Even though the sun here does not set until after 10PM at this time of year, I was sound asleep last night well before then and up prior to the 5:10AM sunrise for some pre-dawn photography. After a breakfast of rehydrated scrambled eggs (unlike the stroganoff, these were just horrible) we made a 7 Km excursion up the Valle del Frances. The weather could not have been more cooperative and we enjoyed spectacular views as we ascended beyond Campamento Britanico. In my 54 years, I have never witnessed a more stunning 360 degree view than on this day at the lower mirador along this trail. With Los Cuernos on one side, the Glacier Frances on the other, the Cordillera Paine behind us, and Lago Nordenskjold and Pehoe in front, every sliver of the horizon was a jewel to behold. Snow capped peaks, granite spires jutting up through the clouds, a calving hanging glacier, distant islands nestled in emerald lakes, and waterfalls feeding a raging river. No camera can do justice to such a vista and I will have to settle for the image seared into my memory.

We returned to Campamento Italiano by early afternoon and I “prepared” a lasagna with meat sauce lunch before embarking on an additional 6.3 Km trek to the Refugio Cuerno where we arrived just in time for dinner followed by a piping hot shower.