March 25th 2015

After Torres Del Paine National park I was having a hard time imagining having another day so wonderful outside of the park, but glaciers are something that have always intrigued me and so I’m excited when we wake up early at Yagan house hostel and head to the 21 de Mayo tourism office just off the main Square in Puerto Natales for 7:15.

We’re taken from the office in a packed mini bus down to a dock on the ocean just outside of Puerto Natales where we are welcomed warmly onto the boat that will be our home for most of the rest of the day. With the sun just rising through clouds behind us we head out onto the ocean which still feels more like a lake.

It’s cold cutting through the air of the deep south, quite cold, but I’m not going to pass up the scenery so I head outside to the front of the boat and enjoy the stunning scenery as we motor on out towards the mountains and a narrowing of the Ocean channel.  On the agenda:  Fjords, Waterfalls, cormorant colonies, And 3 Glaciers.  Now keep in mind it’s strikingly beautiful before any of that starts.

Just as we are about to enter the narrow channel, my father who is out braving the cold with me points down at the water just in front of the boats.  I hurry to the railing and lean over in time to see two dolphins, or perhaps porpoises, racing the boat with us.  They linger for maybe 10 seconds before going off on their own path and Dad and I are among a lucky few to catch a glimpse of them.  Great work Dad.

Soon after were entering the narrow channel with Fjords all around us.  In just a few minutes more we pass a cormorant colony with hundreds of the black and white birds, which from a distance look just like penguins, just hanging out on the rocks alongside the fjords.  Their beautiful birds though us having a species of cormorant throughout Canada somehow lessens the excitement of seeing them.

From there we continue through the Fjords otherwise known as the channel of last hope or Ultima Esperanza Fjord and as we glide over the water, always growing closer to the looming mountains of both Torres del Paine National Park and Bernardo O’Higgins National park. As the dramatically named channel continues to narrow we see more and more waterfalls cascading down the cliffs on either side of us. While I’m mildly offended the boat is not stopping to allow to go hike to the base of each set of falls, the view from the boat is certainly enchanting.

The further we continue through the channel the more the skies clear until there’s more blue than clouds above us just as we get a view of the first glacier, near the top of a mountain to our left and quite some distance away, though still majestic.  Climate change is instantly visible from the countless rushing stream emanating from the glacier and running all the way down into the ocean.  This may be the only type of waterfall that almost makes me sad.  Glaciers all over the world are disappearing, I certainly plan to see many more before this trip is out, before it’s too late.  I may even try to go to Antartica in November or December.

We continue along pulling in close to the shore on our right where the biggest waterfall yet (that’s approachable by water)  spills out into the light green waters of the narrow ocean Channel.  The crew of the boat are great and slowly pull us into the area of the falls until those of us at the front of the boat are drenched by the cascading glacial waters.  Some run for cover, I run into it.

That done and experienced we continue on to the first of the two glaciers advertised in the program, Balmaceda glacier.  We see this one directly ahead of us from a great distance and the anticipation just grows and grows as we inch closer and closer to the glacier.  The stunning blue ice does not reach the ocean water’s quite but it’s not far off from it and the space between the two is filled with more glacier melt falls.

The vast fields of blue ice smother the vast majority of the mountain, reaching up and around it’s peak and giving birth to another more impressive waterfall to the right of the glacier.

As we get close everyone else comes out from inside to take in the splendour of the vast ice fields, snapping photos and taking turns at the front of the boat.  It’s the first glacier I’ve seen up close and it’s stunning, so much ice that the air is noticeably colder though we are suddenly shielded from the cold wind that has been our close companion since casting off back in Puerto Natales.  That’s how massive these things are, altering the environment all around them.

Eventually we pull off to the right of it, providing a better view of the largest set of falls from this glacier, with the massive ice fields plentiful in the background.

From there it’s through another fairly narrow channel with the famous Torres Del Paine looming in the background. We head around the side of the mountain holding Balmaceda leaving us only sparing glimpses of the top of this ice field and pull up to a dock.  From the top deck we can catch tiny glimpses of what looks like another glacier between two rocky peeks and above a thick pine forest.

We pile off the boat hurriedly and follow our two guides up a narrow trail which snakes up through the forest for maybe 10 minutes before revealing the paradise behind it. On the way up I find some very psychedelic mushrooms, brighter than any I’ve seen in a long time.

As we crest the hill and emerge from the forest there is a continuous series of quiet gasps as one by one people see it, Serrano Glacier in all it’s glory, sprawled out before us.

Directly in front of us is a stunning green lake full of icebergs of every shape and size imaginable.  At the far end of this laguna is a huge wall of ice, which smothers the mountains on which it’ sits, continuing all the way up to the pass in the middle between the two mountains.

As if the scene needed anything else a few kayaks dodge through the maze of icebergs and approach the huge wall of ice.  That would be an incredible experience and can be booked in Puerto Natales.  The basic itinerary for that trip is a small riverboat trip down the Serrano river from Torres del Paine National Park, then a transfer to a kayak, before coming back with us on the vessel we used to get there.  When I’m back in Patagonia again I certainly intend to look into it, but for more information check here.

I’m practically jumping up and down for joy as I snap pictures and hurry along the trail which follows one side of the lake and gets you right up close to the glacier.  Hurrying along I find Russell and Clara climbing down some rocks to the edge of the lake and doing their best to lift up a chunk of ice.  I peel off my shoes and join them going into the knee deep water and posing for some fun pictures before we urged onwards by one of our guides.  My hands and ankles are burning from the cold of the icy water but my child self is firmly in control.

