|
WHY
GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD?
Some
friends may remember that my first trip around the world on
the Ocean Explorer in 1999 was designed to take advantage of
the once-in-a-lifetime Millennium changeover to the year
2000. As part of that four-and-a-half month expedition, my
itinerary called for spending the Millennium week starting
January 1, 2000 in Chile. This was fine with me, but I
especially wished to be with family when that special
millennium moment arrived, so I invited my son Steve and his
girlfriend Christina to join me in Chile.
I
planned a great adventure. We would spend a week together
exploring Torres del Paine National Park, one of the last
true wilderness regions at the bottom of the world.
Certainly,
this is not everyone's dream destination, but it was my
stubborn dream at that time.
I wanted more than anything to gaze at the giant
slabs of needle-like mountains called Los Cuernos (the
horns) when the world welcomed the new Millennium. What a
great moment that would be, made especially memorable with
one of my children at my side.
That
was my intention. By
now, you must have guessed my disappointment when I couldn't
quite make it there!
Despite
many attempts to contact hosterias in Torres during the year
before I left, not one replied to my request for a
reservation. Hugely disappointed, I finally gave up and
settled for an acceptable alternative---a little cabin near
PuertoVaras in northern Patagonia's Lake District.
Ultimately, Steve, Christina and I spent a wonderful
Millennium week there exploring volcanoes, lakes, and small
villages surrounding Lago Llanquihue.
However,
you might imagine my serious case of envy when I learned
that after leaving me, Steve and Christina, backpacked on to
southern Patagonia and completed the classic eight-day
Circuit Hike around the Torres del Paine mountains.
Of course, I felt happy for them.
But my desire lingered to someday make it there
myself.
A
long explanation.
But
now I can say---Been there. Done that, (or as my friend
TravelJean says, "Check that off your list!").
I've
just returned from one of my most unforgettable journeys
ever. My
memories include viewing a kaleidoscope of stunning
vistas—massive glaciers, blue-tinted icebergs drifting in
glassy blue fjords, wind-swept turquoise lakes, and
cascading waterfalls tumbling down from the slopes of the
southern end of the snow-covered Andes Mountains.
Best
of all, my son Doug and his girlfriend Kelly joined me for a
few days on this great adventure.
In fact, they decided to do the same eight-day
circuit trek around Torres del Paine that Doug's older
brother Steve had accomplished six years before. They
planned it perfectly: they would try to complete the circuit
trek just in time to greet me. And they did! What could be a
more fitting ending to my memorable expedition to the bottom
of the world! |
