I liked the domes of refugio Frances as they really looked like a base camp somewhere in the wild. I got going around 9:30, and after a short hike of 45 minutes, I reached the base of valley Frances, campamento Italiano. I left most of my luggage there, and began ascending valley Frances. It is a long and step hike that involves climbing through dried creek beds. I reached the campamento Britanico about 3 hours later. Luckily, the trail to the lookout point was closed which spared me the decision whether to continue – which I probably would have done.
After a break, and a sandwich from the lunch bag, I went back down. It started to rain heavily, it became quite slippery, and I discovered that my water proof shoes are actually not that tight. Also, the dried out creek beds now carried streams of water. I arrived drenched at the entrance of valley Frances, campamento Italiano, and continued another 3 hours in pouring rain to Lago Pehoe and refugio Paine Grande. Luckily, the terrain was easier, and the elevation did not really change much. Soaked, cold, exhausted, and with sore legs, I arrived at refugio Paine Grande. After a shower, and a hot cup of tea, I felt reconciliation with that part of the hike…
Sunrise at Refugio Frances
