Day 5 - The Pass

On Day 5 we got up at 630 am as planned, had a hearty breakfast of pita and manjar (dulce de leche) and started up a steep hill to the pass.

We were lucky - upon entering the pass the sun was shining and the winds calm. We hurried to put on our sunglasses, hearing that an american who had done the pass sans sunglasses the week before had gone blind.

And then it came, about halfway through the 6km of pass. The winds, the snow, the ice...I found myself using the Ed Veisters technique - pick a point close by and tell yourself you only have to make it that far. I even started counting, one one-thousand, two-one thousand...when I made it to twenty one-thousand I could rest and look up to relocate the trail, which was impossible to see because the snow was so deep it had burried the markers.

At the top of the pass we could see Glacier Gray, and I started to cry. It was the most magnificent thing I had ever seen. Deep blue crevaces, a blue sky serving as the backdrop. We approached a pole where those who had made it had tied a sock, bandanna, or other piece of cloth...I sacrificed my bug repellent bandanna as a sign that I had made it. We snapped pictures trying not to blow away in the process, and started our steep decent to Refugio Grey, where we´d spend our last night. This was our 2nd to longest day at 22km - the day before was 26km.

Going down the steep slope was impossible. We kept slipping and sliding. We finally gave in and started sliding intentionaly, using random branches and trees to control our speed. This didn´t work too well - we´d catch our ankle or twist our knee - lose our water bottle or a trekking pole. After 4 hours of this we had made it to camp. paso - where most who do the pass stop for the night. But due to our goal of finishing the circuit in five days, we would have to go on for another 7 hours to Refugio Grey.

Luckily, they flew by. Jorg had decided to ditch me and Young. We couldn´t figure out why, but decided to take our time and snap pictures of condors and glaciers. I think Jorg was sick of hiking - not the trekking or outdoorsy type. I had tried to convince him to rent gaiters - things that prevent snow from getting into your boots - but he laughed at me. He also refused to rent trekking poles - laughing even harder at me. Well, on Day 5 after 6km of hiking in four feet of snow, he definitely wasn´t laughing.

When we got to Refugio grey, I splurged on a bottle of wine from the little store, in celebration of making it in 5 days. We had heard earlier in the day that the pass had been closed. Several Australians had gotten lost and had to be rescued the day prior. The snow was too deep, rendering the trail markers invisible. This, I decided, was further cause for celebration. And as I got drunk the most beautiful sunset fell over Lago Grey, and I snapped my best pictures of the entire trip.

I fell asleep dreaming of the catamaran ride the next morning, a hot meal in town, and a warm bed at the hostal. Oh yeah, and a night with out a snoring German who insisted on rolling onto my sleeping pad...

...He laughed when I suggested he rent one.

End of Day 5