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| Onboard a zodiac for a hiking adventure |
To say that I have had zero interest in going on a cruise would be an overstatement. I still flash back to feeling trapped on a mere three hour booze cruise back in law school. The thought of multiplying that experience by both time and people makes me shudder. So it was with some apprehension that I boarded Stella Australis, an expedition ship that would be taking us south down the Chilean fjords to Cape Horn and back north to Ushuaia. The adventures we had while based on the ship were some of my favorite of our trip.
By their nature, expedition ships are intimate. The focus of these journeys is to explore areas difficult to reach by other modes of transportation. And so these ships can accommodate only the number of people that can be loaded on zodiac boats for an outing. While the Stella Australis can hold 200 passengers, there were only 90 or so on our sailing.
In addition to my concern about cruises in general, I had been apprehensive about the weather. Patagonia is known for its high winds and healthy amounts of rain. We had been warned that we could face double digit high seas during our journey, the impact of which would be multiplied by being in a small vessel. Visions of projectile vomiting abounded. Ginger candies were eaten and scopalomine patches applied in hopes of assuaging seasickness. On the cruise preceding ours, some of the outings had to be canceled due to the conditions. The passengers had been stuck onboard with a bucket for a companion. Somewhat miraculously, we had sunny days and virtually no wind during our time at sea.
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| Trip leader Marcela at Marinelli Glacier |
So what did we experience on our outings? Nature at its finest! The zodiac rides themselves were an adventure as we bounced towards our destinations. Just getting in required some coaching. You take three steps onto the boat (cha-cha-cha, as they say), then sit down and slide along the side until you are cozied up to the person ahead of you. It sounds simple -- and it is so long as you overcome your instinct to stand upright as you move to your seat. If you do, you run the risk of toppling over into the icy waters. I am happy to report that I and all of my fellow passengers stayed dry.
This shot shows our trip leader Marcela giving a thumbs up to the beautiful weather that allowed terrific views of Marinelli Glacier. (Oh, another glacier -- yawn!) Here we hiked on the glacial moraine created from sediment left by the glacier during its retreat. At a loss of several hundred meters per year, Marinelli Glacier is one of the most rapidly retreating glaciers in South America. Again, we watched and listened as one area of the glacier repeatedly calved. It was both literally and figuratively a cool experience.
We had the choice between hiking the moraine or a Magellanic forest. I chose the moraine, which required a bit of scrambling. I'm talking literally being bent over grasping rocks at some points to make my way up. Not so good for the manicure, but it was great fun. In some steeper portions of the trail, Overseas Adventure Travel had installed ropes we used to pull ourselves forward. I decided there was no need to be proud.
On another of our expeditions, we saw Magellanic penguins. Needless to say, they were adorable as they waddled around oblivious to the photos being taken of them. But there are reasons to like Magellanic penguins in addition to their cuteness. These animals share parental responsibilities in a much more equal way than, say, the typical human couple. The parents-to-be take turns incubating the eggs and foraging for food. Fun fact: The mother penguin always lays two eggs, typically four days apart. Less fun fact: The first egg is often rejected as incubation progresses in favor of the second, larger egg. One article likened the first egg to an insurance policy. Nature can be harsh.
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| Magellanic penguins at Tuckers Islets |
And now a word about designating the forest and the penguins and other things "Magellanic." Ferdinand Magellan is credited as the first European to circumnavigate the globe. This is despite the fact that he was killed about halfway through the journey after a Phillipine local shot him with a poisoned arrow. He gets credit due to his planning of the voyage and his leadership during the beginning of the journey. He
was at the helm when the Strait of Magellan, the only inland passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans prior to the construction of the Panama Canal, was "discovered." It was a much safer -- and more pleasant -- trading route than the Drake Passage with its high seas and icebergs. Moving on...
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| At the Cape Horn Monument |
Our outings from the ship also included a stop at Cape Horn. This is notable because the only way to get there is by expedition vessel, cruise ship or helicopter. Lucky us!
Cape Horn is known as the "sailors' grave" because more than 10,000 seamen perished there trying to "round the Horn." It is the start of the Drake Passage, the famously turbulent waters where the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans converge. Drake Passage must be crossed if you are sailing to Antarctica. I don't think I'm quite ready to take a voyage that's known as
the world's most terrifying ocean passage. But I (kind of) digress.
We all climbed the 160 steps from the landing site to the Cape Horn Monument, a sculpture of an albatross by Jose Balcells Eyquem. (The albatross' wings are spread vertically if you, like me, have a bit of trouble seeing the bird.) The sculpture can withstand winds of up to 125 mph.
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| The Stella Australis |
Why an albatross, you might ask. An albatross can be either good or bad luck for sailors. Albatrosses can literally fly for years without landing thanks to their ability to glide over the ocean without flapping their wings. A young albatross often spends the first six years of its life flying before settling down for an extremely short courtship, mating and taking off again. A sailor who spots an albatross soaring through the sky considers it a lucky omen given the typical longevity of the bird's journeys. A sailor who sees a dead albatross fears for his crew's safety. And if you're the one who killed it, intentionally or not, well... Hence
Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."
And with that, we were back down the 160 steps to our zodiac where we enjoyed a calm ride back to the Stella Australis. We had a wonderful time at sea.
I promise we're nearing the end of the journey. Thanks for sticking with me. Still to come: Ushuaia and Buenos Aires.
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