For most of my life Patagonia was the name of a really good (and expensive) brand of outdoor clothing. It is so much more than that. Patagonia is  the land at the southern tip of south America, divided by the Andes Mountains, where Argentina and Chile come together at the point of the cone that is South America. For most folks it is in a remote corner of the globe, expensive and hard to get to; an altogether mysterious and exotic land.

Thanks to my Father I had not only the resources, but the motivation and the passion to visit the land of Patagonia. I traveled with a hearty group of 18 veterinarians, under the expert guidance of BiosBios Expeditions and their partners. I had the time of my life, and I’m pretty sure Dad was riding on my shoulder most every step of the way.

 The Patagonia Journals

1. Earth Reborn

There is a place on the far southern tip of the South American continent where the Earth is being born….again.
Although The birth is not for the first time, but rather a rebirth, it is no less dramatic or miraculous. The place is in the land called Patagonia,and you can see the birth happening with your naked eye at the western end of Lago Viedma, where the Viedma glacier ends and the Lake begins. You can even walk on the newly emerged infant earth, and touch it’s raw and rarefied skin. It is impossible to find words to describe the surreal grandeur of this place- human language is ludicrously inadequate! Of course there is no substitute for going there yourself, but the trip is long and costly, so I brought back photos. (Read more….)

2. Welcome to El Calafate!

El Calafate is a little town situated on Lake Argentina, in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in southern Patagonia. It’s main industry is catering to the needs of tourists and adventurers who are preparing to explore the Glacier National Park of Argentina (Parque Nacional de los Glaciares), or cross the border into Chile to visit the remote Chilean National Park of Torres del Paine. The presence of a convenient modern airport makes El Calafate a vital commuter hub for Patagonian adventurers. (read more…)

3. The Perito Moreno

I had never seen a glacier before. At least, not up close and personal, and certainly not a real live monster like the Perito Moreno!* Most of my glacier experience has been from my living room, sitting in the comfort of the lazy boy chair with a couple of dogs on my lap, watching BBC Earth videos. So nothing prepared me for the immensity and grandeur of the Perito Moreno. Nothing could. There is nothing like being there and realizing that you are a not only a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things, but also a relatively soft, fragile and transient speck. Relative to a glacier, that is. In comparison to the forces that created this massive river of ice, I feel like I have a lot in common with a humble gnat! (Read more…)

4. The Road to Chile

Sometimes it seems like the world is spinning out of control. Lately it often feels that way, probably because I am paying attention to the news again. So today would be a good day to go to Chilè, to visit Patagonia, to touch base with Mother Earth.

We boarded the bus for Chilè early in the morning before the break of dawn. Our Fearless Leader and #1 guide, Santiago, was anxious to reach the border crossing in good time so as to not be caught in a long line of tour buses waiting to get through customs and immigration.

Santiago had a big responsibility shepherding 14 itinerant veterinarians safely and efficiently across the international border. He needed the instincts of a border collie, and fortunately for us he was up to the task, (all bark and no bite!)

I am just old enough to remember when Chile was neither safe nor hospitable. (Read more….

5. Discovering the Parque Nacional de Torres del Paine

Yesterday I was casting about trying to come up with something more interesting to say about our first day at Parque Nacional de Torres del Paine other than “Holy cow wouldja look at those mountains!,“ when I stumbled across the name Lady Florence Dixon, who was one of the first Europeans to travel around Patagonia. She was also the first European woman to go to Patagonia. But the coolest thing about Lady Florence was that she wrote a book about her trip, and it was published in 1881. Lady Florence was a Scottish Upper Class Victorian Tomboy. She could ride horses and shoot a rifle; she loved the outdoors and had a passion for adventure. She was also a pretty good writer, a claim needing no further proof other than the fact that her books are still in print today! You can order them from Amazon, and you can read her book “Across Patagonia” for free online at Google Books.

Accompanied by her husband, two brothers and the artist John Beerbohm, Lady Florence sailed to Argentina on a ship, and traveled to the Andes on horseback. Led by local guides, they camped and hunted for their food, met tribes of native Teheulche, endured all kinds of weather, encountered pumas, foxes, condors and herds of wild horses, deer, guanaco and rheas (she called the ostriches), not to mention a vast array of other flora and fauna. (Read more…

 

6. Cleopatra’s Needles

Los Angeles is not a place you would expect to find me unless there was an extremely good reason, and witnessing our first and only grandson graduating from college was an irresistible cause. Although the family event was worthwhile, it was no fun enduring the crazy chaos of the city, and so it was a good time to take a mental trip to Patagonia, back to the Parque Nacional del Torres del Paine.

As we drove down the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, I was inspired by the sudden sharp steep rise of the Sierra escarpment over the dry high desert of the Owens Valley. The valley averages about 4,000 feet elevation and Mount Whitney is just over 14,000. That’s a pretty dramatic rise. The Sierra massif is penetrated by deep winding canyons every few miles- the passes by which hikers can gain access to the interior of the range and the high peaks which are the jewels of the Sierras. It’s not unlike the mountains of Patagonia. (Read more….

 

 

 

 

7. A Blustery Day in Patagonia

“Say, Pooh, if I were you I’d think about skedaddlin’s out of here. It’s Windsday, see?”

I have been occasionally known to complain that the weather in California is too….boring. I mean, who wouldn’t get tired of day after day of blue sky and sunshine? I need a little variety in my atmosphere. Well, in Patagonia, that’s not a problem! In Torres del Paine the daily weather forecast usually called for sun, rain, clouds, blue sky, fog, and variable winds with gusts and a chance of snow, hail, and/or sleet. (The one thing they don’t have is thunderstorms!)

The 6th day of our Patagonia trip was not at all pleasant weather-wise, but it was certainly very memorable, which is what it’s all about for me these days. The wind started howling around midnight, like a pack of Patagonian demons screaming down from the rocky heights, vibrating the thick fabric covering our geodesic domes, and rattling and banging anything not firmly attached to the planet. The screeches and shrieks were unearthly, as if the flying saucer cloud formations yesterday afternoon had delivered a load of Alien Demons out onto the land. The howls were purely Patagonian: raw and primordial, earthly and unadulterated. (Read more…