By Caitlin Luby, College of St. Benedict’s

(Team Condor)

The past few months have felt like some sort of dream and I’m just waiting for someone to pinch me to wake me up. This trip to Berndardo O’Higgins National Park was no exception (even after some pinching on St. Patrick’s day I didn’t wake up from the dream I thought I was having).

We started our trip with an evening in the small town of Tortel – the same one we visited when we did our Sphagnum moss project. We also got to meet the three Guardaparques for our trip who greeted us on their trusty boat, the Aguilaf. I spent much time the past two months practicing very poor Spanish, and I was very pleased to learn that I could comfortably communicate with Spanish speakers for the first time. It was a positive way to start an unforgettable trip.

Caitlin in Tortel, with confident Spanish! Photo by Adam Spencer

The following morning, we woke up early in order to get on the boat we took to Bernardo. After some impressive logistical planning by our instructors, we were grateful to have gotten a ride from a government-issued vessel doing its monthly trip to the Fjords. So, we loaded up our bins and our packs and headed out. The subsequent 12 hours were spent in a bizarre stupor alternating between sleeping, eating, and watching the most incredible landscapes drift by us.

Impenetrable forests of the fjords. Photo by Adam Spencer

We arrived that evening to our destination, a masterfully built two-story house that was called the Refugio Bernardo and had an opportunity to get to know our Guardarparques a little bit more. Felidor and Fabio were an incredible father son duo who could maneuver boats like it was their second nature while simultaneously smiling and laughing the entire time. Orlando was our trusted guide on trail who was a child at heart but probably had more wisdom than all of us combined.

We were blessed with weather the next day, which was a pleasant theme for the whole trip. We boated about 30 minutes away to hang out with some icebergs for the morning – our team shared an incredible few hours of wonder sitting at the shore of a lake filled with icebergs of all shapes and sizes – they were too abundant to even fathom. To sit under the sun in a place that gets an average of 8 meters of rainfall per year was a moment we will never forget. We spent the rest of the afternoon collecting firewood with the company of some Peale’s Dolphins following our boat, to make the day even better.

Maggie Johnson (Oberlin College) and the icebergs. Photo by Adam Spencer

 

Fabio takes Hannah Weiss (UVM) on a dolphin ride. Photo by Adam Spencer

The next day was a classical rainy Fjord day – which worked in our favor because we only had to boat to our first campsite of our 6-day field excursion and pitch our tents.

From the campsite the next day, the Guardaparques went on a scouting trip with the Aguilaf so we had an opportunity to explore uncharted territory surrounding us. After spending days of solely looking at blue water, grey rocks, and brown-washed forests on the mountainsides, it felt like that’s all we were going to see for the remainder of the trip (at least I thought so). But, the second we stepped into the forest we got a slap in the face – we walked into what felt like an alternate universe. We were suddenly surrounded by lush rainforest on all sides of us. It was a maze of moss, vines, ferns, fallen logs, and streams underneath what felt like a false floor because of how many trees were falling apart. The air was thick with moisture; birds that are usually skittish were approaching us out of pure curiosity of humans. We scrambled our way up and around the rainforest to reach a lookout point and we got the first thorough view of where we were.

Maya (Bowdoin College) crosses a log over a stream in dense Magellanic Rainforest. Photo by Adam Spencer

Instructor Scott Braddock marvels at the mosses of the dense forest. Photo by Adam Spencer

As we were scanning the landscape and admiring the Fjords, within the first two minutes a massive cruise ship appeared in the water a kilometer away from the wildest place I’ve ever experienced and it was completely unexpected. It was a strange realization to us just how far into wilderness we humans have our hands dipping into.

Team Condor above the Kaweshkar River. Photo by Adam Spencer

Our fifth day was the first time we got a taste of what weather is normally like in the Fjords. We woke up to forceful winds and the reminder that all gear is subject to nature; we said our goodbye’s to Maggie’s tent and many of our rainpants didn’t make it past the morning.

After spending that night at Refugio Tempano a few hours up the river, the next day I was lucky enough to have a birthday in the most beautiful place on earth! Our incredible boating guides loaded us all onto the Aguilaf and we headed to Glacier Tempano across the bay from the Refugio. We were dropped off at a rock where we had a breathtaking view of the glacier on a beautifully sunny morning, once again. We shared laughs and dances on top of the rock which is something I will never forget – not many people can ring in their 21st year of life with amazing people at the foot of a glacier deep in the backcountry of Patagonia.

Birthday Boy and Girl! Caitlin celebrates her 21er with a trip to the Témpano Glacier!

When we felt satiated with our glacier time, we headed out to the field with Orlando. The remainder of the day was spent walking through the mountains to our campsite where I was surprised with a pleasant birthday treat of cake and Nutella from my fellow team members.

