I had of course already seen the shapes of the wind sculpted trees and the way the trees grow up to the height of the upwind cliff edges ... And not a cm more!!
Ive had a rough time camping in Patagonia due to winds once before! (eighteen years ago). Well, the winds got rapidly stronger and after my little light-weight summer tent being "flattened" onto me three times by strong gusts, I decided that I better get pro-active about things. I decided that rather than the wind breaking the tent poles, that I should collapse the tent myself...
So, I let the poles out of two corners and put rocks around all the loose tent fabric and crawled back inside my now three-quarters deflated tent. It was a bit "close", but it worked fine and the wind was no more problems for me... But boy did it HOOOWWWLLLL through the night :)))
It was somewhat quieter in the morning but still blowing strong none the less. I wriggled my way outside and saw that it was a mostly blue-sky day, but the wind was still gale force... Id guess that the wind was constantly over 90Kmh and gusting to 150Kmh or so.
Ive been in winds of over 200Kmh when I was working in the Antarctic, so I have some reference experience and I think my guess is about right.
As a side note, The three strongest wind experiences I have ever had were:
1) In New Zealand on the Tasman glacier, I got plucked off the boulder (I was laying down and holding on tight with hands gripped and feet hooked under the edge, and a very heavy backpack on) I was clinging to and thrown about 4m by a very strong gust (no idea what speed wind).
2) In Antarctica on Bechervaise Island during ablizard, I went out to count some penguins. When I later checked the site weather station, the wind was steadily over 200Kmh for that hour and peaked at 256Kmh.
3) Here in Patagonia (Near Calafate) on a ski trip, Myself and three friends were pinned down for 24hr in our tents in winds that were Very much like the winds I just had last night :)
Back to the current "wind experience"!
So, I pack up my stuff (in carefull sequence so that nothing gets blown away!) and Ive decide over-night that three days hiking is enough, and that with my disintegrating shoes and bung shoulder, that I should head out today. So, I set off back toward the parking lot.
The wind is mostly behind me in this direction which helps a bit. But the wind is very strong and the gusts really want to knock you over, so its cautious going in places. Fortunately though, you can hear the really strong gusts comming from the roaring they make in the bushes. You can brace and avoid the worst of the problems. But the wind wants to get me if it can... I can hear it snapping at me from a nearby ridge crest... Its not a turn of phrase! When really strong winds go past a sharp corner like a rock ridge or roof line of a building, it can and does actually make snapping sounds like a whip crack!... It happened twice on the walk out this day.
And there was another spot on the walk where I had quite a wide stream to cross by hopping on boulders. I had started across when I heard one of those strong gusts comming!... It would surely knock me off my little ballanced perch if I stayed where I was. So, summoning my best "Shaolin KungFu" technique, I did a very rapid ballanced Hop, step, step, hop, jump to the other side and then braced up against the far bank.
But, the wind was gonna get me some how, and seeing that I had averted its planned disater for me, it scooped up the waves off the stream and threw them at me sideways! So now, rather than being wet on the bottom and dry on top (as per if the wind had blown me off my rock mid-stream), I find I am wet all down one side instead!... Never mind, the weather conditions at the moment are just about optimal for wind drying... Should only take a few minutes :)))
The wind is strong for sure, but its actually not very cold... Its definitely warmer than the air was yesterday evening. I think its probably due to the wind coming down off the mountains. As it loses altitude, it gains temperature to compensate (PV/T=Constant... Universal gass law). But who cares why... It makes for a pleasant air-drying experience :)
I make it back to the motorbike after a few hours of hiking, and Im quite glad to take the pack off for the last time.
But, the wicked west wind has been up to its tricks again. It seems that my bike has been blown over during the night!... This is no mean feat! I would have to put a great deal of effort to push my bike over side ways from on its centre stand (over 250Kg). But, thats what has happened. Some one has picked it back up for me, but because I left my helmet locked to one of the side mirrors, it has snapped off the mirror! No problem there, but the bracket that has broken also holds the front brake lever in place, and now its just flopping around like a birds broken wing!
And there is a new big gouge in my helmet... I guess that goes quite nicely with the other gouges :)
Hmmm... Ill need to fix that!, But I cant do it now, so Ill just go slow and use the back brake till I get back to town.
I start the ride back out of the park and its a real handful...with my bung shoulder, I can barely get the bike off its side-stand let alone lift it should it fall over. And Im having to use both feet as out-riggers whenever Im going really slowly because the gusts are so strong and unpredictable... And that means that I cant use the foot brake at all... But I cant use the hand brake cos its broken, and if Im facing either into or with the wind then the bike just blows along with the wind!... But if I park sideways then I get blown over!... And its on those really bad gravel roads... and there are tourists being blown around across the road when they get out of their buses... Hmmmm.. Quite challenging!
I manage to stay upright and get to a view spot with, of all things, a nice view! :)
A nice tourist manages to snap a quick photo for me before scuttling back onto the bus (with the remaining few that have not been blown off the other side of the road :)
Then I head on out of the park.
On the way I go through a little valley in the hills that is a bit more sheltered than the rest of Patagonia. It seems that the Guanacos know this, and there is a herd there of several hundred of them... Cant help myself... I take lots of pictures, even though trying to hold the camera still is nigh on impossible even in this sheltered spot :)
Then on I ride and before the mountains of the park disappear behind the hills, I take just a couple more pictures of the amazing lenticular cloud formations on the peak.
And then its back to trying to ride this beast again...
I make it back to the pavement and then eventually back to Puerto Natales and the hostel... pheeeew!
Well, that was a great little trip. I really liked the park and having a hike.
And though there was some pain from my feet and shoulder, and though I got virtually no sleep in the wind and my bike got damaged, I have to say that ...
... I had a real blast! :)))
