Log Three: The W Trek
lago Nordenskjöld
Today we were heading from east Camp Italiano to Camp Central, a section of trail that is approximately 14 kilometers and moderate.
This part of the trail followed along Lago Nordenskjöld, an incredibly beautiful body of water. Its color was the the same glacial turquoise as Lago Pehoé, the lake we had traveled across by boat on our first day. Big clouds floated over the lake casting very dramatic shadows on the water and the landscape of rolling hills on the other side of the lake.
We found a nice spot for lunch and since that the day had heated up nicely, we decided to take a long break and dry out everything that was still damp from the dreary day before. Most importantly we needed to completely dry out the tent.
Two nights in a wet tent was miserable and very cold, so we were determined to have dry nights for the rest of out time on the trail. We heard whispers that the forecast was good for the rest of the week, thankfully our one day of bad weather had come and gone.
side note: my poor feet
Since the first day on trail blisters had spread across my feet like wild fire, as if contagious. My pinky toes are prone to the odd blister or two, but I had close to ten blisters forming along the borders of my feet. I don’t know how much detail you want but they were oddly fascinating, some were traditional blisters filled with fluid, others like the two most painful ones along the outer sides of my heals were beginning to fill with blood. These ones were also not protruding so much from my foot but seemed much farther under the skin perhaps because the skin on our heels is so thick and hearty?
Most interesting was that across both feet the placement of my blisters was completely symmetrical. I had been hiking in the Andes for months and had no issues with my footwear, my boots or my socks. I couldn’t figure out why this was happening now but it sucked.
I didn’t find any of this trail particularly challenging but each day the condition of my poor feet worsened. By this third day I was hobbling along, quite miserable. Alex and I were now hiking with two others and I couldn’t keep up with the three of them. Halfway through the day I told them to go on ahead, I would take my time and meet them at camp.
I’m tough, do not complain and almost never cry, but as they disappeared around the first bend I couldn’t help but have a little cry. I was frustrated that the discomfort of my feet was distracting from this beautiful place. Feeling much better post pitty party, I brought out my precious bar of dark chocolate that had cost way too much at the nice grocery store in town. I trudged on and every kilometer or so rewarded the milestone with a square of chocolate.
ALMOST TO CAMP
All along the trail we had this stunning lake to our right and to our left we slowly circumnavigated around the base of the mountains, the collection of peaks called Cuernos Del Paine. It was very cool to see these mountains from every angle, especially the peaks in the Cuernos Del Paine collection, all of which are distinct in shape and color.
They are jagged peaks, but more interestingly they are a uniquely darker color than the more traditional grey, granite color of the mountains body. This sedimentary stratum is the surface layer of the ancient eruption that created this entire range. However, centuries of ice and wind have stripped this layer from the rest of the mountains and peaks in the Paine Massif - a little geology fun fact for ya.
As we entered the home stretch before reaching Central Camp and ending our hike for the day, morale was high. We knew there was a little shop in this central area of the national park and dreamed of the beer and chocolate awaiting us there.
Unfortunately, my feet were a complete mess. My blisters were forming, breaking, and bleeding on all corners of my feet and I could do nothing to ease the discomfort. My hobbling along all day had now resulted in a funny twinge in my right knee, the result of trying to compensate for my sore feet. Unfortunately, this twinge would stay with me for many months.
One of my favorite parts of multi-day hikes is the problem solving. Sometimes it is figuring out how to stay warm or sleep comfortably. Sometimes it’s orienting yourself or, for a true alpinist, figuring out how to get up and down a mountain. Almost always, it is a mental challenge. My feet were in pain, but I had the choice to let this get me down, or to accept it, surrender to the discomfort and enjoy myself anyways.
