After having almost perfect weather on Day 1, the team soon came to understand Patagonia’s weather fluctuations on Day 2. In the morning we experienced snow and rain, and by the end of the hike we were in our t-shirt gear sweating as we entered Refugio Chileno. Overall, Day 2 was our hardest day. The weather made the morning hard to enjoy, not only because of the weather itself but also because we knew we weren’t getting the best scenery we could be getting.

The team was exhausted upon reaching Chileno (the last hour or so seemed to be pretty drastic elevation changes – going up and down and up and down until reaching the Refugio). By the time we arrived we were beat. Thankfully, the Refugio forces you to pay over $100 for their reservation (as opposed to $10-15 everywhere else) because they give you a hot dinner in their lodge, along with a hot breakfast and packed lunch for the following day. After arriving at the Refugio, the team setup our tents on the Refugio’s platforms and went back to the lodge so that we could take showers and eat our dinner. This gave the group a boost of much needed energy.

While hanging out in the lodge, we talked with other groups of campers where a larger team seemed to be assembling of people planning on waking up around 3 am to hike up to see the Mirador Las Torres at sunrise. Although it wasn’t clear if the pass would actually be open, it also wasn’t clear that any guards were going to wake up at 3 am to stop us. We confirmed with the other groups we’d be seeing them the following morning and quickly headed to bed to try and get as much sleep as possible.

Additional pictures from Campamento Italiano to Refugio Chileno: