2653?

I took this photo in the Peruvian Highlands in 2008. It's quite different from Chile, but it's a nice teaser! Click on the photo if you want to enlarge it.

Here's to a casual 2653 mile long meander--i.e. the length of Chile. Will and I are leaving on December 28th to backpack throughout the Atacama desert and Patagonia. We are flying into Lima, Peru and plan to chicken-bus-it to Northern Chile from there, with detours abound.

Why Chile? When it's winter in Maine, it's summer in Chile, and we're keen on following the tilt of the earth so we can catch some rays that shine longer than 3:30 in the afternoon. Though bear in mind that Chile won't necessarily be all sunshine and rainbows. This 3,000 mile long country happens to hit some of the lowest latitudes you can visit without actually being in Antarctica. The Atacama is the 2nd driest desert in the world; some weather stations have never recorded precipitation, while others might receive 1 mm of rain per year. However, some locations in the Atacama receive a marine fog known locally as the Camanchaca, providing sufficient moisture for hypolithic algae, lichens and even some cacti (Wiki). Patagonia, located in Southern Chile, is characterized by glaciers, lakes, fjords, and phenomenal backpacking. Some folks refer to it as the New Zealand of South America. There are few roads traversing the rugged terrain, so the primary form of transportation is via fishing boats and ferries.