December 8, 2024
Throughout the night we sailed through the western tip of Terra del Fuego and entered the Ballenero Channel. Named by Captain Fitz Roy to honor a whaling ship from his expedition that was taken by a group of Yaghan canoeist.
The morning began with a presentation on DiscoveringTierra del Fuego, where we learned about the history and ecology of the area.
Then we got to visit the bridge during the navigation through a very narrow channel in brash ice. It was exciting watching the team maneuver through the very narrow passage and then our first glacier of the day appeared!! The captain even let me sit in his chair!!!
Back in the Zodiacs we set of for a short hike to view the Pia Glacier where it flows from the Darwin Mountains into the sea. The play of light, reflection, and shadow against the glacial ice, which is of varying density and moisture content, creates a profound palette of subtle hues. As we were doing our Patagonia moment of silence at the viewpoint we heard a loud boom and then the glacier did a spectacular calving!! What an incredible sight!!!
After returning to the ship, we sailed along the BeagleChannel’s northwestern arm and through majestic Glacier Alley. Sitting in the lounge and ducking out to the sun deck as the glaciers appeared I enjoyed the spectacular views of this icy landscape and discovered the European names that have been given to these glaciers, including Holland, Germany,France and Italy. The crew delivered us drinks and appetizers that matched the glacier as it came into view. Brats and Beer for Germany, French Champaign and cheeses for France and Italian wine and Pizza for Italy. It made glacier watching a unique experience!!
The movement of ice in this region is considered to be “glacially slow,” but it is actually inconstant flux, more so in recent years due totheeffects of global warming. A 2003 study led by researchers at the U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory found that the Patagonia glaciers of Chile and Argentina are melting so rapidly that they are making a significant contribution to the rise of the sea level.
Not much of a sunset tonight as it was cloudy. We are headed south to Cape Horn and the waters will get really choppy as the watered of the Pacific and Altantic merge and the famous winds kick in. We have been blessed so far with incredible weather so I am hoping that holds tomorrow so we can go ashore at Cape Horn, the most southern point in South America!
Yes, another “Best Day Ever…so far” because I made it up to the viewpoint and it was not an easy hike. It was muddy and steep and the last giant rock before the summit I had to crawl up but I made it!!!