Not-so-lucky for our cheerful instructor, “Unce Scott,” the following day was his birthday and we were faced with the challenge of another day of rain. But, because Team Condor is arguably one of the most exuberant groups to ever walk in Fjordo Bernardo, we made the most of it. We trekked along (and inside) of a river to reach our next campsite. Our duo of poop masters (Ally and Maggie, who’s final project is studying Culpeo Fox scat) collected a record number of feces. We scampered around collecting calafate berries, found another glacier, and celebrated birthday number two of the trip with some more sweets.

The final day of our backpacking trip started off with some refreshing sun and a few moments of soaking up the beauty of the previous day’s glacial labyrinth before heading out for the day. We walked for the rest of the day to the other side of the mountains, and were pleasantly surprised to see the trusty Aguilaf waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain – Felidor and Fabio came to pick us up to finish the last leg of our hike back to the Bernardo Refugio.

After returning from the backpacking trip we had a whole change of pace. We spent the next day learning how to make sopaipillas and Hannah Phelps mastered the art of kneading the dough and frying the bread to perfection.

That evening, our entire team conducted a transect on the Pampa near the Refugio where Round River has an ongoing census of the Huemul population. We got to witness just how masterful Felidor is with his neighbors in the Fjords – the Huemul approached him as if he’s one of them (which he perhaps is). Thanks to his long-term work among them many of us were able to get within a few meters of Huemul, which was an experience none of us will forget. That evening our group saw a combined 28 individuals, which is probably more than someone would see spending years in Chile.

A young male huemul on the census. Photo by Adam Spencer

 

 

A female huemul approaches Felidor – likely an old friend – during our census. Photo by Adam Spencer

The following morning we woke up in the middle of a cloud, which unfortunately delayed our departure time for our next trip. The goal of the trip was to hike up the mountainside adjacent to Glacier Bernardo and see the GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) site from the top. Because we could hardly see 200 meters in front of us, we decided to wait for the clouds to clear.

We departed late afternoon and did exactly what we planned to – we hiked straight up the mountain (it felt like it at least). We pushed our bodies and some knees were aching at the end, but our campsite was more than worth it. We pitched our tents at the foot of a cliffside with an incredible, unobstructed view of the glacier.

Sunrise, Glaciar Bernardo. Photo by Adam Spencer

Morning came quickly the next day as we set off bright and early to get a better view of the GLOF site. We left our packs and tents behind and headed further up the mountain. We were walking along hillsides when we suddenly made our way around the top and got the view we were waiting for.

Icerbergs stranded on the ground after the GLOF. Photo by Adam Spencer

To the East of the glacier was a basin flecked with stranded icebergs and an array of frozen and unfrozen water in between. We learned that throughout the year, rain water and snow melt fills the basin and creates pressure on a frozen dam beneath the glacier. When the pressure becomes too much for the ice to handle it bursts and a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood ensues, flooding the valley downhill from the glacier. Unfortunately, that’s where the Refugio is located and its banks are eroded during every GLOF event, threatening to wash away the building.

The Guadarparques are faced with many challenges in their occupation which makes it difficult to address problems like these. Having an opportunity to work so directly with their organization is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of the students here.

Orlando, Fabio and Felidor spend two weeks at a time at Fiordo Bernardo, surveying the Huemul population. Photo by Caitlin Luby

After seeing the GLOF we hiked back to our belongings, packed up, and spent the rest of the sunny day hiking back to the Refugio and enjoying more beautiful weather we were blessed with; the following day we were not so lucky. It was dreary but our attitudes stayed positive as we completed schoolwork and spent more time with the Guardaparques. They served us excessive amounts of maté in exchange for our (sometimes overwhelming) company inside the small space of the Refugio.

Fabio waded into the water on our return from the GLOF, as his feet were too hot hiking on a rare sunny day. Photo by Caitlin Luby

The next and final day at the Refugio was one of the most beautiful days we’ve seen in Patagonia. In the air we could feel both nostalgia of having to leave the next day and a breeze coming from the Fjords that gave the Refugio an air like that of a beach-house rather than a cabin in the woods, which was well-fitting considering what our activities for the day were. We spent the day working on schoolwork laying near the water soaking up the sun.

We got an early start the next morning to begin our final trek aboard the Aguilaf. After 7 hours of being packed shoulder-to-shoulder with one another and all of our gear, we arrived in Tortel and were forced to say our final goodbyes to Fabio, Felidor, and Orlando. Our whole group and each one of us individually created some incredible memories with all of them which will not be forgotten by anyone.

Round River and CONAF celebrate another amazing journey together! Photo by Adam Spencer

P.S. for future students:

No matter how attached you are to your gear or how much money you spend on it, it will break at some point in your life. Don’t forget about good rain pants!

The only thing you should expect from any plans in Patagonia is that they will change; but, you will learn to love it.

The culture here is incredible and unlike anything you might assume – don’t hold onto your expectations.