The boat was an hour late leaving the dock as it only heads out once the flight has departed Santiago, and low cloud was loitering over the eastern end of the island. Chugging along the coast, past my new sea lion friends, watching flying fish dart out of the water, was a very relaxing way to start what would be a tough day.
Low cloud was still drifting over the airstrip, but it was beginning to clear. The wonderful view look back towards the airstrip and Santa Clara island was stunning, and view getting better and better as I looked back.
Only having been to this part of the island when I first landed and today, on both occasions low cloud prevented me from seeing precisely what I was walking towards. So on turning the corner at Punta Larga and coming face to face with Yunge (The Anvil), the islands highest point, literally took my breathe away. What a stunning view.
I was lucky to see the top of Yunge as quickly the clouds rolled back over her summit and she was gone.
The coast here was quite stunning, I took far too many photos!
From the coastal path I started to climb towards the saddle on the ridge (so called Selkirk's lookout). It was a steep up, on a muddy, bolder strewn path, and the weather was getting worse. I was entering the cloud forest, and it was cloudy and raining! The views were gone. What replaced the views were getting up close to the wonderful plants that grow here (many grow no where else, and the islands are second only to Hawaii, in have the most number of emdemic species of life).
There was no view from the lookout down to Cumberland Bay and San Juan, but there were Myrtle berries. The hike down to the village should have taken an hour but I took longer, as these berries are deliscious.
I got back to my garden shed, just one hour before dark. The walk had been one of the best I had ever done.
