It’s Friday morning November 1. The weather
is not too bad, so I start the day by taking my mat outside to breathe deeply
and do my 4 rounds of Sun greetings… Today however I am facing the wind and not
the sun as I feel it very present and purifying! What will November bring I
think as I sit with my eyes closed feeling the wind tearing off the invisible
layer of yesterday.
After breakfast we pack up Luis and I. We
are heading for Laguna Sofia and Cerro Benitez, just 37 km north of Puerto
Natales. This site has a fantastic mix of geomorphology, ice age and human
history all in one, not to mention beautiful surroundings consisting of bodies
of water, mountains, caves, huge sky, lenga-forest – and condor nests. It’s all
private land here except for a small portion of Natural Monument, The Milodon
Cave. We park the car before arriving at the shore of the lake and jump the
fence at the foot of the north-eastern skirt of Cerro Benitez . The northern face
of the mountain has very abrupt drops and almost vertical walls of sandstone
and conglomerate rock: soft sedimentary rocks that have easily been molded by ancient
glaciers, leaving behind holes and caves of very difficult access, the perfect nesting
site for condors.
We are ascending from the east where the
mountain is born at 125 masl and are able to hike the 2 km along the skirt of
the mountain reaching the top plateau at 540 masl in little over an hour. I
notice the Streaked Maidens (Olsynium Biflorum) and the Fleshy Valerians (Valeriana
Carnosa) are now blossoming, and that our orchids are just about to show their beautiful flowers as the stems and leaves are towering up from below the
ground. Luis is carrying a full load in the 85 lts back pack to adjust and get
used to walking with weight as he soon starts working as a porter in the
national park. He is excited and I wish I could walk along with him. We take a
few breaks as we overlook the incredible landscape folding out below. We are in
the transitional zone between the cordillera and Patagonian steppe, the so
called pre-cordillera. To our west we have snow-capped mountains and deep
valleys and to our east low, soft curving hills with shrub-land and small
forests ending out in Argentina and Patagonian Steppe. We can see very far.
I know the plateau on top is a good spot
for observing the Andean Condor as they nest just below. Still I am totally
swept away and left short of breath and all goosebumped out when we 2 hours
later descents the same way we arrived. The windy day and the strong gush of
winds made it the perfect weather for the condors to plane. This mighty bird
with a wingspan of up to 3,15m – yes 3 meters and 15 centimeters, was out
searching for lunch as we sat paralyzed on the rock, speechless and with our mouths
open. An occasional WOW was muttered, unconsciously and unheard. I caught a
particularly curious juvenile as it continuously soared close by.
The Andean Condor (Vultur Gryphus) is a
somewhat common resident throughout the Andes Mountain Range from Colombia and
Venezuela in the north as far down as Tierra del Fuego, Fireland, in the south.
Its habitat has been greatly reduces due to human activities and today it is considered
“near threatened” by IUCN. It’s one of the world’s longest-living birds with a
life span of 50+ years of age. It’s very important in the folklore and
mythology of the Andean regions, and is a national symbol of a variety of South
American countries, including Chile, who has incorporated him in the National
Shield alongside the timid Andean Deer, Huemul. It’s a heavy bird with a little
sternum-to-muscle ratio classifying him as a soarer. His flight seems
effortless as he reads heat thermals and wind systems to keep him aloft in high
altitudes, up to 5000 m. When you look at his bare face, he is a relic of
ancient times, a living dinosaur so to speak. And some scientists argue that he
is a descendant from the old world vulture, though others argue that he is
actually more closely related to present-day storks. The Andean Condor is bold
and bare headed allowing him to be exposed at high altitudes by hydration and
heat regulation. Amazingly the bare skin is capable of flushing noticeably in
response to emotional state and thus communicating in between individuals. The
plumage of the adult couple is uniform black with white feathers surrounding
the neck, and especially the male has large patches or bands of white on the upper
side of the wings. The head of the male is crowned with a dark red caruncle or
comb that turns bright yellow during courtship. Juveniles have a grayish-brown
general coloration and blackish head and neck. The feet are more adapted to
walking and are of little use as weapons or hooks to lift up its prey as the middle
toe is much longer that the other 2 front toes, and the hind toe is only slightly developed. This,
combined with poor hunting skills, being the main reason why this large bird is
a scavenger. The healthy Andean Condor has no natural predators, allowing him
to develop slowly. It mates for life and share the roosting period of approx. 55
days every second year. The normal hatch is of just one – occasionally two,
eggs.
Their presence and appearance are majestic,
and leaves a large footprint in our minds. Today I am summoned to the monthly
meeting in the yoga association. We stay up there a little too long as it’s
almost impossible to leave. I am obliged to skip the initial meditation. We
share healthy food, good energy and smiles as we discuss the items on the
agenda one by one. As a closing act we each draw a goddess card from Susanna’s deck
of cards. My card gives me the answer to the question I asked in the morning:
YOU ARE HEALED. My interpretation of this: The month of November will bring me
lots of hikes, new adventures and the possibility to explore this new feeling
it brings me.
