📍Pia Glacier, Chilean Fjords

Yesterday, we set sail back through the Beagle Channel (which is my new best friend since it protects us from the harsh wind we’ve been experiencing). We originally were supposed to travel to Cape Horn, but due to the weather and the ocean conditions, the captain has deemed that leg too unsafe to complete. 

From left to right: 1. Ropes went up throughout the ship night so people could safely walk among the ship due to the intense swells 2. Views of the swells BEFORE we hit open water 3. Attempting to "walk" in the intense wind 

With the change of plans, we spent the morning sailing through the magnificent fjords as the crew worked on completing all the customs requirements for us to enter back into Chile. We had a lecture by naturalist Dan Olsen called, “Magellan, Drake, and the Beagle,” followed by naturalist Javier Cotin’s presentation, “Seabirds of Patagonia and the Southern Ocean. Here are a few shots as we made our way through the Beagle Channel & Chilean fjords of southern Patagonia. I was beyond excited to spot my first glacier! 

Views from the bow of the National Geographic Explorer

That afternoon we took the opportunity to get close and personal with the glaciers as we took zodiac boats right up to the Pia Glacier which is in the Darwin Cordillera. The icy water was littered with chunks of ice and icebergs. We heard the calving (or breaking off) of the glacier which sounds a lot like thunder. It was pretty spectacular to hear and see the natural process of calving up close.

Pia Glacier with the Cordillera Darwin in the background

In true Patagonian weather, we started out dry and ended the exploration having been snowed and then rained on. As the weather moved in and out, we were greeted with views of spectacular glaciers, ice-carved valleys and peaks, and waterfalls cascading down the mountainside.

Middle picture: Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Mcleod two of my Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Partners

Not so fun fact: the ice fields in the southern part of Patagonia which are the 3rd largest in the world and include the Pia Glacier are melting at a rate of 1.9 meters per year. There are a few glaciers that are advancing and scientists are studying these glaciers to try and learn why they are growing and not shrinking.

📍Isla de Los Estados (Staten Island), Argentina

Mother Nature has not quite been our friend since the beginning of our expedition. Severe weather conditions have delayed our voyage through the Beagle Channel and thus delayed our arrival to Isla de Los Estados. In order to head from the Beagle Channel to Isla de Los Estados we headed towards open water. I’m not sure I had a clear understanding of “open water” until last night. I woke up at 2:30 am (just like everyone else on board) to things sliding across my cabin. The door to my closet, which I forgot to lock, was sliding back and forth, back and forth as the boat swayed (this sounds too gentle for what was happening) all night long. When I chatted with the captain the next morning he responded with a huge smile, “9 feet swells. Just a little bit.” According to the Douglas Sea Scale, 9 feet swells are considered phenomenal. I had considered heading out of my cabin to view the swells as I knew they must look truly magnificent. To put it into perspective, it felt like I was on the pirate ship ride at Canobie Lake Park (but the Cedar Point version) and you can't get off. Spoiler alert on the way back we reached 12-14 feet swells.

View of the National Geographic Explorer from the Lighthouse at the End of the World

After our eventful night at sea, we made it to Isla de Los Estados and finally took our first zodiac ride to shore. We have special permission to visit Isla de Los Estados which in a conservation effort by Argentina has largely been off-limits to travelers since 1923. It is barely touched and only in recent years has it been visited by a few scientists and the staff of the tiny naval observatory. It’s so remote there is not even a Google Earth view for it. A fact my students could not believe. Google is everywhere, right?

After a short hike, we saw the replica of the Lighthouse at the End of the World which was the one inspired by the Jules Verne novel. We walked in the southern beech forests and experienced the four seasons in a matter of minutes. The weather and wind here are no joke. "Patagonian Weather" truly is its own thing. Do not be fooled by these sunny pictures, we were snowed on and even pelted with hail numerous times.

After our hike, we headed back to the National Geographic Explorer for lunch and our ship headed to another location on the island. For our second landing on Isla de Los Estados, our expedition leader said there was a king penguin waiting to greet us on the beach. We all thought he was joking given it was unclear whether we would see a king penguin this expedition (although I will admit I was really really really hoping too). Seriously, we asked him if there was actually a king penguin statue and some didn’t even bring their cameras out on the zodiac. Sidenote if you are ever on an expedition the motto is definitely, “Always be prepared”. Sure enough, as we zodiaced to shore there he was!

