Patagonia, Part II

Flying south from Puerto Montt, Henry captured an extraordinary photo – once again from an airplane window! – of ice fields and glaciers among mountains and volcanoes on Chile’s Pacific coast. Wow!

Wind also defines this part of the world. In Puerto Natales, the ferry to the estancia (ranch) where we were to have spent a day was shut down due to the gale-force winds. So there we stayed, visiting the Mylodon statue, a tribute to a prehistoric creature reputed to have made these parts his home….

The hotel – in a former sheep-processing plant – faced the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) Sound, layers of blues and greens emerging during a rare moment of sunlight.

And from there to Torres del Paine, and a breath-taking vista from the lodge…..

A breezy hike along a nearby ridge…. with a little shelter from the wind behind a convenient rock.

Henry has been thoroughly taken by the cloud formations, a result of rapidly changing climactic conditions and quite striking due to the big-sky nature of the place.

Not a lot in the way of viewable wildlife – here’s a handsome caracara (a member of the falcon family), and an ostrich-like rhea.

The most prevalent endemic wild mammal is the guanaco, a relative of the camel (and the llama and the vicuna). They mingle in herds, and have winsome faces, with Mona Lisa smiles and thick eyelashes.

Sadly, they sometimes run afoul of the fences that keep the domesticated sheep and cattle contained. Hopefully, this one was quickly dispatched by a puma after getting caught in the barbed wire……

(Pumas, a type of cougar that can weigh up to 200 pounds, are very hard to spot. We didn’t see any, but certainly tried.)

Did I mention the wind?

Another view of the main mountain range of the Torres…..

Henry’s grand-niece Amy sent a note that she and a friend would be in Torres del Paine to hike the famous W trek, 45 miles or so around the base of the mountains shown above. We just missed each other by a day or two, but it’s a very cool coincidence to be in the same remote part of the world at the same time. We envy the youth and strength and determination that will enable them to endure the cold, wind and probable rain to get through a rugged challenge like this. They will see incredible sights and have great stories to tell…… looking forward to hearing all about it!

Turquoise rivers and waterfalls come from the mountain snowmelt.

Almost certainly unlike Amy and her friend, we were very well taken care of during our time in the park……

With an al fresco meal….

And a wood-fired hot tub at the end of the day….

After our first night, Henry complained that the water in the tub was a little icky…. so they emptied, scrubbed and refilled it, adding a nice tray of drinks and goodies for our next soak!

Life is bueno!