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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/action/view/entry_id/918153
Rated: E · Book · Experience · #2050107
A Journal to impart knowledge and facts
#918153 added August 22, 2017 at 11:03am
Restrictions: None
Crusing the Fjords
Dress for work we're going to get dirty. I volunteered our services to help with the branding.
Aug. 21 ---Day 2: Puerto Natales -- Balmaceda and Serrano -- Puerto Natales (B, L)After breakfast at your hotel, a full-day trip starts with an early morning cruise from Puerto Natales to Ultima Esperanza Fjord. The three-hour cruise takes you through stunning Patagonian scenery to the 1,000-year-old Balmaceda glacier, home to cormorants and sea lions. At the head of the fjord, disembark to take a short 80-minute walk through a forest to the foot of the Serrano Glacier, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and walls of ice. Stop for a late lunch at Estancia Perales, a traditional cattle ranch, on the return trip to Puerto Natales, where the rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to explore on your own.
Accommodation: your same hotel


Owl with signature


We were up early for the cruise. The sea air and chill from the cold water and air were invigorating. This was the cruise which showed us the small waterfalls along the shore pouring into the fjords.

Phalacrocoracidae is a family of some 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed. Reference: Wikipedia

The birds weight 5.5 to 11 lbs. Their wing span is approximately 3.5 feet. Other birds, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes will feast on the eggs and chicks if they get the chance. Cormorant fishing is a way humans have used the birds to fish. A snare is tied near the base of the birds long neck so it cannot swallow a fish. that it catches. Then the fisherman uses the bird to do his fishing for him. The species of cormorant used for fishing will vary depending on the place; china, Europe, or japan.

I'm sure branding is going to be a rough day. Quote: "Don't brand livestock when their hair is damp or wet. A branding iron applied to wet hide loses its heat fast, scalding rather than burning the branded area. To apply a good brand, prevent the animals from moving as much as possible. This can be done by using a cattle squeeze or manually wrestling them to the ground."
Applying Brands: Hot Iron Branding - Livestock Identification Service
www.lis-alberta.com/brands/applying_iron.aspx

There is also a method called Freeze Branding. A super cold branding iron is applied to the hide of the animal to leave a permanent mark. I guess I'm not to good at wrestling cattle to the ground. However, I can apply a branding iron o.k.

I'm not good at roping cattle from a horse either. I was better achieving the 80-minute walk to the glacier to view the cold ice.
I won't sit down at the end of today unless it is in a place where I won't have to get back up for awhile. Excellent lunch of beef burgers and veggies.

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