At least it's not the fire swamp (Torres del Paine Day 2) - 25 Feburary 2009

So much for expectations.  My concern that there wouldn't be showers turned out to be unfounded.  The refugio we stayed in last night was actually nice, with a large cafeteria, bunk beds, and warm showers.  I've gone from worrying about staying clean to worrying that I'm not going to be clean enough compared to the other hikers.

As for my concern that every day would be a 9-hour slog, well, that also turned out to be unfounded.  Today's hike was about 5 hours, and was easy.  Well, except for the part where Jennifer stepped in a "puddle" that turned out to be about 3 feet deep:

The porters showed up (including one to carry our stuff), took our stuff, and then took off. Evidently they do their own thing here, instead of staying nearby.

So today was relatively relaxing, stuff got worked out about the porters, and I'm pretty pleased. The only downside is that the mosquitoes at Camp Seron (where we're staying) seem to love me. The guide hit my back with a sleeping bag, and killed 9 of the little buggers.