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Torres del Paine

Of all the excursions in Torres del Paine, don't miss out on the Grey Glacier! We celebrated with Pisco Sours complete with 10,000 year old glacial ice before taking the easy trip back to the lakeshore. With the winds at our backs, the journey was calm and we could enjoy the scenery out on deck. Even with the rains and wind during our trip, our spirits were not dampened in this magical land.
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Arrive Santiago

Mar 10, 2012
Photo by Mary Curry
We arrived this evening and overnighted at the Santiago Airport hotel. It is extremely convenient, just a few steps outside the airport. Thankfully, we can get almost a full night sleep before our flight tomorrow.

Arrive Punta Arenas

Mar 11, 2012
Photo by Mary Curry
This afternoon, we arrived into Punta Arenas. We had a snack of empanadas at the hotel and then headed out. We borrowed an umbrella from the lovely Hotel Cabo de Hornos and went for a walk in the rain. The hotel is located in the main plaza and it was a straight walk up the hill to a viewpoint over the city. We admired the emerging fall leaves and tried to stay sheltered from the wind. As we neared the viewpoint, the wind caught our umbrella and pushed it inside out, tearing the clasped from the fabric and rendering it unusable. We returned to the hotel sopping wet, but laughing from our adventures.

Kayaking the Flood

Mar 12, 2012
Photo by Mary Curry
Today we were supposed to visit Magdalena Island, but the rains had come down heavily all night and the trip was not safe. Instead, our guide called to offer us another option, sea kayaking on the Straits of Magellan. We transferred 30 minutes south of Punta Arenas and were given all the gear necessary for a comfortable kayaking trip in rain and wind- wet suits, splash jackets, splash pants, etc. The kayaking guide explained that it would not be safe to kayak the Straits either since the wind had picked up, and recommended a river (ditch by our estimation) that ran parallel to the Straits. Why not? we gamely boarded our double kayak for a quick lesson and then headed upriver, fighting the fierce wind along the way. It seemed that we had been going for ages when we finally stopped making any forward progress. The guide asked if we wanted to turn back. Exhausted from the winds, we happily agreed. The downriver return trip took only a few minutes and we realized that we had not traveled more than 500 yards or so! Arrggh! Oh well, we headed back to the starting point and enjoyed some lovely tea and Patagonia cookies before heading back to Punta Arenas to meet our transfer into Torres del Paine. It was a very good thing that we returned when we did. The streets of Punta Arenas were flooded with the worst rains in 20 years. We had to walk across a makeshift bridge to enter our hotel that had already started experiencing flooding in the basement. Along the way, we passed cars that were stranded in waters that reached above the tires in some cases. A few minutes later, our transfer van to Torres arrived blessedly early to wisk us out of the city before the flooding got worse. Though it was still raining, the weather was less severe further inland. To break up the 5 hour transfer into the park, we stopped for a wonderful lunch in Puerto Natales and then visited the Milodon Cave, home to giant sloths and other prehistoric creatures such as the saber-toothed tiger approx 10,000 years ago. We arrived into EcoCamp in the evening and were taken to our fantastic suite dome, complete with private bath, hot water, wood stove and electricity. It was fantastic and we settled in for a good meal and an introduction to the following days activities.

Fauna Trail

Mar 13, 2012
Photo by Mary Curry
I had absolutely decided that we would do the challenging hike to the Towers today. However, the weather still looked iffy and our guide warned that there was a distinct possibility that we would not be able to see the Towers when we arrived. The whole park was shrouded in clouds, though the rains had nearly stopped. Hiking 22 km in the rain did not particularly appeal so we gladly opted for the easier fauna trail and lookout stops instead. As it turned out, we made a fantastic choice! Though the weather was cloudy, it did not rain much after we started walking and we were blessed with all kinds of wildlife sightings- hundreds of guanacos, pygmy owls, a couple condors, a red fox, lesser rheas, and more. We also hiked to one of the only places in the park with prehistoric cave paintings. About this time of day, the weather started to clear and we begin to get a sense of the grand mountains surrounding us.

