barely 100 meters or so is an immense river of ice . Sleeplessly I imagine I can hear it creaking , then in a moment of worry that my nose will freeze should I fall asleep , I hunker down into the claustrophobic confines of my bag and will myself to sleep .
At Refugio Grey , situated at the foot of the glacier , walking tours on the ice , beds and hot showers , food and “ no sorry , campers have cold water , and you may not light fires and yes we do sell meals ” seems all too commercial after the wilderness we ’ d just left behind .
We decide to push on , making the 27 kilometer day walk to Lake Pehoe , Glacier Frances and on to the refugio on Lake Nordenskjold . Two days in one , but our glorious weather is looking doubtful as ominous clouds roll in , and we still have the Torres del Paine ( towers of Paine ) to see and clouds would spell a big disappointment .
Most people usually make the day ’ s climb to view the towers on their first day out . If the weather is fine ( which is rare up there ) you ’ d be crazy not to . Ok , so we were crazy , we left it till last and now here we are almost at the end of our trek , gazing through the panoramic windows of Refugio Chile , trying to catch glimpses of the famous peaks through swirling mists that creep with icy fingers around the mountain ’ s flank obscuring everything .
The pitter-patter of rain on the tent fly is my first indication of the weather the next morning . There ’ s a sinking sensation going on in my
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