By Bobbie Surber
Our Patagonia adventure continues. If you’re entering in the middle of the movie, you can catch up here:
Patagonia Part 1
Patagonia Part 2
We had a deep sleep that night, the kind you only find after many days on the trail, your body surrendering to exhaustion. As morning broke the wind picked up with a force that relentlessly battered our tent. The wind reminded me of sleeping aboard my sister’s sailboat with the waves crashing against the bow. I eased out of the tent, stretched, and honestly took stock of my injured knee, questioning if I had one more day in me. There was a boat in the harbor waiting to take the first group of hikers back to Puerto Natales. Should I call it quits and board, ending my time on the trail?
As I contemplated my choices, another small miracle took place, a sweet young girl who worked at the Refugio offered to carry my pack for the day. Hallelujah with minimal effort a solution had found me.
After breakfast and a quick repack, we hit the trail for the day climbing away from the bay up to the wind-swept ridgelines. The protruding rocky ledges crumpling their way to Lago Grey demanding your full attention, yet our reward was looking over the lake seeing our first icebergs bobbing along the shore. The intensity and range of colors and hues of blue, in the ice challenge you to bring their magnificence to life. giving up and surrendering to the simple joy of looking over the lake with Tom beside me.
I managed the last final scramble down the path that was more waterfall than actual trail. Just as my knee was screaming for relief, ready to abandon me for good, we hit a gentle portion through a forest protected from the Patagonian winds and leading us to our night’s destination.
Refugio Grey
We arrived at the Refugio with sore legs and near dying for a cold beer. A staff member who greeted us like long lost pilgrims, pointed us in the direction of the bar. Our packs abandoned, we hastily secured our first icy beverage and toasted each other for the completion of our grand adventure along the W trail.
The night’s lodging was a simple tent set up in a field with thick mats to protect us from the cold. Before a hearty meal and our first long hot shower of the trail we settled into chairs to watch the fading light capture the distant peaks of ice. That final sunset rewarded us with soft shades of pinks and pale purple gently fading as the sun dipped below the horizon.
We left camp after a hasty breakfast making our way down to the water’s edge. Just a few hardy trekkers leaning into the wind, patiently waiting for the catamaran that would take us to the glacier’s face. As we pulled from the shore, we witnessed icebergs, some small like delicate flowers, and others large abstract sculptures reaching for the sky. It was an ice field floating museum of art, each bend of the lake showing you her rare gifts.
I still struggle to describe a mass so large, ice reaching back through the ages. Colors that frustrate my ability to describe with a glow seem to start deep within the center, with more shades of blue that an artist can capture on canvas. You could feel the impact on everyone on the boat as a hushed silence momentarily captured us as we stood in awe.
Our time had ended in Torres del Paine as we departed the catamaran at Hotel Grey. We found our way to our driver and as we surrendered to the ease of the back seat I looked over my shoulder trying to will every moment into my memory.
Reflection
Patagonia is protected by two countries that have dedicated themselves as stewards of this unique wilderness. I feel incredibly lucky, honored to have spent this time walking her paths. I cried with equal parts pain and wonder at the beauty of the trail, the towers on our second day, with their peaks drifting in and out of the clouds, The grandeur of the French Valley and that unforgettable sound of a distant avalanche like the sound of roaring thunder. The beauty of Grey Glacier, with the gentle reminder of how short our time on earth is when looking at a body of ancient ice formed by the power of nature. We experienced it all on this journey of mountains, forest, peaks and towers together, my love and appreciation for Tom growing with each hard-earned mile.
Our Patagonia adventure is far from over. Here’s what I’ll write about next.
-
- In Part 4, I’ll share our time in El Calafate and the unforgettable stay at Estancia Nibepo Aike, a place where history, hospitality, and the Patagonian steppe come alive in a way that feels both timeless and deeply grounding.
- Part 5 will describe our trek to Fitz Roy, the iconic granite spires that have lived in my dreams for years, a landscape both fierce and breathtaking.
- Part 6 will take us to Ushuaia, the end of the world, where the wild meets the sea and every moment feels charged with the magic of Patagonia’s farthest reaches.
I hope you will continue to follow along as this journey unfolds.
Join our Facebook ExNotes page!
Never miss an ExNotes blog:
Help us keep the lights on:
Don’t forget: Visit our advertisers!
