Torres del Paine Trek - Day 5 & 6 - Campamento Seron to Refugio Lago Dickson

The next section of trail was fairly easy, but at 20km / 12.4 miles in length, we were in for a good bit of walking.The trail was quiet, with very few trekkers. For the majority of the hike we walked alone through the meadows of green grass littered with spherical clumps of yellow flowers. Eventually the few trekkers on the trail clumped together and, unfortunately at the worst time. We came upon a tree filled with foot-long, green parakeets. As I quietly pulled out my camera, a group a trekkers came up from behind. The birds felt surrounded and flew away. Shortly after, as we progressed down the trail, we saw a sole condor flying relatively close. However, he must have spotted our growing group, because he gently rode the winds in the opposite direction.

After a bit more trekking, it clouded in again. We were teased periodically with partial views of the glacier-covered mountains just behind the clouds.

Thirty minstues from the campsite, the skies just dumped on us. We ran to Refugio Dickson next to the campsite and it didn’t take us long to decide to pay $25 each to sleep inside. Staying dry and not setting up a tent in the downpour seemed a no-brainer.

In contrast to the cool, wet campsite, the refugio was really hot. Warmed by a quaint wood-burning stove combined with the body heat of way too many trekkers escaping from the soaked campground, it was uncomfortably hot. Still we were not complaining, at least not until a bunch of British girls tried to turn the refugio into a Santiago disco by blasting Spanish club music throughout the rooms.

News that came in on the radio that the next campsite was submerged and everyone there was huddled in the guard shack. In addition, the trail beyond the site, through the infamous Gardner Pass, was probably closed. Our mood turned somber as we debated whether we would be forced to wait a day, two days or three days? Who knew.

A few times during the night it sounded like it stopped raining, but that was the mountain pixies playing with us. By morning it was still pouring. We had no idea what to do, so we hung out for the day.

The story continues...