By now we have run out of superlatives to describe the splendor of the Chilean Fjords. Even less words come to mind when thinking about the luck we have had with the weather at these latitudes famed by the horrendous winds that usually prevail. Today we spent an exceptional sunny morning at Cape Horn, hiking to the monument, meeting the Chilean family that lives in the lighthouse, and looking for elusive birds. In the afternoon we experienced glassy calm waters and Sei whales calmly feeding by the ship while sailing the legendary Beagle Channel into Ushuaia.
3/19/2024
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National Geographic Resolution
Bernal Glacier and Kirke Narrows
Following a short Zodiac ride to the rocky shore, we hiked toward the Bernal Glacier along a wide gravel path through a wild garden. Tall prickly heath shrubs lined both sides of the path. Laden with both pink and red berries and lantern-shaped white blossoms, these seemed to sprout up through a carpet of the round geranium-like leaves of devil’s strawberry. Further along the path, several bushes of hardy fuchsias were draped in pink and purple flowers. A few minutes spent nearby provided glimpses of flitting green-backed firecrown hummingbirds and the opportunity to closely observe the endangered Bombus dahlbomii, the world’s largest bumblebee. Another half mile down the path, as we neared the face of the Bernal Glacier, a muddle of glacier-tumbled rocks spat out at its base. From this vantage point, the glacier revealed its full height and raw power, its slopes bathed in crystalline hues of blue and white as sunlight danced off its massive surface. After lunch, a few sea lions and pods of Peale’s dolphins entertained us as we awaited a short window of time when the tide was still high enough to allow the captain of National Geographic Resolution to swiftly maneuver through the Kirke Narrows.
