Those who navigate through these passages are treated to a wonderland of uninhabited Magellanic forests, thousands of deep fjords, a myriad of actively flowing glaciers, and an abundance of whales, dolphins, sea lions, sea otters, and albatross. Most experience some storminess when leaving the shelter of the inlets and crossing a small portion of the open Pacific, but ours was smooth sailing the whole way through. I suggest opening google maps and tagging Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt so you can see just how complex these routes are, keeping in mind that only 5% of the journey broaches open ocean as it crosses the Golfo de Penas.
The Narrows!
Percy was the boat naturalist and guide. He speaks Spanish, English, German, and a little French. He also speaks Chilean Spanish. Gregarious, likable, and hyper from ADD--or perhaps he is just really enthusiastic and excited about everything, Percy's voice woke us each morning at 8 am over the ship's loudspeaker for the breakfast call. If he spotted whales or other marine life, he would quickly announce the sighting to the passengers. In the afternoons, he gave presentations on glaciology, flora, and fauna of the region.
Why are there glaciers and ice fields at this 53 degree latitude which is the southern equivalent to Barcelona? Percy explained how the wind flows East and rises over the Andes. The air collects moisture as it rises, but the higher it gets, the colder it becomes and water soon turns to snow. The snow falls, and due to high altitudes and constantly cold temperatures, it accumulates and becomes compacted by the force of gravity, transforming by way of high pressure into ice. the Wisconsin ice age began about 60,000 years ago, so there has been a fair amount of accumulation amassing over the years.
Your naturalist pulled a fast one on you! I checked it out, and Barcelona is at 41 degrees north, not 53. I knew Barcelona wasn't further north than Portland...
ReplyDeleteBut great shots as always!
Aha! It was one of those things that, as I wrote it I was thinking, "I should double check that...." but there was no internet on the boat so it was long since forgotten when I regained my land legs. I do appreciate the correction!
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