Torres Del Paine National Park

Located about 110 kms (70 miles) north of Puerto Natales is Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine (pie-nay) which is without doubt, one of the most spectacular parks in the country. A national park since 1959 it was first called Parque Nacional Lago Grey and in 1970 the name was changed to Torres Del Paine. It was established a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1978. As a world biosphere reserve, it has a huge variety of plant and animal species which, with its incredibly beautiful setting has made it an almost unequalled destination for hikers, backpackers and nature lovers. Snow-capped mountain peaks, cascading rivers, waterfalls, glaciers and lakes give it an elite place in the world of national parks. The parks name is derived from the Spanish word “torres” meaning towers and an indigenous word “paine” meaning blue so although often translated in English to Towers of Pain, it’s true translation is Towers of the Blue. Leaving Puerto Natales the paved road quickly gives way to the now familiar gravel trails which seem to make up many of the roadways in Patagonia. The trail winds through the Patagonian steppe and mountain passes before descending to the foot of the Andes and the first views of the cuernos (horns) del paine formed predominately from granite and whose origin dates back millions of years. These three peaks named the North, Principal and East horns, along with the “torres”, also three peaks known as the South, Central and North towers are some of the main attractions within the park. It is a beautiful sunny day, windy with some clouds and the cuernos are magnificent against the blue sky with Lago Del Toro in front. There are several entrances to the park and our plan is to enter via the southern one and make our way north through the park to Cerro Castillo and the Argentine border. Our destination in the park for the first night was Lago Grey (Grey Lake). There, there is a hotel and we can park in the parking lot according to the park administration. The hotel is about 10 kilometer inside the park and we can see the lake with Grey glacier in the distance. After giving a Winston a walk down one of the trails leading to the lake, we go to check out the hotel. Within the park our goal with Winston is to try to keep him as contained as possible, giving him walks on some of the more quiet trails and being extremely conscientious about picking up after him so as to reduce his carbon footprint as much as possible. The Hotel Lago Grey is a beautiful 5 star hotel and whoever coined the phrase “location, location, location” was right on the ball. There is a wall of windows looking out over the lake toward the glacier. As we settle in comfortable chairs in front of one of the windows and order a beer for Tom and wine for myself, we are confronted with a view that is absolutely spectacular. Front and center, close to the edge of the lake is a huge iceberg in such intense shades of blue ranging from turquoise to periwinkle. It looks as though it could have been towed there and dyed that color just to enthrall the guests but it is natural and we can see other icebergs, some just as large and several smaller in the same colors. There are plenty of American guests staying here and we chat with a lady from Texas travelling with her daughter Emily Ann and two of her friends and also with a group who are travelling as part of an adventure trek with a tour from REI – the national store which sells outdoor gear and equipment. When they find out we are not staying at the hotel but rather in our motorhome in the parking lot and we relate our story, they are amazed. We decide to eat dinner in the restaurant which does not open until 8. That is fine by us. Our bartender Philippe pours me another glass of wine and we sit contentedly gazing out through the windows at the snow capped Andes, Grey Lake with the glacier in the distance and that magnificent iceberg. With the sun setting, it is magical.

Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales is situated on the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) Gulf portion of the Magellan Straits and we are having a hard time shaking that “land at the end if the world” feeling which has followed us from Ushuaia. This is where the tip of South America has crumbled into a myriad of islands enclosed by fiords, glaciers, mountains and glacial lakes as the land, sea and ice intermingle. The feeling persists as you enter the town and are confronted by a huge statue of a bear-like animal, the Milodon. This is a prehistoric extinct mammal and not too far away is a huge cave where the remains of one were found a few years ago. There are numerous hostels in town and we had been told that one of them “Josmar” had room for motorhomes. True, however anyone with an RV bigger than ours would not get in the gates. It was a tight squeeze but we were able to get parked and run electricity. There is also internet. And the rain. It has continued to pour down since we left Punta Arenas and did not stop for two days. We were later told that Punta Arenas had so much rain that there was massive flooding and part of the road was closed. So luckily, the decision to leave when we did was well timed. We spent our time hunkered down at the hostel, catching up with family and friends via the internet and trying to stay dry. Most of the people who come to Puerto Natales are backpackers who are going or have been to Torres del Paine National Park. Whilst talking with one of them he happened to mention that he had ran into friends of ours. Huh! It seems that Kurt and Cindy, a Belgian couple we had first met in Puerto San Julian but missed in Ushuaia are in town. They have been to Torres Del Paine and are now headed to El Calafate. They stopped by and visited for a while and as we say goodbye, we know we may meet them again, along the way. The weather has remained steady now with sunshine early in the day, turning cloudy by late afternoon and then rain at night. This is as good a time as any to move on to Torres del Paine and try to visit a glacier and do some hiking.

