I’m not one to let moss grow under my itchy feet, so tomorrow I begin another adventure — 2 weeks in Alaska. Which, given all there is to see, and how big the state is (the largest at 656,425 square miles), is likely not enough time to experience all there is, but its a start. And a way to escape…
Author: lkcopeland57
Patagonia: Reflections
It felt as if we were at the very bottom of the world, but there’s some real estate even further south on the South American continent — Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia are at the furthest reaches of the mainland, and are the jumping off point for flights to South Georgia Island and cruises to Antarctica. Almost seemed like we…
January 29: Buenos Aires, Day 2
I woke early and had breakfast with Katherine, who said that all had gone well with Bob’s surgery the night before and that he’d be released this afternoon. They did have to change some flights and will stay an extra 2 days, but all things considered everything seemed to have worked out all right. She headed off to the hospital…
January 28: Buenos Aires, Day 1
A hope to sleep in late was dashed by the strip of sunlight that sneaked in between the curtains, but we were still able to take it slow this morning. Breakfast was a huge spread of pretty much anything sweet or savory one could want, which was quite a change from the rather spare morning meals we’d had on the…
January 27: Travel to Buenos Aires
And then we were done. Today was the day to say goodbye to our companions of the past 13 days, and head off to our respective next stops. Most were heading home. Carol and John were off to Antarctica, and Liz and I headed to Buenos Aires with Bob and Katherine for 2 days of sight seeing. The trip to…
January 26: The Last Hike
Another very early start for a long hike — 12 miles, and a climb of 3,000 feet to the Loma del Plieuge Tumbado lookout. The trail changed during the course of the 6 miles up — the first section was sort of sandy and narrow, then some rocky morain demanding some scrambling, followed by and open field with grazing Hereford…
January 25: A Short Hike and some Biking
After a very active and long day hiking on Wednesday, today was much easier. The van took us about an hour into the park to a trail head leading up to Heumul Glacier (named after the Andean deer which reside in the area). The trail was mostly through the woods, alongside a stream of a milky turquoise — runoff from…
January 24: The Big Climb and 3 Glaciers
An early start today for a long hike, and an attempt to miss some of the “traffic” caused by the many people making the same trek; breakfast at 6:30 and ready to roll at 7AM. We drove 30 minutes to the trail head, and had some breathtaking views of the mountain range that we would see closer up as our…
January 23: To El Chaten
Today we are heading north to El Chaten, the entry way to Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, the two highest and most well known peaks in this mountaineers and climbers paradise. It was a 3 hour drive, crossing the Santa Cruz River which runs from Lago Argentina to the Atlantic Ocean. The landscape was much the same as what…
January 22: Los Glaciares National Park
We had a late “call” today, to be ready at 9AM for a trip to Los Glaciares National Park, designated a UNESCO site in the 80’s, and the biggest park in Argentina. The van ride was about 90 minutes and our guide Cecelia did an excellent job of telling us about the history of the area, and the landscape. We…