After long days of anticipation, preparation, and airplane travel, it was great to begin our first full day of exploration and expedition aboard National Geographic Resolution. We have left Punta Arenas, Chile and travelled overnight to Seno Almirantazgo, a deep embayment on the west side of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, the largest island of the southern tip of South America. The island is remote and largely empty of the imprint of civilization. We were able to explore the beaches, flats, and forests left after the ice sheets retreated 20,000 years ago.
3/17/2023
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National Geographic Resolution
Bernal Glacier and Kirke Narrows
Arriving at Bernal Glacier early morning, guests and staff completed a most scenic walk to observe its snout and the terminal moraine that extend towards the waters in which National Geographic Resolution was positioned. The glacier is located within the Campos de Hielo which is part of a larger ice- covered area in Magellan Patagonia. Access to the glacier snout is made possible using a path that allows visitors to walk through low vegetation and onto the terminal moraine that consists of a wide assortment of boulders, gravels, and sand that were deposited when the glacier no longer could carry their load. At this point on the walk, unobstructed views of the glacier gave us an opportunity to witness its ever-diminishing size, both in length and width, when compared with our photographs taken over the last few years. Still, its beauty remains, and the enormity of glacial power and erosional forces firmly impresses all those who enjoyed the landing this morning. Following lunch, National Geographic Resolution navigated the Kirke Narrows. Always an exciting part of a Patagonia voyage, the bridge team took us through the narrows at slack tide and perfectly timed the navigation through the narrowest part of the canal which is 426 feet. Once through the narrows, we continued to Puerto Natales in anticipation of disembarkation tomorrow. This ten-day trip of Patagonia and Staten Island has been remarkable during which majestic landscapes and a wide range of wildlife was observed.
