After our two-week Antarctica adventure (trip reports coming soon), I extended my stay in Argentina by four days to go fishing in Tierra del Fuego with John Griber, Tucker Patton, Dan Starr and Scott Flint. All of these guys were either fishing guides or superb fishermen at the least, which made it fun for me as I was/am a total fishing gumby.
From the little that I know about fishing in Tierra del Fuego (TDL), it is supposed to be one of the great places on earth to go fishing. Not only are there endless lakes and rivers, but they are all stuffed with big, beautiful fish. The main attraction, and something I never saw, was the sea-run Brown Trout which were just starting to make their way back into the fresh water after spending some time at sea and getting big, fat and mean. We were there right as the season opened, and when coupled with what seems like astronomically high permit fees for the rivers (up to $100 per person, per day, per river, plus the general fishing license, plus this, plus that, etc.), our options and pocketbooks were limited. I commented that fishing made heliskiing look cheap and later found out from Tucker (who guides both) that a week of fishing can be far more expensive than a week of heliskiing. I had no idea, and ignorance is bliss, but in any case, we did more free lake fishing and not many rivers.
Based on the directions from an Argentinian friend, our first stop was the Rio Turbio. “Follow a dirt road, cross a bridge and cast where you see a log. You will catch fish.” He wasn’t kidding. I was literally tripping over fish at one point and Gribz was able to poke one with his rod tip to see if it would move (no). We later found out that the river wasn’t open yet, but as we were all catch & release, no fish were permanently harmed. Continue reading ‘Tierra del Fuego Fishing’
Back From Antarctica. Sigh.
After 30 hours of travel last Sunday and Monday, I made it from Ushuaia, Argentina all the way back to Park City, Utah, and as a bonus, arrived with both of my bags. Between lack of sleep while traveling and the surreal experience of skiing in Antarctica, it seems like the whole thing could have been a dream, except I happen to have 1,200 photos, two stuffed penguins and a few mini movies that suggest otherwise.
There is something about this trip that reminds me of standing barefoot in a puddle and intentionally grabbing onto the positive and negative electrodes coming from a nuclear power station. Exciting and thrilling don’t seem to do it justice, especially as the jolt lasts for two full weeks. More than any trip I’ve ever been on, the Antarctic Ski Cruise has some sort of crazy energy that is hard to explain. Imagine the anticipation you feel when you join four close friends, pile into a car and head up to the hills for a day of killer skiing, except in this case it is 100+ friends, the car is a cruise ship, the road is the Drake Passage and the ski hill is like nothing you’ve ever seen or skied on before. In a sense it is still “just” skiing, but in this case it is exponentially more. Continue reading ‘Back From Antarctica. Sigh.’