forbidding mountain range, breached
the horizon, glowing white in a
luminous gap between steely sea and
grey clouds. Famously treacherous
landmarks crowd this corner of the
map, with names that inspire an
almost painful wanderlust: Tierra del
Fuego. Cape Horn. The Drake Passage.
The next morning, we would head to
another enticingly named place: Seno
Última Esperanza, or Last Hope
Sound, a winding inlet 150 miles to the
north that, in 1557, the Spanish
explorer Juan Ladrillero mistook for
the long-sought western entrance to
the Strait of Magellan.
We drove for three hours through
grasslands dotted with gnarled, wind-
stunted trees and dappled by cloud
shadows, stopping once to watchMAP BY RODICA PRATO
A rarely trodden horse
trail winds past glacial
Lake Pehoé, south of
the Paine Massif.