As we walk I ask the guide about swimming in the lake.  He thinks I’m crazy and perhaps I am with the huge icebergs all around us and the massive glacial ice wall not far away, but he tells me he won’t stop me so long as I’m careful, and that he and his friend have only ever seen two Russians brave the water.  So now it’s a matter of Patriotism.  Sure Sid the Kid won us gold at the olympics but I feel I must stand up for my country, it’s unavoidable.

I delay for a while and hurry ahead to the end of the trail where we get a small stream to drink from and a truly magnificent view of Serrano Glacier, not far away.  I bask in the undeniable rush of awe springing through me and stare at the giant wall of blue ice hanging there at the edge of the lake.  The kayakers are closer now, but never too close, as the icebergs in the lake come from massive chunks of the glacier breaking free of the body and crashing down into the water.  I’m told it makes a sound like thunder.

Eventually I can’t contain myself any longer and ask f I can swim from here.  The guides shake there head and say there’s no good access but say I can try further back along the trail.  I think most of the people think I’m joking, or at least talking a bigger game than I can deliver on, but my father god bless him agrees to come with me to offer support and photos, though he’s firmly against me going in.

Well, let’s just say I did Canada proud.  The water is burning cold, past the point of numbing, and chunks of ice float all around me, but I quickly wade in up to my belly button and then after a photo or two I take a deep breath, hope my heart doesn’t give out, think of the proud maple leaf and submerge my entire body in the water.

I burst up out of it feeling very much alive and entirely cleansed.  Oh… and cold.  Also cold.  I do love how when you reach extreme levels of cold it feels more and more like burning.  Opposites intertwined, a thing I love about this world.

I pose for a few more photos then quickly climb out across the uneven rocks, ever so thankful as the sun emerges from behind the clouds and warms me up as I pull on the rest of my clothes, with no other option but to leave the frozen boxers on.  I hadn’t really planned swimming as I’m crazy in the moment, not with advanced planning.  As I get dressed there’s a great crash and for a second I feel like an earthquake might becoming before realizing that we’ve just missed an ice break.  I don’t regret it, but I feel bad for my father who surely does.

By the time I’m out of the water people from our group are walking by shaking their head in disbelief at me as I smile back.  Surprisingly the cold doesn’t linger and my bones and soon I’m climbing up small rocky hills for better views of the glacier, and better pictures to courtesy of guest blogger extraordinaire Russell Robinson-Grant.

We continue along leaving the glacier and it’s little laguna on the same schedule as the kayakers and as I watch them weave through the icebergs I know I’m going to have to try to have that experience.

Taking a few last pictures I head back into the forest and out onto the front deck of the boat alone.

Most people are firmly inside by now, cold and tired.  I’m not and as we pull away from Serrano glacier I get a spectacular view to Torres Del Paine looming in the distance, not to mention both Serrano and Balmaceda glacier with a clearer sky than before.

 

I stay out there for all but a moment when I go in to find everyone else enjoying a complimentary glass of whiskey on the glacial rocks.  Russell is buzzing as he got all but one sip of y Dad’s all of his, and then I go ask for one and give him that two.  On an empty stomach he’s a little inebriated by the time we pull into a charming farmhouse named Estancia Perales on the edge of the lake for a late lunch at about 2 p.m.

 

The lunch is…. how to put this.. absurd.  We walk in past herds of fat sheep and already I’m hungry.  I’m sorry vegetarians, I firmly believe your lifestyle is the right thing to do.. I’m just a very weak man.

We sit down to warm and delicious soup, along with a free beer or glass of chilean wine.  Russell gives me some of his water and thus does’t have to make a very difficult choice, sampling both the wine and beer.  Then this is where dinner gets crazy.  After bringing out generous plates of Salad to share between my family and a nice Argentinean couple sitting beside us they bring out the main course, a huge serving dish with a mountain to rival torres itself built on top of it.  Chicken, Chorizo and more than anything fresh grilled lamb.  And my god it’s good.  The best meal I’ve had in Chile and maybe in South America.  It’s just… I’m too overwhelmed to take photos and sink into to enjoying the feast.

Somehow the 5 of us, Clara has chosen the vegetarian option, manage to eat the mountain down to it’s route. At first when we enquire for more the waitress shakes her head, but when the next one comes by I voice my enthusiasm and she immediately asks if we’d like more,then brings us another mountain of meat, smaller to be sure, but not that much smaller.  I settle down for round two.

We polish off the food and I go for a brief walk around the grounds of this farm to aid the digestion.  Outside are scenes from another time, as older chilean men herd their sheep around the sprawling property, old pick up trucks painted to be flags sit on the grass and horses whinny from their pen.  It’s undeniably beautiful and I’m sad to leave as we’re called back to the boat.

The rest of the ride back passes peacefully as we drift through paradise.  I’m alone out front for a while before being joined by my family and eventually a few chileans.  We’re all wowed by what we’ve seen.  It’s funny with travel, I’ve yet to regret spending money on the big ticket things. When I bought my Galapagos cruise I felt sure I’d regret forking over 1300 USD but after the experiences I had i felt the opposite of Regret.  Today too, 140 dollars for a day, but entirely worth it.

On the way back we pass some of the cool Black White and Red swans before realizing that amongst them off to the right, is a flock of flamingoes.  Kind of like Penguins these birds are just so odd that I find I can’t help but love them, and I’ve not seen them at all up close since the Galapagos.  I manage to snap some photos and then, before you know it we’re climbing off the boat, back into mini bus which will bring us back to Puerto Natales  We’re back at Yagan house by 6-ish and eating dinner shortly there after.

I fall asleep with a grin on my face while visions of glaciers dance in my head. If you’re down in Chilean Patagonia and can afford it, don’t miss this stunning day trip.