There was some reason for hope today for getting the Antarctic flights rolling. But in the end the better weather didn't quite materialize. We didn't waste much time fretting over the situation though. The team rallied after leisurely breakfast coffees (extending well into the afternoon) and set off on an urban hike. At least it began as an urban hike, through the streets of Punta Arenas, accumulating stray dogs as we went along, but after about an hour of hard walking we worked our way into the countryside. The wind was howling and the clouds were covering sun and sky, but we persevered. Ultimately we found ourselves in park-like surroundings, climbing the ski area overlooking town. At the top we were two thousand feet higher and about 7.5 miles from our lodging. We still had one stray dog and about fifty miles per hour of wind, to go along with an unexpectedly grand view of Punta and the whitecaps of the Straits of Magellan. We were back down to the waterfront and the friendly tourist restaurants by early evening, celebrating another fine summit together. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn