Patagonia - Day #4

Patagonia- Day #4 - Tuesday, December 31st

It’s 10pm on New Years Eve.  I’m currently in an elevated tent at Refugio Cisneros in Torres Del Paine National Park.  I’m going to write an outline of today’s events right now - but will go back and add some details later

First off - what an absolutely amazing day!!  If the trip ended after today - the journey was so worth it.  The weather in Torres del Paine is generally highly questionable - with clear viewing days a pretty rare occurrence. Well - we had 5-star, incredibly beautiful weather today.  The pristine, blue glacier fed lakes with huge granite peaks in the background make this a famous hiking destination - today they showed off for us. 

The day started with a 8am breakfast followed by final packing and checkout from EcoCamp. Due to the remote nature of this camp, we don’t have wi-fi available in camp or electrical sockets to charge devices. After breakfast - Greg and I walked down the hill to a coffee shop, purchased wi-fi for 8 dollars, and sent messages to family (and I uploaded 1 blog).  We hurried back up to camp for our 10am departure. 

Today’s hike was around 9 miles with some elevation up/downs - but overall fairly tame hiking conditions.  Nearly the entirety of the day was positioned on a trail between this amazing blue-tinted, glacier fed lake and this iconic mountain range with glaciers visible to the eye.  Stunning, unreal, worth the price of admission - just a fantastic hiking day

We had plenty of breaks today - eating lunch over this river that fed into the glacier lake.  We crossed several swing bridges that crossed over rivers and streams.  The guides educated us how the mountains formed and how the distinct layers in the rock developed with time

With all that said - probably my favorite part of today was coming together as a team with our group.  We have 12 people:   The 2 guides:  Pablo and Jean, Greg and myself, Walter and Ellen (a couple from  Albuquerque, NM), Doug and Michael (a father (Doug) and son (Michael) team.  Doug is retired and Michael is a junior in college at Texas.  Next, we have Mia and Simon - a couple from Brisbane, Australia.  Finally, there is Lauren and Brendan - a couple from Singapore - formerly from Australia (friends of Mia/Simon)

We completed the hike today around 4:30pm.  We all cleaned up with a shower and met back at the community bar where we indulged in beers/wine for 3-1/2 hours before our 8pm dinner. So much fun.  One of the reasons I love traveling is to meet really interesting people.  Today - was the perfect definition of this.  We told stories for hours of various trips/places we’ve been and where we want to go next.

We then had a great dinner which brought us to 9:30-10pm and my nightly recap of the day’s events. I do these blogs to capture my emotion at the time of the entry - when I read these in the future- it brings me back to this very place in time. 

I only spent 30 minutes to write this tonight - because the words were just flowing.  I’ll go back and tighten things up tomorrow

In 1-1/2 hours it’ll be 2025.  I can’t believe it!!  What a memorable place to start the new year.  I’m always reflective this time of year.  I hope this year brings good times and good health to everyone.  Here’s to living a life filled with adventure, exploring the unknowns, and uncapping dreams that never seemed possible. 

Happy New Year!!!!!