We were up by 8:00. The wind had been strong all night, apparently, but I slept through it. The morning air was cool but pleasant. Alejandro arrived a little past 9:00 and ten of us left with him to hike the 5 km along the northeastern shore of Lago Roca to the marker at the Chilean border. It was a pleasant hike through the woods under a mostly sunny sky. We had numerous pretty views of the mountains surrounding the lake. It took a little over an hour and a half to get to the border which is unguarded since there are no Chilean settlements in southern Tierra del Fuego . We paused once to photograph a pair of crested caracaras who allowed us to get within a few meters of them.

The hike back seemed faster than the way out. The weather deteriorated to a moderate drizzle. I walked with Jackie. I had offered her co-leadership of the next GSA Southern Patagonia trip. She was very excited as we discussed ways to iron out the kinks we had experienced on this trip.

Angel was preparing lunch when we returned. We ate, finished striking camp, loaded the Green Machine, and headed back to Ushuaia. In about half an hour we arrived at the Hotel Alakaluf. Assigning rooms was difficult since the first students in grabbed keys without waiting for any sense of order to be established. After taking a much needed shower, I mailed some postcards, did some shopping, sent some emails and went to the Irish pub for a beer. I bought a nice tourmaline specimen in one of the gift shops.

At 9:30 we assembled in the lobby and walked down the street to El Moustachio and our farewell dinner. I was disappointed that we did not have a private room but were instead in the loud crowded dining room. There would be no summary speeches. Jackie kept everyone entertained, however, with her one-woman comedy routine. The food was good but not outstanding. Alejandro and his French girlfriend, Valeria, joined us late. She and I spoke in French for awhile.

Many students had come down with a stomach bug over the past 24 hours and were not very energetic. After dinner, a bunch of us went to the Irish Pub. It was hopping. Our women were swooned by a group of Australians and New Zealanders. By 2:00 it looked like a long night ahead so I said good-night and walked back to the hotel and went to bed.