Field Expedition to Torres del Paine National Park #
The highlight of this week was the field expedition to Torres del Paine National Park, north of Puerto Natales. This park is famous for its “young” peaks, including Paine Grande, Cuerno Principal, and the three towers. We left the center in Puerto Natales at 8am, and drove to get closer to the park. When we reached the trailhead for our hike, we only had to take our daypacks, as the bus was going to be taking our larger packs all the way to our campsite, along with the food (this felt like cheating!). The hike was about 7 hours, including classes in-between.
The first class was Earth Systems, and we looked at glacial movements that formed some of the valleys near Torres del Paine. After some scenic views, we began to cross parallel to the park on a conservation trail, where we looked at lichen formations and discussed various ecosystem services that the area provided for Ecology class.
Along the hike, we found plenty of edible berries that I snacked on the entire time. In this region, there are four berry species that are tasty. In the picture, the small red berries are Murtilla (empetrum rubrum). They are quite tart with a mild flavor. The larger blue ones are Calafate berries (Berberis microphylla). Those are my favorite! The two not pictured are Chaura (Gaultheria mucronata), a berry that turns white when it is ripe - it tastes like an apple. The last is the rarest; They are technically strawberries, but look more like a raspberry. They might be called the Falkland Strawberry, but the scientific name is Rubus geoides. They are by far the most delicious fruit I have ever had, and I wish I could cultivate them back home!
After quite a long hike to our campsite near the Rio Grey (-51.200931, -72.977299), we set up tents and got some dinner while staring at a very impressive view of the peaks.
The first night (Feb 5), I got the treat of clear skies, allowing my first peek at Southern Hemisphere constellations. While it was impressive to see the Milky Way oriented parallel to the ground and directly overhead, seeing Carina, Crux, and especially the Magellanic Clouds. The clouds are dwarf galaxies, but are quite a sight to see - comparable to the Milky Way in terms of awesomeness! I didn’t take any pictures, but it was something I’ll remember for a while.
During our time there, we did classes in the park, hiked, and took a boat tour near the Grey Glacier (with a free drink - look up a Calafate Sour, they are very popular here). The glacier is certainly a tourist attraction, but it is extremely gorgous.
On the last morning (Feb 7), the rainy and cloudy skies opened enough to allow a sunrise that shone on the peaks from the campsite. Since the camp was in the valley, I was able to appreciate the prominence of the peaks. I had the moment to myself.
When we got back for dinner, I took a much-needed shower. Classes on Saturday, and climbing on Sunday near Cuervo del Milodon, which is becoming a weekly tradition. Climbing outdoors here is great - a round trip taxi for 40USD can take four people, and the views are stunning! We usually climb for about 5-6 hours.
I think just a week-by-week will get a bit boring after awhile, as the classes take up most of the time. I will just post when something fun happens, and thankfully, that is usually every week! Thank you for reading!