Date: March 12, 2015

Daily Distance: 11.4 mi (18.5 km)

Time: 4 hrs

Start: Camp Seron

Finish: Camp Dickson

Notes: 

I woke up early and had a beautiful view of the sunrise from my tent.

Sunrise at Seron

I met Carlos early this morning while I was having a cup of coffee. He was from Palermo, Italy and was touring South America by bike. He left his bike at a guest house in Puerto Natales to come backpacking in TDP. He had just come from hiking in El Chalten. He was 1 month into a 6 month trip. This was his first biking trip, in fact he had not owned a bike prior to this trip. Carlos told me that it had been very easy so far. He had no problems finding places to camp and the people he had met along the way had been very nice and helpful. He left camp early headed for Dickson.

Carlos from Italy – 6 mo bike tour of SA

After I packed my gear I was sitting at a picnic table waiting for Marc and another hiker sat down. I immediately recognized her from 2 days ago. We had hiked together for a short while in the section between Chileno and Camp Torres. Her name was Natalie and she was from Zurich, Switzerland. As we talked, she told be about all of the places that she had visited, using her vacations to travel the world. She said travel was her passion and that all of the money she could save was used to pay for her trips. Her native language was German and she also spoke 3 other languages.  We asked Natalie if she wanted to join us today hiking to Dickson and she said yes. The three of us started walking to Camp Dickson.

Natalie & Marc on trail to Dickson

The views in this section, overlooking first Lago Paine, then Rio Paine are beautiful. The section is not difficult but it does have some climbs and some areas where the wind

Marc & Natalie, Rio Paine

I found myself slowing down more while hiking with Marc and enjoying the beauty of TDP and taking in the moment. Marc never passes up a view without stopping to take a picture and just appreciate being there.

We passed Kim, from Seoul, South Korea on the trail. He was sitting on a log nursing some blisters and we stopped to see if he needed anything. He said no that he just wanted to make it to Dickson quickly so that he could give his feet a rest. We continued on and within five minutes Kim passed us on the trail. Five minutes later we passed him, sitting on a log again nursing his blisters. Five minutes later Kim passed us. When we met again we stopped and took a break with him. During the break he told us that he had just completed his residency in medical school and was taking 3 months off to travel throughout South America and Mexico. Kim, like Marc and Natalie had also traveled throughout the world

Kim, Marc & Natalie to Dickson

Dickson is beautiful. It’s located in a valley surrounded by mountains and the the Rio Paine. The campsites are located in the trees to protect you from the wind blowing down off of the peaks.

Marc, looking down on Camp Dickson on the Rio Paine

It also has a small restaurant where you can buy dinner. Natalie cooked her dinner, then went up to the restaurant and bought a small bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner in her tent. Marc and I cooked and ate dinner with Carlos, from Italy (Right – hands only) and a Frenchman, who was taking a year off work while he traveled the world.

More ravioli and tea at Dickson

Cold night at Camp Dickson