March 21st marks the 9th annual International Day of Forests - a day designated by the United Nations to celebrate and raise awareness for all types of forests. Forests are often on our minds because we spend so much time camping + running + exploring forested areas, but also because paper is one of our favorite mediums to share our designs! Navigating the world of sustainable paper production and the effects on forests can be a challenge with so many different certifications and designations out there. What does it all really mean?
Of all the glaciers that call Fiordo de las Montañas their home, Glaciar Bernal is definitely one of our favorites. It is located about 20 minutes by boat from the floating refuge of our friends at Patagonian Fjords Expeditions. We were happy to test out the newly inaugurated short trail leading to panoramic viewpoints of the glaciar.
For the past 5000 years the indigenous Kawésqar people have lived in Chilean Patagonia, spanning from Golfo de Penas to the Strait of Magellan. Their lifestyle revolved around the canoe as their primary mode of transportation. We had the privilege of walking the Kawésqar Portage Trail, which connects the Fiordo de las Montañas with Fiordo Resi, together with our friends at Patagonian Fjords Expeditions. It’s time to put our canoe on our backs (figuratively) and begin the portage.
Fjords, glaciers, snow-capped peaks - you can find the best of Patagonia in the remote and seldom-visited Reserva Nacional Kawésqar. Accessible only by boat, we partnered with our friends at Patagonian Fjord Expeditions to explore Paso del Trueno - a wild and undeveloped route along the fiordo de las Montañas.
The dramatic landscape of Fiordo de las Montañas was carved by the retreating glaciers of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This fjord is also part of the Reserva Nacional Kawésqar, one of the largest protected areas in Chilean Patagonia. It is located to the west of Puerto Natales, and it is a rarely visited area in the region. In January 2018 our friends at Patagonian Fjords Expeditions invited us to discover this remote and inhospitable place.
Southern Tierra del Fuego - on the Chile side - is largely untouched and with very little infrastructure. Not having options of developed trails, we decided to park our van where possible and make an impromptu trek up some of the mountains right off of the main road.
Cerro Cuchilla is an iconic mountain located near Lago Blanco in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. The actually trail up the mountain is basically non-existent (we mostly followed guanaco paths). At the summit there are incredible views over Lago Blanco and the mountains in the south of Tierra del Fuego.
In the final leg of our 8-day road trip of Tierra del Fuego, we return to Punta Arenas from Lago Fagnano, but before that we need to explore Porvenir. It’s time to head back north! If you haven’t already, read part 4 of this series.
In the fourth leg of our 8-day road trip of Tierra del Fuego, we explore the newly constructed sections of Y-85 and follow to road’s end. Join us for our journey from Pampa Guanaco to Caleta María. If you haven’t already, read Part 3 of this series.
In the third leg of our 8-day road trip of Tierra del Fuego, we will introduce you to the isolated region of Timaukel. If you haven’t already, read Part 2 of this series.
In the second leg of our 8-day road trip of Tierra del Fuego, we tell you why Cerro Sombrero is the perfect place to stop before heading towards the unknown in the south of the island. If you haven’t already, read Part 1 of this series.
In the first leg of our 8-day road trip of Tierra del Fuego, we entered the island via Punta Delgada - a short ferry crossing at the narrowest part of the Strait of Magellan.
In 1994 the government of Chile began construction on the route to Yendegaia. Route Y-85 when completed will link the pampas of Tierra del Fuego to Yendegaia Bay on the Beagle Channel, with the ultimate goal of providing a terrestrial and ferry connection through Chile to Navarino Island. Due to tough terrain and extreme conditions the progress has been slow. In December 2017 we drove south with the goal to explore the newly constructed portions of Route Y-85, as far as we could go. What a way to inaugurate our new van-home, right?
Monte Tarn (825 m) lies about 70 km south of Punta Arenas, at the southern terminus of Route 9. The trek to the summit has been a favorite of ours ever since we were living in Punta Arenas in 2013 (take a closer look at our logo!). A lot has changed since then. They’ve extended the road further south, and it now ends just shy of the trailhead. There are significantly more trail markers. There’s even a flag at the summit. Although it doesn’t feel as wild as it had been, the incredible views of the Strait of Magellan and Brunswick Peninsula are hard to resist.
If you want to experience the end of the world – surrounded by the southernmost channels and fjords before Antarctic waters, backpacking or trail running the remote trails, or simply escaping the craziness of everyday life – Puerto Williams is your next destination.
After finishing the Dientes de Navarino circuit, we had a couple days to spare on Isla Navarino for another fun adventure: What lies at the end of the road here at the southern end of the world? We decided to bike as far east as possible on the island to Puerto Eugenia. We chose the eastern terminus of the road because (1) the ride is quite a bit shorter than to the west and (2) if you continue east past road’s end, you will eventually reach Puerto Toro, a fishing village currently only accessible by boat. Completing the trek around the east side of the island to Puerto Toro someday sounds like an awesome adventure, and we figured we could scout out part of the route for the future.