We were met at the runway on Saunders Island by Suzan Pole-Evans whose husband, David, purchased the island in 1987 with his father. Saunders Island is the site of the original British settlement of the Falklands in 1765 at a place called Port Egmont (since destroyed by the Spanish), just a short walk up the … Continue reading
The FIGAS flight was a little delayed, so Rob offered to take us to a little bay near the runway to see more elephant seals while we waited for the plane. There were several pairs playing in the shallow water, alternating between leaning into one another like lovers… …and rearing back and slamming one another … Continue reading
After our tour of Elephant Beach with Rob, Lorraine drove us to Leopard Beach on the southern end of the island to see the penguins. There are large colonies of Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins here on Carcass Island. Gentoos live permanently here, but the Magellanic are migratory, coming to the Falklands only to breed in … Continue reading
After lunch, Rob drove us to Elephant Beach on the north end to look at the Elephant Seals that we had seen from the air as we had approached the grass landing strip that morning. At our first stop, there were a couple young males lying about (you can see them to Dale’s left and … Continue reading
Landing on the grass runway at Carcass Island, we were met by Rob and Lorraine McGill and taken for a ride over the hills to their settlement on the southern side of the island. We are staying in the McGill’s farm overnight (as are Alicky and Michelle). Rob (a 4th generation Falkland Islander) and Lorainne … Continue reading
There are two main islands in the Falklands, aptly named East and West Falkland, separated by Falkland Sound. But there are also numerous out-islands, though not many are inhabited. To reach the out-islands, the Falklands government maintains a small air service known as FIGAS, the Falkland Islands Government Air Service. Other than by private boat, … Continue reading
We spent the last two days getting from Torres del Paine, Chile, to the Falkland Islands, but we’ve arrived and are now checked in to our accommodations, the Malvinas House Hotel, overlooking Stanley harbor. Yesterday, Friday, we took the 5-hour shuttle ride to Punta Arenas, Chile, from Torres del Paine. The day turned cloudy, windy … Continue reading
Our third day in Torres del Paine (pronounced “Pah-ay-nay”) was spent doing a 12-hour tour called the “Full Paine.” For us, this excursion was the biggest challenge of all because it was so difficult to be inside a bus or ferry boat instead of being outdoors in this beautiful part of the world. But the … Continue reading
For our fourth and final day at Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, we opted for the all-day horseback ride through the Enchanted Valley to Campamento Serón, a distance of 12 km each way for a total of a little more than 15 miles roundtrip. Once again, we were lucky to find ourselves as the only adventurers … Continue reading
After earning our keep shoeing horses, Paola walked us to the estancia’s organic garden. Along the way, we passed the original, stone manor house, built sometime in the 1920s, which is not visible from the modern hotel buildings. In the early 1990s, the manor house was converted from a residence to a dining room to … Continue reading
Because the horse trails are so rocky here, it’s important to make sure that the horses’ hooves are well protected; so the next part of our day as cowboys was to learn how to shoe a horse (the one on the left is for the front; the one on the right is for the rear). … Continue reading
After rounding up the horses, we went inside the pesebrera where the saddles and bridles are stored, which is also where the baqueanos start their day with the sharing of “mate” (pronounced “mah-tay”) and a fried bread called “sopaipillas.” Mate (or, more accurately, “yerba mate”) is a type of tea favored by Chileans and Argentinians. … Continue reading
Our second full day at Hotel Las Torres Patagonia was spent as “Baqueanos Por Un DÃa,” that is, as “Cowboys for a Day.” I had previously said that the cowboys in Patagonia are called “Gauchos,” but that is not completely accurate; the term “Baqueanos” is preferred in Chilean Patagonia. Our morning began with a greeting … Continue reading
Unlike the hikes elsewhere on our trip where the trails have been well-defined, the ascent to the summit of Cerro Paine was an unmarked scramble over rocks and gravel for the entire 1.5 mile, 1,600 ft. ascent. Our legs felt it immediately; each step up requiring concentration. So, even though our climb to Laguna de … Continue reading
It’s been difficult for us to decide whether the sunsets or the sunrises are prettier here in Patagonia. After checking into the hotel Sunday night (and being decadent and having a massage – those tired legs), we had dinner and went to bed early, leaving the drapes open. This morning, we watched the sunrise through … Continue reading
We spent this past weekend Getting from El Chaltén, Argentina, to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Chile, a distance of only 110 miles, point to point, but a bus ride of 350 miles taking, about nine hours, due to geography and the crossing of national borders. We left El Chaltén Saturday in the early … Continue reading
We spent about an hour at Laguna de los Tres, admiring Monte Fitz Roy… …before starting the journey back down – every bit as difficult as the hike up, just in a different way. The last 1/4 mile of the trail is a scramble over loose rock and gravel left by the last glacial advance … Continue reading
Although Monte Fitz Roy is visible from nearly everywhere around El Chaltén due to its height, it’s quite a challenge to actually get to the base of the mountain. There are two main routes: a nearly straight line northwest to Fitz Roy from El Chaltén; or, the route we took which heads southwest to Fitz … Continue reading
We awoke to a glorious morning. It had rained while we slept and whatever weather system had been lingering to create Wednesday’s cloudiness had passed in the night. Here in El Chaltén, we’re staying at another four-room B&B; this one is called Confin Patagonia. Like everything else in El Chaltén, it has a magnificent view … Continue reading
Twice, when I was younger, I went on week-long backpacking treks in the Appalachian Mountains. A seven mile day (measured as the crow flies) was considered a good day of hiking. Yesterday, we hiked a half-marathon, 13.1 miles! Around here, the hike we did is known as the Laguna Torre, Mirador Maestri. The trailhead is … Continue reading
On Tuesday, we made the three-hour bus ride north from Calafate to El Chaltén, a climber’s and backpacker’s haven completely surrounded by the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. The entire town was built by the Argentine government in 1980 to buttress Argentina’s claim to the area in a border dispute with neighboring Chile, so unlike other … Continue reading
It was a two hour ride from the Spegazzini Glacier to the Perito Moreno Glacier’s North Face, retracing our path back through the Brazo Norte and passing Punta Bandera. We had seen Perito Moreno from the balconies on its opposing shore, as well as from the Brazo Rico where we viewed the South Face by … Continue reading
The Spegazzini Glacier is the same size as the city of Buenos Aires, and yet it is not the largest glacier in the park, Upsala has that honor. Here’s the approach to the Spegazzini Glacier: And here’s a close-up of the face which we were able to get very close to,… …in spite of all … Continue reading
The first glacier we visited was the largest glacier in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, the Upsala Glacier. That’s it in the distance, to the right: As we approached, the captain saw two icebergs that had calved from the face of Upsala, so he took us in for a closer look. Now you can see why … Continue reading
Lago Argentino is the largest freshwater lake in Argentina. It’s a little more than 3/4 the size of our Lake Okeechobee in Florida and is fed by glacial meltwater from the glaciers in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, the third largest icecap in the world (after Antarctica and Greenland). Although there are about 150 glaciers in … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 