After conquering Fitz Roy our bodies were aching and we were ready to take a break.  We hopped on a flight from El Calafete flying south to Tierra del Fuego.  This was probably the most terrifying flight I have ever experienced.   After takeoff the pilot came on the intercom and told us that we were lucky because we would have a great view of the Upsala Glacier from the plane.  He decided to fly the plane very low through the Andes to view the glacier.  Next, he turns the plan around and flies back in the opposite direction so the OTHER SIDE of the plane could get a good view.  We were so low and the turbulence was awful. I thought it was more scary than fun.  Apparently, though, I was in the minority because the other passengers on the plane were bouncing up and down in their seats squealing an excited “Wheeeeee!!!!!”  I did another  ‘mental checkout’ by pulling my hat over my eyes and starting deep breathing meditation techniques.  Thank goodness for Carly, her fearless attitude and great photography skills.

We arrived in Ushuaia, which is located at southernmost point of South America on a an island called Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire.)  Ushuaia is magical.  It’s the jumping off point for many trekkers goings to Antarctica.  The place just has an adventurous feel to it. It’s motto is ‘Ushuaia, fin del mundo, principio de todo.’  Ushuaia, end of the world, beginning of everything. 

The first day started with a boat ride along the Beagle Channel.  We saw panoramas of Ushuaia Bay, wildlife on the De los Lobos and De los Pajoros Islands, as well as the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse.

Day two we hike through Tierra del Fuego National Park.  We met a guy who was sailing to Antarctica the next day. Before making it to Ushuaia, I said to my group “Maybe I could like hop over to Antarctica at one point after leaving you all in a couple of weeks.”  I was thinking maybe it was a 8-10 hour ride. Uh yeah.  I come to find out it takes 30 hours on a HUGE icebreaker ship to make the trip. I never said geography was my strongest subject!  I’m learning as I go here, people!! Anyway, this guy was telling us all about his trip and the ways he prepared.  He was an extreme adventures travel agent and he wanted to ‘experience this trip’ before he sold it to adventure seekers.  I told him about my year-long journey which impressed him (which in turn, impressed me because I just impressed an extreme adventures travel agent!)  He told me traveling alone was difficult for him and it was something he had to practice.  We talked about the struggle of staying present and not get lost in your mind.  It’s so easy to think about and wonder what is happening at another place and time (especially when I am missing people from home.) It was refreshing to hear this perspective from someone else.

The last part of day 2 was a pretty hilarious adventure.  The trip itinerary noted that there would be canoeing along the Lapataia River.   Our first step into the realm of ridiculousness was getting dressed up in an intense hazmat style suit complete with water-waterproof overalls, fishing boots and life vests.  Don’t get me wrong. .   I didn’t want to go swimming in the freezing cold water but it just seemed a bit extreme! We were then led to what seemed like a white water rafting boat but I thought we were canoeing? Were there even rapids in the Lapataia River?

We made it to the water where our rafts casually floated down the river and the water gently lapped at the sides of the boat.  Our group was feverishly rowing with our oars to help the raft pick up speed and yet we still moved at a snail’s pace through the calm water.  At one point, we became stuck on what I assumed were rocks. I stabbed my oar into the water and felt completely stuck.  I looked over at a fellow group member and saw him step out of the boat.  He was either Jesus walking on water or we had just completely beached ourselves.  The water was so shallow at parts that our boat was stuck on the river’s floor. The group could not stop laughing as we all exited the boat and pushing it back into deeper water. It was not exactly the exhilarating white water rafting experiences I had hoped for, but ultimately it was pretty darn funny and enjoyable.

That night we had a delicious dinner by the water to celebrate Jamie’ s birthday.