French Valley

Mar 14, 2012
Photo by Mary Curry
Again today I was tempted to hike to the Towers, but swayed by our guide´s description of the French Valley hike as a trek that has a bit of everything. How true that was! We took a catamaran across a small lake to the start of the hiking trail. The beginning of the trail was a bit sad, winding for the first couple miles through the recently burnt forests - a fire started by a camper had swept through approx 10% of the park in December. The smell of charred wood still hung in the air, but the trail brightened as we passed by another lake and walked parallel to the stunning blue water for the next couple of miles. Finally we entered unburned forest and we could appreciate what has been temporarily lost to the fires. The air cooled and small flowers dotted the trail edges. We crossed a hanging bridge and then started the steeper climb to the French Glacier. Ultimately, we finished at a stunning viewpoint of the glacier and a 360 degree view with higher peaks on all sides. We heard something that sounded like thunder and Rafa, our guide, pointed to an avalanche at the top of one of the peaks were snow from one of the hanging glaciers cascaded down onto French glacier. As I looked at the mountain more closely, I found it was difficult to tell the waterfalls apart from the avalanches that happened with surprising frequency. The warm temperatures combined with the rains of the previous days created the perfect conditions for these snow falls. We were far enough away that they posed no danger at all, but it was marvelous to watch. The only way I could tell the avalanches from the waterfalls was to wait and see if they stopped as the waterfalls would continue at the same pace while the avalanche would start as a heavy burst that subsided. It was a beautiful setting and the weather was the best yet with clear skies and warm temperatures.

Grey Glacier

Mar 15, 2012
Photo by Mary Curry
Today we woke to another gorgeous day. Ecocamp is perched on a hillside near to the Towers and on a sunny day, the Towers glow magestically in the rising sun. I was particularly excited for this day as we were going to take a boat across to Grey Glacier, part of the Southern Ice Fields of Patagonia and the largest glacier in the park. Along the way, we stopped at the incredible Paine Falls where the winds whip so quickly through the canyon that they literally blew one of our fellow travelers off his feet. He laughed it off, but I was very thankful for the sturdy railings in front of the falls as these were the strongest winds I had ever experienced. It was great fun running back down the trail with the winds at our backs. From there we visited the Visitor Center where they had a 3D model of Torres del Paine National Park that gave us a great sense of perspective. We had a picnic lunch by the lake outside the visitor center and a couple of swans stopped by to visit. Driving around the park, our guides were always quick to stop for a nice view or a wildlife sighting and today was no exception. We stopped to see flamingos in a briny lagoon and to watch the Southern Crested Katakatas perched near the road. We also took advantage of the cloudless skies to take countless photos of the mountains all around us. It seemed like there was no end to breath-taking viewpoints! Once we arrived at Hosteria Grey, we checked in for our boat trip and walked along a sandy beach to the dock where we would board zodiacs to the boat. The dock was thankfully quite wide as it pitched in the wind and the waves on the lake resembled tides coming in. Once on the zodiac, we bounced happily along in the waves, cheering as we were sprayed. I joked that we got a chance to whitewater raft on the lake and it was nearly true- I´ve been on rafting trips with less exciting waves! Once onboard, our larger boat was also challenged by the intense winds and current pushing in the opposite direction. We were not permitted to go outside on the way to the glacier and that was a good thing as the waves splashed nearly to the top deck, completely covering the front windows with each wave. It was amazing! Along the way, we saw exquisitely blue icebergs that had calved off the glacier and were floating back toward the shore. It takes 3 days to 2 weeks for each iceberg to make the trip from one end of the lake to the other. Once we arrived near to the glacier, the waters became very calm and we were able to go outside for incredible views. The glacier was massive- taller than a 6 story building and nearly a mile long. I took endless pictures of its deep blue lines and imagined running across the stiff peaks that looked like freshly whipped cream. Our fellow travelers who had recently visited Perito Moreno Glacier found Grey Glacier to be even more impressive. Though it is smaller, you can get much closer. The weather certainly helped as well since the bright sunshine made the blue ice seem all the more dramatic. Of all the excursions in Torres del Paine, this is one that you shouldn´t miss! We celebrated with Pisco Sours complete with 10,000 year old glacial ice before taking the easy trip back to the lakeshore. With the winds at our backs, the journey was calm and we could enjoy the scenery out on deck.

Back to Punta Arenas

Mar 16, 2012
Photo by Mary Curry
Today we said goodbye to our excellent guides and headed back to Punta Arenas. Enroute we saw an incredible rainbow spanning the Straits of Magellan. Punta Arenas had dried out considerably in the interim and showed limited evidence of the recent flood, with only a handful of streets still blocked off from risidual damage. My camera was malfunctioning so I took a taxi to the shopping mall in the evening. No luck with the camera, but I found some souvenirs for the kids.

Off to the Falkland Islands

Mar 17, 2012
Photo by Mary Curry
I said goodbye to my husband and hopped on the plane to the Falkland Islands. See the rest of my journal there!

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