Day 5 - Grey - Paine Grande(edit)

Final day in Chilean Patagonia and the last hike to complete the “W”! The beds at Paine Grande Refugio were nice (sheets and comforters!), but loud and sterile. The dining was buffet style (food was just OK), but the serving lines were painfully long! Now, the hike: tough hike (especially after the long previous day). Trail surface was mixed = Patagonia Rough, smooth dirt, loose rock and rocky technical sections. Quite a bit of up and down on this one as well. The views were nice - Lago Del Patos (we didn’t see any ducks), Lago Grey (with some blue icebergs), Glacier Grey, the backside of Mt. Matilda and its frosted peak with bits of Glacier Frances. The trail traverses through and area devastated by a forest fire in 2012. The weather was cloudy and we did get a little rain, but the sun was occasionally poking out to brighten the distant glacier and mountains. We saw lots of wildflowers and a few interesting birds. We had our box lunch at Refugio Grey while Ethan forged on to the suspension bridges (very much in need of repair!). Refugio Grey seemed much smaller and more relaxed than Paine Grande (still buffet dining). The seats on the porch looked very inviting if the weather had been better.

With our Awasi guide Nadi. Had to really rush to do full hike and get back to not transportation in time. Really sweet, but pretty crowded. First up close look at glacier.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/21267988815

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/20999627720

bajada