by Nathan Stone, of Saint John’s University
As we unloaded our packs from Round River vehicles, I took a second to breathe in the salty air and take in the lush green rainforest. After spending two days in a hostel in Punta Arenas and having our first class, everyone was ready to begin the first backpacking trip of the semester. We would hike in the Cabo Froward reserve, along the coastline of the Strait of Magellan, reaching the southern tip of the South American continent. The entire hike was filled with wildlife to identify, plant species to learn, and numerous sights one could spend all day admiring. Sea Lions napped on warm rocks, exotic birds like the Southern Caracara and the sub-Antarctic petrel took to the skies and entertained us with their calls, and the vegetation left us with stories of their importance to the ecosystem and to the native people of Patagonia. With both the copious amounts of things to look at and the time spent getting to know my phenomenal classmates, the journey to camp seemed to go much quicker than anticipated.
A female Kelp Goose (left) and Magellanic Oyster Catcher (right) midflight.
Photo by Lindsay Cartmell
The next few days involved soaking up as much information about the area as possible. There was no need to motivate anyone to wake up early, we were all eager to learn about the place that felt like it came straight from a fairytale. When we stopped for lunch, it was suggested that we should take a dip in the Magellanic Strait both to refresh ourselves and to say we had swam at the southernmost point of the continent! As we continued down the coast, we eventually found a cove where we sat down to enjoy the view. Little did we know, it was the perfect stage for the wildlife to further boast its beauty to us. Not only did we see new bird species, but we were also fortunate enough to get a glimpse of a humpback whale! A bucket list day to say the least. We ended the day with an orienteering class, learning how to use our compasses, GPS systems, and range finders. As we packed up in the morning, I was sad to say goodbye, but was excited to make our way to the next destination, Torres del Paine National Park.
The group hiking into the coastal rainforest in Cabo Froward, making their way to the campsite. Photo by Nathan Stone
Taking a break after lunch to wash off and take in the view of the Magellanic Strait. Photo by Lindsay Cartmell.
After the hike back, the 6-hour car ride to Torres was a nice way to rest our legs. We also got to share our favorite music and jam out, which is always a great way to bond. When we got closer to the park and the mountains began to come into view, we had to make multiple stops to document their beauty with photos and videos. The sunset tinted the huge, jagged mountains with scarlet and painted the sky a fiery orange and red. The view will be ingrained in my mind forever. We eventually made it to the park set up our tents and slept well knowing that tomorrow we would get to further explore.
The scenic view from camp in Torres del Paine National Park. Photo by Nathan Stone
The morning came quickly and after breakfast we headed on a small hike down to a glacial lake identifying more plants and birds, seeing one of my favorite birds, the Tufted Tit Tyrant. Finishing up the short hike, we headed back to camp to cook lunch. We snacked on calafate on the way back (a local berry similar to blueberries) picking them by the handful and seeing who could get their mouth as blue as possible. After lunch we headed on our second hike of the day to the viewing area of the iconic mountains of the park. The way up was again filled with identifying plants and birds. We saw a pair of Andean Condors and snacked on something new, charra, a berry that taste incredibly similar to cotton candy. When we reached the top, we were absolutely stunned. The mountains and turquoise blue lakes were simply too beautiful to explain, there was a magic in them. We took many pictures, headed down the mountain and finished the day by sketching the beautiful landscape, completing some course readings and eating a big dinner. Tomorrow we were heading to the famous base of the towers.
Heading back to camp after the second hike of the day in Torres del Paine National Park. Photo by Nathan Stone.
The morning routine of waking up and getting ready was becoming more efficient and we began our hour drive out of the park relatively early. On the way we got to see a gray fox and many Guanaco. When we started the hike, it became apparent that layer management would be essential on this hike – the weather and temperature were constantly changing from sunny and hot to rainy and cold and everything in between. Hiking up from the Patagonian steppe, into the forest, we caught our first glimpse of the endangered huemul deer – an adult male, adult female, and adolescent female were foraging slightly up the mountain and even took a few moments to play and jump about.
The 3 Huemul making their way down the mountain as the forage for food. (adult male: top, adult female: middle, adolescent female, bottom). Photo by Nathan Stone.
We continued to make our way to the top, passing through many different environments including open pastures, scrub, rainforest, and exposed cliffside. When we did finally make it to the top, it was snowing and as a result the towers were concealed. Despite this, the view was still amazing and worth the trek. We headed back down the mountain and drove back to camp eating another big diner and going to bed for the last time in the park. As we woke up to leave, a vivid rainbow streaked across the sky, a good omen of things to come.
The group poses for a picture at a sub-section on the way up to the main viewing area. From left to right: Erica Leiserowitz, Laura Pinover, Sam Wells, Lindsay Cartmell, Siena Wiedmann, Katie Adase, Baillie Stein, Nathan Stone. Photo by Shalynn Pack.