Beagle Channel

It was sunny and 53° F at Pia Glacier this afternoon...here in South America just 600 miles from the Antarctic continent! Turns out it's the normal temperature for this time of year. (We could have packed less cold-weather gear.) The active glacier calved a blink-and-you-missed-it offspring, which quickly disappeared in the bay.

Back on board, we cruised along "glacier alley" on the Beagle Channel. (Darwin fans can guess the origin of its moniker). "Most of these glaciers were named in memory of the nationalities of early European navigators – Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and Holland", says our informative handout.Read more