Sunrise, flights and adventures

Flight up to Puerto Montt

Today we took a flight up from Punta Arenas Chile to Puerto Montt at the southern tip of the Chilean Lakes district.  The flight was cheaper than the 36 hour bus ride we could have taken (and so much easier) but it was hard to wake up for the 6 am departure, especially when you're used to sleeping in till 9 am every day. :)  The flight was beautiful though.  We saw all of the chilean patagonia from the air and also a beautiful sunrise!  Glaciers look so much like rivers when seen from 40,000 feet up.  The highlight though was seeing Mount Fitz Roy (see our pictures of Chalten) from the air and seeing how it really stood out from all the peaks around it.  We were too tired to take pictures (plus they're never good from a plane window unless of course you're jumping out of the plane like my brothers Luke and Thomas did. :)  Still trying to figure out what to do next...

~Mike

Sunrise at Torres del Paine

The word sunrise has always had a romantic connotation for me.  If I closed my eyes and pictured a sunrise it would be on a beach at dawn.  Two silhouettes watching as the sun effortlessly rises before their eyes slowly and casts its light on the water.  Perhaps this is why I was so easily convinced of the need to be at the mirador of Torres del Paine at sunrise even though we had already hiked up to the same location one day earlier.  The guidebooks recommended it and Michael was eager to document the promised beauty.  How romantic it would be to share such a moment.

As I lay there in the tent at 5AM, I began to question whether or not the mission would be worth it.  I strained to listen for a furious wind or rain that would force us to abandon the mission and get more sleep.  Michael had mentioned the night before that he could always go by himself.  However, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing he would be bouldering up there by himself.  So I placed my shoes on my feet and turned on my headlamp determined to give it a chance.  I was surprised at how dark it was as our small beams of light showed us only part of the trail.  Together we proceeded with extreme care. As I was thinking about how crazy we must be to climb in the dark I noticed other headlamps on the pilgrimage to watch the sun illuminate the granite towers.  The first light of morning helped our progress and confirmed that clouds would not ruin the view.  We hoped that we would make it to the top before the sun rose over the hills.  I was hopeful that the trip wouldn't be in vain as we climbed upwards.  Finally at the top it was a great relief to sit and enjoy the surroundings as we waited for the sunrise.  We had made it in time and our effort was about to pay off.  As the towers began to change colors to shades of orange and red before our eyes it was a beautiful scene.  The journey had been worth it to arrive at this moment together.

As for my romantic visions of watching the sunrise together I had not fully considered the journey before arriving at that moment.  The journey to the sunrise turned out to be more like a romance than romantic.  For some people love arrives effortlessly and they are simply in the right place at the right time.  The miracle unfolds right before their eyes like a sunrise on the beach.  For others there is considerable effort.  The journey begins with both parties looking at the conditions weighing the probability for success in the end.  Throughout the journey you wonder if you or the other person is going to get hurt.  Will the journey be worth it?  Hope helps to sustain forward progress as you wonder if you are crazy.  What if one of you turns back? If you do in fact reach the top together then it comes down to fate.  How romantic it is when the timing is just right and the magic begins – the sunrise at Torres del Paine.

~Suzanne