Torres del Paine - Day 3

The third day was definitely the longest day. We trekked over 18 miles from Seron to Los Perros and gained over 4,000ft in elevation overall. We traveled through some really beautiful old growth forests that reminded us of the Pacific Northwest and had an amazing view of a hanging glacier right before camp. While the weather cooperated most of the day, it started raining an hour before reaching camp. Thinking that camp was only a mile or so away, we opted to pick up the pace and not put on rain pants (we already had our rain jackets on), but one mile turned into about three. The map was definitely wrong, as we discovered it would be on a number of occassions making it a little frustrating planning from getting from point A to point B. We arrived at camp soaked and were disappointed to find that most of the sites were basically a mud pit. We ran into Rok, again, who was taking shelter with everyone else in camp in a small shelter filled with wood smoke. We quickly set up our tent and made dinner, hoping that the rain would pass before our climb over the pass the following morning. As I´m starving and thinking about dinner, I notice a slight bulge in Graham´s jacket. The camp had a small store and I knew it contained Snicker´s bars. ¨Did you buy a Snickers?!?!¨ Graham removed the bulge from his jacket and I just about cried. FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!

Saving our biggest meal for the longest day, pasta with spaghetti sauce, it was not enough. Graham and I were both ravinous, picking through our packs looking for something more to eat that didn´t have a ton of sugar. We both longed for peanut butter - we couldn´t find any at the grocery store when we left town and grew quite jealous of a girl we ran into later on the trail that had found peanut butter in the store. We were eating meals that I would eat by myself on the PCT. I tried sausage but the slimy fat chunks that oozed between my teeth with every bite made me decide I´d rather starve than succomb myself to digestive issues for the remainder of the trip. I had some tuna fish and cheese. I rationed that tuna fish and cheese as if my life depended on it. As we did every night on the trail, we played cards and then hit the sack, this night a little earlier so that we would be well rested for climbing the pass.