Cuernos Refugio

After reshuffling all our gear from suitcases to backpacks so that we had what we would need for the next four days we took off on the third leg of the 'W' hike. Our suitcases will be held in secure storage until Saturday morning when our driver will pick them up before getting us.  This is actually a connecting route to the second half of the 'W'. We had concerns about the air temperature today because the mountain was covered with new snow this morning!

Today's route paralleled Lago Nordenskjold (a long, teal blue, quiet lake) on the left and mountains on the right. Cuernos Este and Cuernos Central  were the dominant peaks.  We hiked 11 km today and made it to the refugio in about 5 hours. We walked with a horse group at first but soon out distanced them.  The route was up and down over tall cliffs, through saddles, across and into streams and one bog, and over hills. The scenery was always captivating and we found several flowering bushes, berry ladened shrubs and trees we had never seen before. It was a very strenuous hike as we were constantly going up & down, and some of the hills were very steep. Luckily it was not windy today which keep us from getting cold. 

Cuernos Refugio is a group of two person huts and a lodge surrounded by campsites. Each hut has a wood burning stove which we are using tonight. Our hut is next to a big waterfall.  The views from our hut are magnificent as we have a skylight looking up at the huge mountain!  Dinner was in the lodge and everyone has the same meal. Luckily they have some nice wine for sale. We are glad we are not tent camping as the wind is blowing in some rain clouds and the temps are dropping.