Punta Arenas

Overlooking the Straits of Magellan, Punta Arenas is the most southern continental town in Chile and, in the world for that matter. It is a port city and or the last few years it has been a tax free zone and attracts people from both the mainland and Porvenir (on the island of Tierra del Fuego) to its mega duty free stores. We spent several days here mainly servicing the motorhome. During the final analysis of the tires we decided to purchase four new ones. Three of our original tires had been mutilated by the rough gravel roads and the fourth had a slight tear in the sidewall just enough to concern us, especially with the road conditions through Chile to Torres Del Paine and then up Highway 40 through Argentina. The mechanic also found a leak in our radiator and that was sent for repair. Fortunately, we were able to stay in the Ford dealership parking lot over night, which was not only secure but had internet. The other two nights we parked in a lot on the beach. When we woke up on the first morning, I got Winston together for his morning walk. As I stepped out of the motorhome I noticed a couple in their car watching the water. The lady got out and came up to me. “Look” she said in Spanish and pointed out over the water. At that moment several groups of dolphins arched through the waves, maybe a dozen or more total. As I allowed Winston off leach to race through the sand, I watched the dolphins cavort just offshore and couldn’t help but realize how fortunate I was to begin my day with such beauty. The beach promenade is only a couple of years old and it well maintained and clean. Whilst there, we explored the town and shopped at the local municipal market. There were lots of fishmongers selling salmon, merluza (hake), shellfish and a few different cerviches. It all looked so fresh and enticing especially coming from Argentina where it is all beef, beef and more beef! After browsing we purchased merluza, scallops and salmon cerviche. We will freeze the scallops but cook the merluza for dinner, irresistible. On Saturday, the weather changed and a storm blew in, bringing high winds and lots of rain. We had met and been invited to dinner by a firefighter from Punta Arenas and his wife but with the rain continuing to fall with no respite in sight, we decided instead to head for Puerto Natales. We called Alvaro on his cell and gave our apologies. The 240 km (150 mile) drive to Puerto Natales will be wet and slow but at least the road is paved.

Ushuaia to Punta Arenas

On our last couple of days in Ushuaia the weather turned cold and rainy with some sleet and snow in the mountains. We shopped in town and bought some souvenirs and ate at a very good seafood restaurant, Tia Elvira. Tom had the king crab which was cooked in a delicious sauce and I had the baked hake which was recommended by our waitress and which was also very good. Dan and Brian, the two Americans who we left at the national park have returned. Brian is flying home from Ushuaia but Dan has taken a three week job at an organic farm in El Bolson, which is north-west of here. We offer a ride to Punta Arena which he gratefully accepted. His plan is to hitch-hike from Punta Arenas to Rio Gallegos and from there take a bus to El Bolson. However after studying the map, we decide his best bet is to try and get a ride from the border at San Sebastian to Rio Gallegos instead of detouring to Punta Arenas. We again spent the night at the border in San Sebastian before crossing into Chile. We made a beef soup for dinner with fresh French rolls and after eating, dismantled the table and made up the middle bed for Dan. The next morning before crossing the border, I made oatmeal for breakfast for everyone and Tom cooked up some chicken breasts that we had left over as we can’t cross the border with uncooked meats. We gave some to Dan, which he gratefully accepted and would be consumed for his lunch. The border crossing itself was easy and the inspection was nowhere near as thorough as when we entered Chile before but we still had to hand over two onions and some jalapeño peppers which we had not used. We were concerned about leaving Dan by himself and hung out for a while with him. He is confident that he can get a ride and we all know this is the best place to try. One, most of the traffic crossing into Chile goes to Rio Gallegos with only a few, like us, going to Porvenir for the ferry. Second and most important, he can wait in the building instead of outside in the cold. And it is cold! The wind is constant and so strong that I felt windswept just walking Winston and the motorhome rocked steadily with the gusts. We were not on the road 15 minutes and Dan passed us in a truck. He waved and gave us the thumbs-up sign. So now we know that went well and he will be in Rio Gallegos by nightfall. From San Sebastian it is 150 kilometers (100 mile) to Porvenir where we will catch the ferry to Punta Arenas. The road is rough gravel and our speed only averaged about 25 miles an hour. We arrived in Porvenir around 6pm with another flat tire. The gravel roads are brutal on rubber. We found a gomeria (tire repair shop) and put on the spare but one of our goals in Punta Arenas is to purchase new ones. We had tried in Ushuaia and had been told that we could get our size and load bearing requirements there. The ferry is at 7am in the morning so we park at the port and settle in for the night. By the next morning there are plenty of trucks, a few small motorhomes and cars waiting in line. There is also plenty of foot traffic and we surmise that many people go to the mainland either to work or for shopping as there is little to be had in Provenir. The crossing is on a stretch of glacial waters called Canal Ancho and in the distance we can see small islands, other fiords and mountain glaciers. It was a beautiful 2 and a half hour boat ride. Punta Arenas is much larger than we had thought and we are pleased. We feel sure that we can find tires and have the motorhome serviced. Tom is concerned about the transmission and he wants the brakes and radiator checked also. We will probably stay in town for a few days before heading to Puerto Natales and Torres Del Paine.

