Patagonia is spread between Argentina and Chili and is the southernmost region of South America, including Tierra del Fuego. Patagonia is famous for its variety of wildlife, unspoiled nature, and ancient Indian cultures. Archeological findings date back to 8,000 BC, from Pre-Columbian civilizations to the skilled Mapuche Indians known for their mastery in weapons making and agriculture in the 16th century. In addition, part of the Andes, one of the longest rock formations on earth, are found here. Within the Andes is the tourist destination and trekking paradise of Torres del Paine National Park located in the Cordillera del Paine mountain chain. The lodge is called Explora
Massive exposed, granite rock features, formed in the Cretaceous Period, when dinosaurs wandered the planet, raise among turquoise lakes, rapids, waterfalls, and flatlands. They are the remnants of the sedimentary stratum, which has been eroded away in the Torres del Paine Park.
The park was established in 1959 and is 70 miles north of Puerto Natales. At 593,000 acres it is one of the largest and most visited in Chili. In 1978, the park became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It is known as the most beautiful park in Chili for its famous Grey Glacier, two popular treks and the most photographed attraction called the Torres del Paine, the three distinct 11,000 foot+ granite towers. The word Paine is from the Tehuelche Indian word meaning “blue”. Among the peaks we ww were beautiful blue lakes in different sizes. Every day has been windy and today was the worst. It was up to 50 mph as we tried to do a hike and gave up.
Yesterday, our first day in the park, I went for a horseback ride while mark went on a hike. Worked well for both of us. My horse was named Tequila and we got along fine. He did all the walkai9ng and I enjoyed the scenery, while trying to keep from being blown off. I was in a small group of folks from other American states.
After lunch we went on a 3 hour drive through the park to get a fuller picture of the sights and especially to see the towers, that is the Torres del Paine. In spite of the wind, there is a lot of fog and many of the peaks are shrouded in white. Here is a selection of what we saw, including animals. We saw mostly guanacos, large South American natives that are related to the camel, a handful of flamingos, who seem totally out of place, one ostrich and a couple of mice our guide enticed out of their hole.
Today, we set out at 8:45 to do an easy hike to a scenic place in the French Valley. Our first stop was a waterfall, a short walk from the car. However it was so windy that we could barely stand. A park ranger arrived and took a sample of the wind. It was gusting to 50mph. We debated about going further and our guide decided it was not worth the effort so we turned back and managed to make it to the car without anyone falling. On the way back to the lodge, we stopped at a small clamping facility, got out of the wind, had a tea and coffee and admired the view. There was even a black sand Bech as well as a long boardwalk to cross over the lake. It is called Lago Pohoe.
Once back at the lodge, we shopped for Patagonia jackets on sale, had lunch and spent the afternoon reading and writing. The mountains out our window were the clearest we have seen. I’ve included a plan of the lay6out of the peak names. The far left cluster is called the Cerro Paine Grande. The low point, called the Valle Frances
Adventures with Julia 