When I return to Chile, I have so much online stuff to catch up on! As Mark returned from work last night he warned me “you’re gonna have an extra day here,” saying there’s a 70% chance my flight will be postponed until Sunday due to rotor winds. Whilst I prepared as if I was leaving today, when I called Mark at Stanley Airport this morning he said "you have an extra day."
Before I arrived, I looked at the map of geocaches and told myself “if I find 20 caches in the Falkland Islands, I’ll be happy but if I can find 40 I’ll have done exceptional.” Tired and with a sore knee last night, I was at 36 finds and somewhat dejected that I was going to come up a little bit short. I’ve found all the piece-of-cake ones in Stanley, so to achieve my challenge I had to go after some of the harder ones (e.g. climbing up mountains, scrambling over rocks). Four caches on my radar today would take me up two mountains, amidst a field of old trekking boots, and along a deserted white sand beach that was only recently cleared of mines. Some of the caches I’ve searched for in the Falklands have led to some stupendous views, and my first, a scramble up Mt. Harriet, would be no exception. This cache was named for Cpl. Lawrence (Loftie) Watts, who was killed by an Argentine soldier in '82 in the Battle of Mount Harriet. The cache even contains a photo of Loftie. Snap! Gorgeous landscapes! Find #37 done!
It was sunny this morning but the sky turned grey by lunchtime. Down and over the rocks I was back at the road where I’d search for find #38 at an odd place called Boot Hill.
Legend has it that if you leave one boot you’ll return to the Falklands, and if you leave both you’ll never return. I wouldn’t leave either of my trekking boats because they’re my only pair of footwear. Find #38 accomplished, I was off to Mt. Williams where I’d have a pretty interesting scramble to go with some interesting clouds.
The other day at Mt. Tumbledown I took a bad fall on my tailbone after slipping on these patchy-coloured rocks. They’re extremely slippery in wet weather but fortunately it was dry today. An almost vertical ascent would have me watching my every move as I had another gorgeous view.
As I reached the summit, I noticed a 4WD track; I took an awfully hard route to reach the summit and retrieve my 39th geocache in the Falkland Islands. I took a few minutes to take in the view, as I can’t complain about having an extra day in the Falklands.
After all the mad scrambles up mountains and over rocks this morning, I was hungry. Last night I made Aunty Jo’s roast lamb recipe (read my entries Aunty Jo’s Kitchen I & II) and Mark really liked it. There were plenty of leftovers for a good feed and then I was out the door, ready to complete my personal geocaching challenge. As I hitched toward the end of Eliza Cove Rd., I was picked up by an Argentine lady who’s lived here for more than 40 years. She’s the first Argentine I’ve met in the Falklands, and she said she was surprised that Argentina invaded the Falklands. It’s interesting to speak to an Argentine and get their perspective on the 1982 conflict. For my 40th geocache find, I had to walk for more than 45 minutes along a dirt track to Mile Pond Beach, a secluded white-sand beach that would be packed with sunbathers if this were the Caribbean.
Until recently, the area was a minefield. Along the beach I walked, snapping photos and observing the wildlife and the grey sky getting greyer. At the end of the beach, I had find #40 in hand! 40 geocaches I’ve found in the Falkland Islands, and it sure was an exciting challenge. 40 finds have taken me to cemeteries, churches, lighthouses, penguin colonies, beaches, the tops of mountains, and even the highest point in the Falklands. I was just in time in finding my final geocache in the Falklands because the weather would turn foul. Fortunately, a local driving back from the tip would pick me up; I had my thumb out but he said he was going to stop and offer me a lift anyway. More often than not in the Falklands, locals will stop and offer you a lift even if you don’t put your thumb out but there isn’t much traffic at all outside of Stanley.
Instead of two weeks in the Falkland Islands, I had two weeks and a day. My only complaints are lack of internet and lack of vegetables. However, if I'm getting gorgeous 360-degree panoramas to go with some challenging geocaches, who am I to complain?
From here, the quest for Antarctica continues. I'm happy I visited the Falklands the way I did, because if I get on an Antarctic-bound vessel within the next few days and it calls in at the Falklands, I'll only have a half-day in Stanley. Spending 15 days here, I got to fully appreciate the islands and meet some fabulous people. Falkland Islands, I can say it this way...I love you!
