Wally Berg

Beyond The Penguino Rodeo
January 8, 1999 — Punta Arenas, Chile


CLICK TO HEAR THE CALL:

Penguino Rodeos — there's just no end to the big adventures that come up down here. I'm not sure what will happen today. We got our 9:00 scheduled short-wave radio check with Patriot Hills. The wind there — this is a quote, and it is tongue-in-cheek, part of it anyway — "the wind is at four knots gusting to five." The gusting part, of course, is totally tongue-in-cheek; it's very still down there, in other words.

Penguin Rodeo Tractors are still working valiantly. We're still on hold here; there's no way, given this, that we will leave Punta Arenas for about 72 hours.

Dana Isherwood, John, Bob Hempstead, Rob Kuseling all rented a car and took off for Torres de Paine National Park today. The rest of us are enjoying Punta Arenas still. Our big event today will be a couple more scheduled radio calls, and kind of unwinding from last night's wonderful Italian spaghetti meal that Joe served for us.

I don't know if I mentioned that Jane Morris, who is a cook down at Patriot Hills, who was flown out on the last flight that made it out from the ice and is here in town, helped Joe a great deal with this meal. Helped him find all the proper sausages and meats and spices around the markets of Punta Arenas, and was our guest at our wonderful Italian spaghetti dinner last night.

Fay Summerville, who is Client Relations Manager for Punta Arenas for Alpine Ascents is currently down on the ice, and Jane is probably being sorely missed down there, as we are missing Fay up here in her role as Client Relations Manager. But it's been great having contact with not only Jane, but Rachel, Chris, Mike Sharp and the entire N.I. crew as we bide our time here in Punta Arenas.

—Wally Berg, Expedition Leader

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