Our cruise ship Via Australis next entered the NW arm of the Beagle Channel for a day filled with impressive scenery, including several glaciers that form part of the Darwin Range in Chilean Tierra del Fuego. Our first giant ice cube was the Pía Glacier where we were able to leave the ship in zodiacs for a closer view.
Pía Glacier has not been studied much yet, so its size and behaviour have not been determined.
We could not see the full glacier, much of it shrouded in clouds and mist. Loud cracking noises came from the interior, but we did not witness any calving of the ice. We left the little zodiacs and took a steep, muddy trail up the hill facing the ice, amid magellanic forest of small Coigüe and Ñirre trees. Passengers hardly noticed the rain that began to fall, as we were in awe of the majestic glacier.
We returned to the ship which then entered the main Beagle Channel, named for the ship which carried Captain Fitzroy and Charles Darwin to the area in 1835. Later that afternoon we passed the "Avenue of the Glaciers," passing by five large and beautiful glaciers, each different from the others. Here are three of them.
It was my great fortune to be seated with these wonderful people throughout the cruise. We had a fun time together. Roger, Nadia, Mario, Yoli, Ricardo, Lili, Enrique.
Tomorrow: Cape Horn and the end of the world.
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