12th October
I finally arrived in Coyhaique, pronounced co-he-key, as I discovered when trying to get on my final connecting flight. Which landed some 58km away from the actual city. My first impressions on coming into land, not knowing that I was so far away from the place, was one of desperation, as all I could see was grass and snow.
The wind as well, I mean its like they put the Patagonian Spur right out on a limb, with nothing to stop the relentless, and I mean relentless wind from reaching its full force, until it travels right round the world and just comes back at you. I have yet to check this fact on a map, but the base of South America seems to jut out into the middle of the southern ocean, atlantic ocean and pacific ocean, a real tri-vector as my American cousins would say, although when I left the UK I did here the Deputy Prime Minister use this and of course the triple lock phrase.
The centre is awesome, set off the main road is a small woodland, in both area and height. I only saw a few trees taller than 20ft, and most of them had blown over, again a clue about the wind!
A group had just return from what is already in my mind the epic place of the Patagonian Icecap. Full on gale force winds and driving rain repelled them for long enough to dry their kit, resupply before they head out again. For me its R&R, before I set about recceing the climb potential.
I have already seen the Kinsley of the area, and in my back garden there is part of the great ormes, and across the road is another buttress of rock that looks like it has its fair share of cracks and corners. Anyway Nuff said.