We set out from Paine Grande at 8:30 for an 11km/4hour hike to Refugio Grey on Grey Lake. (It had been a challenge to sleep — lots of very noisy people in the building — finally resorted to ear plugs). I woke earlier than necessary — noise in the hall and Jackie is an early riser — but given that I had to re-stuff the sleeping bag and liner, I needed the extra time. Breakfast was cafeteria style again, some fruit and scrambled eggs and toast. I re-upped my wifi access just to have a couple hours of news before we headed out.
The trail began flat with minor rolling hills for about an hour, but the wind was even stronger than yesterday. We were along the lake, and it was hard to determine if it was raining or if the mist was getting blown up from the water, but then it rained for real. And the hills began in earnest and the wind picked up significantly. It seriously could blow me sideways at times, especially as we hit a bluff/lookout point. There were some beautiful views from these high spots, and where the wind was most blustery. I have a couple of videos that others shot of us tackling the wind and they pretty clearly prove the point. I allowed myself to walk at the end of the group, and there were a couple times that Jay grabbed my elbow to hold me up! Along the path were some beautiful purple and white foxglove and some spots with fields of yellow daisies and dandelions, which stood our against the rocky backdrop and skeletons of white trees left from the fire in 2011.
We arrived at Refugio Grey at 12:30, and I was so grateful to dump my pack, knowing I didn’t have to hike with it another day. We had a hot lunch (pasta with sauce with a very few vegetables), and then we sat in Adirondack chairs on the deck, hoping for a little sun. We had several hours to wait to see if the weather would permit our planned kayaking excursion to the glacier, but many of us were feeling like a simple boat ride out and back would be fine. The thought of battling the wind in a kayak after battling it all morning during the hike just seemed too hard. Thankfully we learned at 4:15 that it would be the boat ride instead, so we geared up (rain pants and hiking boots and warm layers), and walked 10 minutes to the BigFoot Adventure office right on the lake. After signing our lives away, we were given life vests and led to an open motor boat with bench seating.
We had seen some icebergs from the bluffs during the hike, but at this spot, they were literally just off shore — smaller ones that would eventually melt. The Grey Glacier is a 50 feet high wall of ice just around the corner, and the huge ice berg that had calved on November 30 was still just offshore the edge of the glacier. It is 1,150 x 1,250 feet in size — which is why it was such a notable event. We had plenty of time for photos, and the boat pulled into a spot on a peninsula on the other side of the broken off iceberg where we were served hot ginger tea and chocolate. It was an easy late afternoon, and amazing to see the glacier so close up.
Some had showered after the hike/before the boat ride, but apparently the water wasn’t all that warm and it didn’t sound appealing so I decided to just skip it this day. By this time my hair was a mess and I thought that tomorrow’s hotel sounded like a more promising and enjoyable experience.
Back for dinner, where we shared a couple bottles of sav blanc with Katherine and Bob before and during a dinner of rice and a slice of beef. Not much more to do after that, and the small bar area was loud and crowded with young people so we retired to our room — another 6 beds, but this one had shelves and storage spaces so that made it better. It was necessary to use our sleeping bags/liners again, and we all settled in fairly early.
