El Viento (The Wind)

We finally crossed into Chile for the last couple days of the trip at the National Park of Torres del Paine. Blustery rain pummeled the estancia where we were staying all night, but we awoke to bright sunshine... with howling winds. This was the day we would learn about the winds of Patagonia! Our group again split into 2 groups, and the same 3 of us braved it for a 5 hour hike through spectacular scenery, while the remainder were grounded lest they be blown away. I have never been in winds like this - the kind that literally blow you off your feet. We all stumbled, like we were drunk, down the narrow trail, but were rewarded by the views. We saw some clown-like Austral parakeets being blown about, but the wildlife was otherwise hunkered down, letting the wind pass.