THE ILLUSIVE WILD BEAGLES OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO
Tidewater glaciers exist only in three places in the world; one of which is Chile. As a highlight of a cruise through the fjords ships detour to visit the few remaining tidewaters that are accessible; one of the most popular places is the Beagle Channel. During my talk, “Glaciers: Rivers of Ice,” I thought it would be funny to say something absurd like the Beagle Channel was named because of the abundance of wild beagles that were found there in the 1800’s. The more I thought about it, the funnier it seemed – to me. To make matters worse, I found a picture of beagles bounding through a field. Thinking this little bit of silliness would break the monotony of all these serious talks, I threw in the picture. The next day when I showed the image and said what I thought was a joke – no one laughed. I saw a few doubtful looks, but no snickers, no nothing. I apologized for my sense of humor and the fact I thought the idea of wild beagles roaming the mountains of Tierra del Fuego was funny, as obviously no one else did. The next day after we passed the glaciers, a guest came to me and said, “I thought you needed to know, a lady was looking for the beagles – and I am afraid she was serious.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Makes me have greater respect for the power of the microphone!