We started out from Refugio Los Cuernos bright and early at 8:00 a.m. The trail was constantly going up and down and it was a hot day. After a difficult 2.5 hours, we arrive at the entrance to the French Valley. Here we dropped our heavy packs in the bushes, taking just our lunches and rain jackets and continued up the French Valley, feeling much lighter. The route was rocky and steep, but the views were extremely rewarding.
The trail led us along side a large glacier 'flowing' down the mountain. Even before we saw it we heard pieces of the glacier breaking off. It sounded like thunder; but there was not one cloud in the sky. A river of glacial run-off was rushing between us and the glacier. I craved to witness a calving of the glacier with my own eyes! We found a nice shady spot for lunch, beside the river. From there we sat and watched the glacier. We were lucky enough to see some small pieces break off. Well, although they looked small from our perspective, those pieces were probably the size of an apartment building. But compared to the size of the glacier itself, they were minuscule. (The attached video shows our lunch spot, but it was impossible to catch the glacier breaking on camera!) Click to watch video of our views during lunch.
We continued up the French Valley, eventually reaching the end of the trail and the lookout. From here we had a view down the entire valley. It was pretty impressive. And it was clear why you could not go farther as the end of the valley was blocked by a wall of mountains.
Left: A dead part of the forest, near the end of the valley. Right: The view look back towards the opening of the valley
It was 3:00 p.m., we had started in the morning at 8:00 a.m. and we were still only half way done our day! No time for lolligagging, so we promptly turned on our heels and headed back down the valley, passing by that amazing glacier again on the way back.
"Only two people at a time on the bridge"
Back at the main trail, we picked up our bags, which we still safely stored under a tree, and continued our trek now with full packs, vowing to get to Refugio Paine Grande in time for supper. It was 6:00 p.m. when we set out. And we had 7.5 kms to go. But we had also heard this part of the trail would be relatively flat and easy. Along the trail, most people we passed going the other way asked how much further it was. This was the first time this had happened, but it was also the first time we were on the trail so late. We also asked along the way, gauging our progress. My feet were complaining, and then throbbing. But I was motivated by food and pushed through. We finally arrived at about 8:15 a.m. The staff at the refugio said we were the last guests to arrive. Yikes! But supper was served until 9:00 p.m. so we had made it in time. Our 12 hour day was finally over. And I had a few blisters to show for it.
Approximae distance travelled: 28 kms
Approximate hiking time: 12 hours
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