Right 📸 credit: Andy Coleman (our National Geographic photograph expert on board) 

After saying a quick hello, we hiked across the island from bay to bay. Again we experienced a multitude of seasons in a matter of minutes. When our zodiac ship landed we were greeted not only by the king penguin but also by the sun. We hiked and viewed beech trees, tree avalanches, and tons of moss (more on all of these later when I have more time). By the time we reached the other bay we had hail, snow, and wind squalls that all you could do was turn your back to and wait it out. It truly was a magical experience.

PS posts are slightly delayed due to limited wifi which is struggling to upload photos. Check out @missklipfel on Instagram for more updates. 

 

📍Ushuaia, Argentina

After a 5:00 am wake-up call, we headed by bus back to Santiago airport for leg three of getting to Patagonia. We boarded our flight to Ushuaia, Argentina, the world's Southernmost city. It's a location I went from not knowing how to pronounce to at this point talking about so much that it feels a little surreal being here. Argentinians call it “Fin del Mundo” – the end of the world. Did I mention our flight took us over stunning Patagonia 😍

Left 📸: Volcano in the Andes mountains seen from the sky

This was by far the best three-and-a-half-hour flight of my life. We saw mountains and not just any mountains but the Andes mountains. Let me just say they compare nothing to the Appalachians or even the Rockies. They have very much left me curious about the Himalayas. Luckily for us, it was a private charter flight so everyone was back and forth all flight between both sides of the plane making sure to get the best shots. There were multiple times during the flight when I was mid-conversation, we’d both look out the window and just stop speaking, the views literally made us speechless.

After landing at the Ushuaia airport, we made it through customs again given we had just traveled from Chile to Argentina. We started with exploring Tierra del Fuego National Park. We again saw stunning views of the Andes mountains, learned about the lack of “dry season” in this region, and saw the beech trees (plus lots lots more). The longest highway in the world, the Pan American Highway runs from Alaska to Argentina so today we stood at the end of Route 3 which is literally the end of the road.

From left to right: 📸1: Tierra del Fuego National sign 📸 2: The end of the Pan-American Highway

Lucky for us the weather was spectacular so we were able to enjoy lunch on a catamaran cruise while viewing the amazing Andes mountains rising out of the Beagle Channel (sensing a theme for the day?). We headed out to the Lighthouse at the End of the World, not the one based on Jules Verne's novel but more on that when I have more time.

From left to right: 📸1: Tierra del Fuego National Park 📸 2: Lighthouse at the end of the world 📸 3: Sailing through the Beagle Channel

Prior to boarding the catamaran, we spotted Calafate berry flowers, something I was excited to see in Patagonia, followed by enjoying some Calafate berry ice cream. Legend says if you eat Calafate berries in Patagonia you are destined to come back. One can only dream.

From left to right: 📸1: Calafate ice cream-yum! 📸 2: Port City of Ushuaia 📸 3: Ushuaua "Fin del Mundo" Sign meaning "the end of the world"

This was all followed by exploring the colorful port city of Ushuaia. Again I have no words for the spectacular Andes that lay behind this port town. Fun fact: In Ushuaia the Andes actually run west to east meaning they span the whole backdrop of Ushuaia. An interesting part of our exploration was visiting the Ushuaia prison which reminded me of Alcatraz. I enjoyed speaking with some locals and learning about what living in this part of Patagonia is really like.

Finally, just before midnight, we were able to board the National Geographic Explorer, our expedition ship for the next two weeks. We are dealing with some troubling weather which has caused the delay so we will see what tomorrow brings.

National Geographic Explorer, my home and classroom for the next two weeks.

📍 Santiago, Chile 🇨🇱

Today’s exploration (a pitstop day) took us around Santiago, Chile's southern gateway to Patagonia. After checking into the hotel, we headed out to explore a local market, Pueblito los Dominicos. We were able to meet all the local artisans as we wandered the shops and explored the market. I was so impressed with how talented these artisans were.

We then headed out for a walking tour where I was in awe of this vibrant city. Just to name a few locations we explored a Pre-Columbian Museum (usually closed on Mondays but opened specially for us), saw the old congress building, and even the Chilean president's house.

Plus we enjoyed some empanadas (which YES live up to the hype)!

With two of my Grosvenor Teacher Fellow partners: Mrs. Smith & Mrs. McLeod

But off to bed as I have an early wake-up call before we head off on a flight to Ushuaia. Patagonia here we come.