Isla de los Estados, inland traverse. This island was discovered in 1615 by Le Maire and afterward visited by many explorers, including James Cook. Many ships have wrecked on its difficult coasts. Because of difficult terrain and bad weather, no one had traversed the island. To commemorate the Argentine explorer Luis Piedrabuena, who was active on the island, a group of civilian and Argentine navy personnel crossed the island from west to east. The group consisted of civilian females Julieta Rimoldi and Verónica Schro and Argentine navy men Guillermo Tibaldi (chief), Antonio González, Gustavo Pérez, and Adrián Nuñez. They traversed many ridges and cols, many of them previously unvisited, although no summits were ascended. The expedition lasted for 22 days, the traverse ending on Februrary 16, 2004 in the lighthouse that inspired Jules Verne’s novel, The Lighthouse at the End of the World.

Marcelo Scanu, Buenos Aires, Argentina