Beagle Channel and a boat ride

The Beagle Channel is one of three straits the provide access from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans. The others are the Straits of Magellan and Drake Passage. It is about 240 kilometers (150 mi) long and is only about 5 kilometers (3 mi) wide at its narrowest point and extends from Nuevo Island in the east to Darwin Sound and Cook Bay in the west. The channel was named after the ship HMS Beagle during its expeditions of the coasts of the southern part of South America which lasted from 1826 to 1833. The second was the famous Darwin expedition under Captain Robert Fitzroy, when Charles Darwin, the naturalist was given the opportunity to explore the area. Darwin had his first sight of glaciers when they reached the channel on 29 January 1833, and wrote in his field notebook "many glaciers, beryl blue, most beautiful contrasted with snow”. There are quite a few options for sailing the sights and we chose one that lasted about 3 hours. Sailing the islands in the Beagle Channel is a definite “must-do”. We were lucky, today is partly cloudy and fairly warm and hopefully there won’t be any rain. The trip starts by travelling out past the bay and enjoying the views of Ushuaia. Our first stop was at Bridges Island where you can get off the boat. There are still remnants of the indigenous inhabitants of the Tierra del Fuego Island, the Yamana with massive concheros (shell deposits). We then hiked to a viewpoint near the western end of the island along a path of flora with hundreds of seabirds wheeling in the air, to get a different view of the channel. Facing west, you can see Chile on the left and Argentina on the right. Straight ahead Antarctica is only 600 miles away. One plant in particular which grows in profusion is the cushion plant. Cushion plants look like large solid clumps of moss, but are actually a plant. They grow at a rate of approximately 1 millimeter per year which made some of the plants we hiked past a few hundred years old based on their size. Next stop: Isla de los Pájaros (Bird Island). Here we were able to observe hundreds of birds including Fullman and Giant petrels and the Magellan and Imperial Cormorants which look remarkably like penguins until they flap their wings and fly. We then continued on to Isla de los Lobos, where there are sea lions on just about every surface of rock and in the water. The boat circled the island for about 20 minutes which gave plenty of time to watch the sea lions push each other around trying to find a more comfortable piece of rock! Our final stop was the iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse (French for “The Enlighteners”). Standing on a small island in an archipelago of the same name, it has signaled to ships in the Beagle Channel since 1920. The lighthouse guarding the sea entrance to Ushuaia is still in operation but now it is remote-controlled, automated, uninhabited and not open to the public. Powered by solar panels, the light emitted can be seen up to 8.5 miles away. The red and white windowless lighthouse is topped by black housing the lantern and is 33 feet (10 meters) high. Probably the most photographed lighthouse in South America, it is a spectacular sight. It was then time to head back, through the beautiful glacial waters and past the massive mountains of the southern end of the Andes and the reigning silence emphasizes the impression that you might be truly at the end of the world. An amazing experience.

Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego.

