Rain? What the heck is this? Yesterday was supposed to be our rainy day, yet we woke to a beautiful sunrise followed by, somehow, more rain. Begrudgingly, we pulled on rain jackets, pack covers, and zipped every zipper we had. Right on cue, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Of course it did.

The hike from Paine Grande is incredible. As the trail unfolds, you start catching glimpses into the French Valley, where massive cliffs rise straight out of the landscape and hanging glaciers loom quietly above. Every so often, the view pulls your attention the other way, toward the unreal light blue water of the lake below. It feels almost distracting in the best possible way, a constant reminder of just how special this place is and how fortunate we have been with the weather.

We continued up the French Valley to the first lookout, lingering as icefalls calved off the glaciers with deep, echoing crashes. Condors drifted overhead, six of them by our count, likely drawn in by our collective aroma more than the scenery. It is hard to imagine a better place to sit, eat a sandwich, and take it all in.

From there, we descended and followed the shoreline of Lago Nordenskjöld, an extremely Chilean sounding lake, until reaching our final camp of the journey at Cuernos. A lakeside refugio with unforgettable views and even better company.

This trip has officially been the best weather I have ever had. We are lucky, no doubt about it, and tomorrow we are looking forward to real beds in Puerto Natales.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli