I had a snack break. There were little birds, hoping I would leave some crumbs behind from my crackers with dulce de leche. They hopped very close to me, not at all afraid. Meanwhile, high above, I could see condors gliding through the air.
When I reached Cuernos camp, I met a guy who was just leaving. He told me he lived more in the North of Chile and came here to work as a chef in the Central section. He’d hiked out to Cuernos for a couple of nights to see another chef friend. I had planned to get a hot chocolate at the refugio here, but they had some water issues and couldn’t make one. So I went onwards and found a gorgeous spot at a little pebble beach. I sat, enjoying the sun, relaxing and eating my lunch.
From here it wasn’t far to Frances camp. On the way I met a guy who looked a bit distressed. I said “hola” and he asked me hesitantly “chileno?”. I thought he meant the camp, but in hindsight he may have been asking where I was from. Anyway, I told him Chileno was a long walk in the direction I came from. “I’m going the wrong way then”, he muttered, totally flustered, and he turned around and quickly went ahead without saying anything more. Later I saw him at my campground. I get how he got confused, since at some point there were a few different trails, but as soon as you see the lake, you would know if you’re heading in the right direction.
There was a last challenging climb before the camp, but it didn’t last long. Part of the challenge was a sudden wind that aimed to blow me over. And then I was at the camp before check in time. Luckily I was second in line and the checkin went quickly. I could pick an empty platform and improved my tent pitching technique. I put sticks through the loops of my tent base and then put the rocks on it for extra stability. The campsite was on a big slope and the toilets were pretty much at the bottom, so the trekking continued. There were little huts where you could cook and a snack bar separate from the lodge. This night was a lot warmer, so I slept well and could start my next day well-rested.