Just a few miles from Ushuaia, is the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego. The national park was established in 1960 to protect the area of the southern tip of the Andes from Lake Fagnano to the coast on the Beagle Channel. For us, a visit is a must because in the park is the actual true end of the Pan American highway. Two young Americans, Dan and Brian want to go into the park to hike and camp for a couple of nights and ask us for a ride. They are from Connecticut and are travelling by hitch-hiking and buses. “No problem” we tell them but also warn them that we are not early starters and probably won’t leave until noon or so. Since they plan on spending two or three days in the park that is ok with them plus they want to save money and the buses are expensive. The drive to the park is along an unpaved gravel road and the landscape is abrupt and sharp as a result of glaciations during the earth’s earlier eras. Here, the Andes are a series of mountain chains divided by deep valleys with lakes, rivers, peat bogs and forest. After entering, we followed the signs to Lake Roca, one of the glacial lakes and the beginning of several hiking trails. The hiking is magnificent following the spectacular coastline to lakes, mountains and glaciers with trails that wind past shrubs, bushes and trees that the almost constant wind has bent into odd angles. There is also a camping area but you have to pay extra to stay at this particular site. There are others which are free with the park admission and Dan and Brian plan at staying at one of those. They are also planning on doing the most strenuous of the hikes, the Cerro Guanaco Trail leading up to the summit of the mountain. We say our goodbyes and Tom and I settle on an easier trail leading to the lake. The park preserves the sense of being at the end of the world with paths that wind around the spongy masses of ancient peat bogs. A characteristic feature of a Fuegian (fiord-like) landscape, peat bogs are accumulated masses of dead plants, mosses, reeds and grasses that have built up over the centuries in damp valley bottoms and ooze ice-cold water. They add to the feeling of being in an area marked by the process of earth through time, very Jurassic-park like. After a visit to the Visitors Center to warm up and read about the indigenous Yamana and Ona tribes who inhabited the area before the Europeans arrived, we drove the short distance to the head of the trail leading to Lapataia Bay. you can stand at the end of route 3, the Pan American Highway, now little more than a dirt trail and imagine the long line that connects you to Alaska. Wilderness and nature surrounds you. Facing one direction are the sharp, jagged, snow capped, granite peaks of the Andes. Turn the other way is the Beagle Channel (named after Darwin’s ship “The Beagle”), the waterway that leads to Drake’s Passage and Antarctica. As we walk to the very furthest point we gaze out over the channel. We are truly at the very end. Only water and Antarctica lie ahead. As we slowly turn, we see the Andes. We will eventually have to cross them but for now we are content to gaze around us and dwell on the fact that we got here. It is remote and beautiful and we realize how fortunate we are to be able to have had the time to get here and spirit to accomplish it. May the road to Alaska be as thrilling.

Ushuaia

Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Yes, it still has the title even though technically Puerto Williams (a small settlement in Chile) is further south. It is located in a wide bay on the southernmost coast of the island of Tierra del Fuego. Bordered in the north by the Martial mountain range (an extension of the Andes) and in the south by the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia vibrates with anticipation and exhilaration. The combination of travelers who have journeyed the Pan American Highway and have come through the wilds of Patagonia make for a city where nearly everyone you meet is on an epic, once in a lifetime adventure. But it is not some small outpost with fur trappers and the oil speculators have more modern equipment. Now, the city at the end of the world is linked to Buenos Aires by daily flights and by cruise ships with regular stops in the port. It is a combination of modern tourism with duty-free shopping and superb restaurants, Klondike-style boomtown and the gateway to one of the world’s last great wilderness, Antarctica. Our campground “La Pista del Andino” is nestled in the Andes beneath the Martial Glacier to the west of the city. It was the first ski resort in town as is evident by the now defunct and inoperable chairlift and the grass covered ski slope. Now, it is a beautiful, well maintained campground and meeting place, welcoming adventurers on bicycle, motorcycle, car or motorhome. During the day, it is quiet with most people either out sightseeing in the national park, taking boat trips on the Beagle Channel or hiking the many trails leading into the Andes and to the glacier. In the evening, the communal room, which is cozily heated by a wood burning stove and looks out over the town and the Beagle Channel is filled with the excited chatter of campers from numerous countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, Australia, Canada, the United States, a couple with their three children from Israel, with everyone relaxed and contented. Like us they have made it. Like us they will stay a while and gather memories of their visit to the southernmost city in the world.