Stepping Into the Ice Age
Today felt like stepping back into the Ice Age. We had rented a car upon arrival in Patagonia, and drove from Puerto Natales to the Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument (Cave fo the Mylodons, giant ground sloths). I was not prepared for just how massive the cave was, and how far back it went.
The main attraction, the Cueva Grande, is simply enormous. A gaping mouth in the hillside over 650 feet deep and 260 feet wide. You can feel the sheer weight of history here. This was once a shelter for both ancient humans (dating back to 6000 B.C.E.) and massive prehistoric beasts. There's also ongoing excavations and archeological digs in the cave.
The highlight was definitely the life-size replica of the Mylodon near the entrance. This giant ground sloth was a herbivore that looked like a huge, shaggy bear, and it became extinct thousands of years ago at the end of the Pleistocene epoch.
The views of the surrounding Patagonian steppe and distant mountains from the viewpoint trail were incredible.