Hiking in Patagonia

February 2: Patagonia

Today is hiking day. We have two hikes planned in the National park.  It’s beautiful out. Patagonia is stunning: huge, craggy peaks, glaciers and geological delights as far as the eye can see. I don’t have the words to explain it other than sublime. Our guide, Mariso, was a delight. He’s a big guy with a charming smile and a booming laugh. He is so knowledgeable about the history and culture of the area. Not all guides are created the same and he was a good one. As we walked the trail, he would walk alongside and chat with us individually. He told us funny stories about camping in Northern California and how he found out that he was an overconfident guide.

The first hike was about 5 miles. We walked up to a ledge where there were petroglyphs. I took a photo of the ancient hands painted on the rock there. I still cannot figure out how these ancient people figured out how to mix paint that has lasted for 1000’s of years. Keith has a pencil drawing in his wallet that I made for him years ago. It’s not really that old and is faded significantly. I don’t get it. 

The second half was a delightful meander. It was a fairly easy trail with a view of Torres del Paine (“blue towers”). Holy cow! Again the only word I have is sublime. Greg, one of our single travelers, had a rough time of it today. He didn’t drink enough water and was hurting by the end of the day. One day, a few months ago, while working with Tom, Greg heard him talking about this trip. He decided that he wanted to come, and spent the next few months learning Spanish just to come to South America. I tip my hat to this dude. 

The second half was a shorter hike but holy hell it was steep! Both Keith and I decided that we would like to walk around the next day so we sat at the base and watched our friends with our binoculars as they traveled up and down the trail. Keith called it sportscasting. It was very entertaining and we got to have a rest, a bag of chips, and a cold drink. A win/win for us!