15th December 2024

We woke relieved that our tent was still standing, unharmed by the relentless winds. Soon we were back on trail, walking through dense thick bushes with a beautiful floral smell, a turquoise lake on our right and the mountain range on our left. 

Once at Outpost Italiano we dumped our packs and stuffed our pockets with sour gummies, a pack of Oreo’s and carried our water bottles up to the view point. Initially the weightlessness of not carrying a backpack went to our heads and we stormed off a million miles an hour only to fatigue quickly to a more modest uphill pace.

We reached Británico lookout, a 360° viewpoint in the heart of Torres del Paine: a perfect blend of forest and mountains. One side, a dark grey cloud which threatened rain but appeared to be paralysed over half the mountain range as if trapped by an invisible force. In contrast the other side basked in the midday sun illuminating the mountain stone against the blue sky.

We headed back down, flushed from the effort of exercise and wonder of the place we were lucky enough to explore when we spotted a soaring condor high in the sky.

Back at Italiano we feasted on more wraps dipped in dulche de leche and shoved some Pringles down the hatch before moving on for 2km towards Camp Francis, the sudden weight of the packs making the small distance a slog. 

We enjoyed a second night of tomato pasta and splashed out on a mini pizza and sandwich from the restaurant as we were worried about our calorie deficit. Apparently we weren’t the only ones concerned with our nutrition intake. Back at the tent unwinding from the day we heard “Dan…Sarah” being semi whispered/shouted. We locked eyes in confusion and unzipped the tent to find a couple we had become good friends with. “We brought you pudding” they said holding out a chocolate mousse pot with raspberry compote and a spoon. They further explained that a guy from dinner (posh full-boarders!) didn’t want it and she replied “I know two hungry hikers who would!”. We feasted on the pudding in the tent before falling asleep.