Early Snow
Caramor - sailing around the world
Franco Ferrero / Kath Mcnulty
Sat 23 Apr 2016 21:45
For the past few days, the national radio station we listen to has been forecasting heavy rain and flooding for the Puerto Montt area (1,000 miles north from here but known as 'southern' Chile). There was no mention of the 30cm of snow that fell on Puerto Williams overnight!  Oops! where is Caramor?  Walking in the woods, the path had disappeared Sailing in heavy snow will be a new experience for us, and not without its challenges. As we head west and then north, the rainfall (snowfall in winter) will increase from 20cm per year to over two metres. I feel cold just at the thought of it. The snow is early this year. Usually it doesn't start snowing until June but then it can remain blanketing the ground for weeks or months, until the spring. Franco and I have been thinking about the people who lived here before they were 'discovered' by the Spanish, the English and the Missionaries. Known as the 'Yagán', they were canoe nomads and survived mostly on seafood. They were naked, apart from a loin cloth and a small fur that they hung from their neck over their shoulders. "How did they manage in the winter?" we ask ourselves. Kath |