Patagonia II: Part V
The hike to the French Valley.
We are none too keen to wake up as early as we need to.But there’s a ferry to catch to the trailhead and so time is of the essence.
One silver lining to our early departure is the view from our windows as the sun rises over the valley. I’m late meeting my cousin and niece because I linger to take one more picture each time the light shifts ever so slightly.
Once again I am the last to the lobby. We say good morning to each other and then slowly make our way to the Jeep. We don’t seem to have mustered the energy to say much more.
The drive to the valley is beautiful. To one side of the Jeep the sunrise lights the clouds dramatically. The Cuernos del Paine loom ahead of us. We follow a road we’ve come to know well, turning off once again onto the road that leads to the Mirador Cuernos & Salto Grande hike we had done our first day in the park, but stop at the lot for the catamaran to the trailhead.
We’re one of the first to arrive. There’s but one or two other automobiles in the lot. We gear up and pack our bags and walk the short path to the dock. There, we find one small group and a couple before us. The guide tells her group that during high season the line can stretch all the way back to the parking lot and that it’s always a good idea to come early. If the ferry can’t hold all the passengers it will make another trip, but then you lose over an hour.
For the return trip there’s a ferry at 5:00pm and one at 6:00pm. The same rules apply on the return; if there are more people than the ferry can hold it’ll come back to pick up the rest.
I climb to the top deck for the ride along Lago Pehoé to the trailhead. It’s a pleasant place to watch the mountains slide by and admire the rich blue glacial lakes until we round the corner and a strong wind picks up. I am undeterred, however, and stay outside until we’re asked to come back inside for docking.
At the landing point we get our bearings and make final adjustments to our packs and the layers we’re wearing and then set off towards the mountains. There’s one or two small groups we start hiking with, but we quickly spread out until it feels like we’re the only people on the trail.
We’re skirting the Lago Sköttsberg as we walk and I pause repeatedly to take photos. Rodrigo had told us that once we cross a small river there’ll be a path off to the right that follows the edge of the lake. Taking this will let us loop part of the hike rather than doing a there-and-back, but the path is blocked and so we continue along the path we’ll take to return.
The clouds above the mountains undulate, mimicking the peaks in the distance. Throughout the day I’ll see cloud formations I’ve never before seen and I’ll eagerly document them.
The path is mostly level, with small inclines and declines. It’s a world of difference from the path to the base of the towers and it makes for a pleasant walk, especially for us in our various states of pain.
As we walk, we encounter two or three couples. We’ll keep leapfrogging each other, naming certain spots for where we met. At one spot we meet an Austrlian couple who invite us to admire the view with them. We’ll see them again and again as we choose different spots and times to pause and move onward from.
In a few hours we reach the French Valley and the refugio that sits at the entrance to the path that winds up it. It’s lunch time but we decide to hike on a bit. Before the trip began we all agreed that anyone could end any hike at any time for any reason and we would turn back. My niece is hungry and we decide we’ll hike another 20 min before turning back for lunch. My knees ache and I look forward to resting even as I am curious to see what’s just beyond.
We don’t quite make the viewpoint into the valley, but at a clearing towards the end of our time we’re awarded views of the glaciers clinging to the mountains and the valley.
We eat lunch at picnic tables by the refugio. A park ranger hangs out nearby. Suddenly we hear an avalanche and look up to see the snow hanging in the air. As they say, by the time you’ve heard it you’ve missed the action. Later, we’ll meet a group on the trail and we’ll learn of of my niece’s high school friends is on the trail. She had gone ahead with another group that hike up to the mirador, a bit beyond where we had turned around. She’ll have seen the avalanche as it happened.
• • •
On the hike back, the weather is fantastic. We’ve decided to try and make the 5:00pm ferry so we have more time to enjoy the pool before dinner. It turns out to be a fantastic idea as by the time we are waiting for the ferry the sun is already falling behind the mountains and the afternoon gets cold and windy.
At one point we come across a family resting on a rock. They’re doing the W but at their own relaxed pace, taking an entire week. A hawk approaches and hops around them. Its nest is nearby but its being more protective than threatening. We learn that they’re from the northeast and share alma maters with my cousin.
As we chat another group approaches. A man wears a hat emblazoned with the logo of my niece’s school. His daughter attends and we learn that she’s in the same class as my niece. He tells us then that his daughter had seen the avalanche as they were at the mirador staring at the mountains.
We hike on, retracing our steps. It’s the last long hike of our trip and althought my knees are feeling it I’m elated to be hiking the trail and to be out in the wilderness. It’s an amazing place and a fantastic day. We couldn’t have asked for more and I bask in the experience.
Back at the trailhead we drop our packs at a picnic table. I offer to buy Fantas for us and struggle to climb the stairs to a small bar and cafe on the second floor of the structure. Here, the Fantas are only $4US.
The sun has started to set and the wind has started picking up. I tell my nice I’m happy she pushed us to come back to catch the earlier catamaran. It’s definitely making the end of the day a lot more pleasant.
On the ride back, I again climb to the upper deck to gaze out over the scenery and take photos. The wind rips at my jacket and I try to find a space in the lee of the communications tower. It’s still worth it for the views, even though the sinking sun makes them more muted than in the morning.
Nearing the dock, I catch a glimpse of the waterfall at Salto Grande. It passes quickly as the catamaran chugs towards the shore.
Back at the Rio Seranno hotel my niece and I rush to our rooms to change into bathing suits and head to the pool. The skies have changed dramatically and the clouds form saucers in the sky. I take photos from the room before joining my niece. It’s one of the most amazing displays of nature I’ve seen, the views perfectly bookending an almost perfect day.
18 March 2023
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