Hunter's Trail

That afternoon we hiked Hunter's Trail located on the east side of the park. It was given this name for the native hunters who inhabited the area over 6,000 years ago and is known for all of the wildlife you can see there. 

 On our way to the park we saw a group of Ñandú. They are a relative of the ostrich. 

 There was a big group of youngsters following around an adult.

 

 So cute!

A little ways off the road in a lagoon we spotted a small group of flamingos. These are Chilean flamingos which fly down to Patagonia for the summer months. 

 As we were approaching the park we came across the guanacos. (pronounced wanaco) These guys are relatives to the llama, alpaca and vicuña. Llamas descended from guanacos, and today are typically more domesticated. Alpacas descended from vicuñas and are also now domesticated.  Alpacas are known for their soft fur but are typically smaller than llamas. But enough about those guys - for the most part we saw guanacos in Torres del Paine.

  

The guanacos are known to spit when they are angry. Dad wanted to test it out but this guy wasn’t interested. 

The landscape was beautiful – no matter how windy it was. 

Once over the ridge we could see the famous Paine massif in the distance. 

On the huge rock formations just over the ridge were these cave paintings made by the Aonikenk (native Indian) people many many years ago. 

 Enjoying a Super Ocho. The Chileans favorite candy bar. 

 After hiking back down our guide spotted this guy snoozing in the pampa (that’s the term they use for the low, scrubby brush landscape) Can you see the fox?

 Here he is close up. 

And a few more guanacos gathered to send us on our way as we headed back to Tierra.