Written November 26, 2015

By Maria Nappi (Westminster College)

 

While everyone back home woke up and started cooking and prepping for friends and family to spend Thanksgiving together, our Round River family woke up and packed our bags for one of the most epic hikes of the entire trip – and possibly our lives. We left La Bruna campsite in Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, 400 meters above a the glacially-carved Lago Chico, continuing the National Heritage trail “Ruta de los Glaciares.” Along with our usual plant surveys and scouting for the endangered huemul deer, we were working for the Ministerio de Bienes Nacionales to survey the quality of the trail, retrace the route, and perform an evaluation for its future as a major trekking route. We hiked all morning parallel to Glaciar Chico crossing rivers, streams, and the exposed sandy gravel recently exposed by the glacier’s retreat, “skiing” down 30 degree slopes until we reached the glacier.

 

The glacier was crazy! The huge ice walls and seemingly endless crevasses were breath-taking.

We had our Thanksgiving lunch on the side of the glacier followed by an incredible show put on by “Lainey Dada” (Lainey and Ryan). Ryan sang “Bust a Move” and Lainey was his fantastically on-point back up singer/dancer.

We returned back to our campsite to enjoy our favorite backpacking meal over the campfire: lentils and instant mashed potatoes. After dinner we all took part in a yoga session led by Lily to the setting sun over Lago Chico before returning to the campfire for a surprise from Juan Carlos, our CONAF guardaparque guide: music and a speaker! It was clear that we all had boogie fever as we danced to a random mix of music including metal, reggaetone, Backstreet Boys, and others. When the moon rose and most of us went to bed, some slept outside circled around the fire under the full moon. Waking up to snowflakes falling on our faces, it really felt like Thanksgiving time.

 

Students, staff and CONAF Guardaparque Juan Carlos Álvaro celebrate walking on the Chico Glacier. (Photo by Shalynn Pack)

 

On the 29th we began a new hike, continuing the Ruta Patrimonial west over another mountain pass to view the O’Higgins glacier. Our host Misael, whose farm we used as a base camp (and where we received the best sopapillas in the world!), rowed us across a small river that drains Lago Chico into Lago O’Higgins in groups of four. We hiked up 600 meters to a beautiful campsite in a lenga (Nothofagus pomilia) forest, passing by one of the most amazing views we’ve had all semester, of the O’Higgins glacier emerging from between two mountain ranges. The next day most of us took a day trip while some took a rest day. This hike went to another mirador (view point) of Glaciar O’Higgins and had some of the strongest winds people have ever experienced, a place our instructor Fernando Iglasias described as “The most beautiful place I’ve ever been.” He said “the magnificence of the glacier and the mountains inspire me to be a better person and do my best for the conservation of this area.”

Almost all of we students would describe the Ruta Patrimonial as the most beautiful trail we have ever hiked! The pictures and these words cannot come close to describing the power and the beauty of this area.

 

Top photo: Round River students lean into the 70mph raging wind above a serene view of the O’Higgin’s Glacier and rainbows hiding behind the mountain. (Photo by Adam Spencer)