Campamento Paso to Refugio Grey - Day 6

Fairly easy day today walking alongside the glacier apart from the two ravines we had to cross. I am starting to feel more relaxed about things now and that I CAN and WILL be able to do this! The first crossing involved climbing a steep home made wooden ladder held together with rusty looking nails - not easy with a 20kg pack on your back. The next we got down by using a knotted and frayed rope tied to a tree with loose soil and rocks under foot. Basically you had to put all your weight and your faith on this knackered bit of rope and abseil down the steep slope - again not easy with a heavy pack. I nearly started blubbing again when I saw what I was going to have to do, but as Mike pointed out there was no other way down unless I wanted to turn back so I just had to take a deep breath and do it. I am annoyed by what a wuss I am and how i worry about everything before I do it and tell myself that I can't do things. It is something that I really want to stop doing! Incidently, once we had scrambled up the other side and gone into the woods there was a big sign pointing in the other direction saying the path was closed due to risk of landslides! Nothing in our direction, but even if there had been I was not about to turn back after 6 days!

Starting to get back to civilsation - this is where the circuit meets the more popular 'W' trek so there are more people and better facilities. Tonight I got a hot shower (can now show myself minus essential hat due to greasy hair unwashed for four days urghh!) and wine - lovely wine - and we treated ourselves to a meal cooked in the refugio and sat up late next to the log burning stove getting tipsy and chatting with our fellow trekkers. Met some really nice people. Then we got kicked out to our cold tent next to the lake with bits of broken off glacier floating past every now and then!!