Two days of carrying most of the weight left Kyle with a very tender hip flexor muscle today so we shifted much of it to my pack to give him some time to recover. We also scaled back our planned 17 Km distance to 12 Km and stayed at the Refugio Chileno instead of the Campamento Torres. Generally regarded as the most difficult hiking day, our effort was rewarded with great vistas, one after another as we made the traverse from the Valle del Frances to the Valle Ascencio.

If I had not heard the sound of falling water I would have walked right past this waterfall which was only a few hundred meters off the main path. Much of our journey today will take us along the emerald waters of Lago Nordenskjold. Each lake here seems to have a distinctive hue depending on the mineral content carried by the streams which feed it. Despite their beauty, dipping one toe in these glacier fed lakes will either completely dissuade you from even thinking about a swim or put you in touch with your inner polar bear.

Now well beyond the area consumed by fire, the vegetation here is lush and calls out to the weary hiker to stop and rest atop the cushion of green velvet. We forge on, both of us preferring to adjust our pace as necessary but not to stop for long rests.

As we enter the Valle Ascencio we catch our first glimpse of Las Torres (arguably the most iconic mountains in the park; so famous they appear on the Chilean currency).

After arriving at Refugio Chileno we meet up with a great bunch of folks from California, Austria, and Australia. A group of us decided we will leave early the next morning (3:30AM) so we can catch sunrise at the Las Torres Mirador. To my surprise, Kyle, a generally late sleeper, agrees to join us.