The PaddlerUK magazine July 2015 issue 3 | Page 53

The next morning we headed west, retracing our steps through the narrow ice choked channels. Once out of the high mountains there would be a possibility of dryer weather, but an increase in wind. The wider channels offered less protection, but the breeze was dry enough to air our damp kit. The low level islands didn't build rain clouds as much, and we enjoyed warm evenings by drift wood fires. The luxury of washing cloths was now on the cards, and I took full advantage of one dry breezy evening. It amazes me how much you appreciate the tiny things in life when on expedition. Clean dry socks or finding that long lost mars bar, does wonders for moral. I strangely enjoy the simplicity of the daily expedition routine and the things to stress over, such as the route we to navigate and the weather forecast. We floated past colonies of loud smelly sea lions basking on the rocky islands and started to spot previously rare sights of local fishing boats, an early sign we were getting closer to Puerto Natales. ThePaddler 53 steep jagged rivers of ice, cracking and booming ricocheted around the natural amphitheatre certainly enough, it was hard to sleep with the noise of the ever moving ice, and the cold and wet was now becoming intolerable.