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| This is part of the area in Torres del Paine that was burnt in 2005 by a Czech tourist, Jiri Smitak. 14,000 hectares burnt (about 7% of the park) in the Laguna Azul, Cebolla and Paine Waterfall areas. The cause was Jiri camping wild, ie in an area not designated for camping, in grassland! He improperly handling his gas cooking stove. He got the maximum $200 fine. The Czech Government stepped in (smartly) to pay for the restoration and replanting activities. The damage is obvious today when you head through the area. |
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Torres del Paine: 2005 fire damage seen in 2010.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Fire closes Torres del Paine National Park
Looks like a careless tourist has set off a massive fire on December 27 in Torres del Paine National Park in Southern Patagonia. By this morning (Dec 30) a whopping 5,700 hectares were burnt already, according to Bloomberg, and counting (8,500 hectares this afternoon...). Winds of 90+ km/h are fanning the rapidly growing fire.
This traveller's Youtube video taken from a bus shows the fire's extent vividly.
The fire is uncontrollable and the Park has been closed completely now; tourists and trekkers have been evacuated.
TdP is known for its strong winds. Sparks fly far and wide (even a badly handled camping stove can set off a major blaze as happened in 2005) and with the very dry conditions this year, fire hazards were very high. This fire started just off the trail, at Lake Grey. Park Rangers believe it might have been a camp fire that had not been extinguished properly. Hope they find whoever is responsible and hold them to account.
For local coverage, there are local news links here and here (both are Lonely Planet Forum links to Chilean news media)
This is one area in the world where human-made forest fires are not needed to clear the underbrush. I hope the winds let up so that this fire can be extinguished and the ground erosion that follows can be stopped before it takes hold.
This traveller's Youtube video taken from a bus shows the fire's extent vividly.
The fire is uncontrollable and the Park has been closed completely now; tourists and trekkers have been evacuated.
TdP is known for its strong winds. Sparks fly far and wide (even a badly handled camping stove can set off a major blaze as happened in 2005) and with the very dry conditions this year, fire hazards were very high. This fire started just off the trail, at Lake Grey. Park Rangers believe it might have been a camp fire that had not been extinguished properly. Hope they find whoever is responsible and hold them to account.
For local coverage, there are local news links here and here (both are Lonely Planet Forum links to Chilean news media)
This is one area in the world where human-made forest fires are not needed to clear the underbrush. I hope the winds let up so that this fire can be extinguished and the ground erosion that follows can be stopped before it takes hold.
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| We took this photo at Grande Paine last year - part of the W Circuit - which has been affected by the fire. Note, the wind... |
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| This is on the way from Grey Camp to Grande Paine/Pehoe. Sounds like all this and much more has been burnt. |
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Red Book Entry: November 14, 2010
The biggest and most important journal entry for me today is to say that I am feeling sooo much better than I did yesterday. A couple of things conspired to make day six of our trek a bit of a challenging one. First of all, the "allergy" I thought I had turned out to be a full blown cold complete with energy sucking properties. The other factor was the lack of energy from simply not eating what my body needed in order to hike up Pico Austria at 5,350m. It was difficult and took all of the mental might I had. Heading up to 5,350m is not what you want to be doing when you bonk.
The good news to the story is that I did make it to the summit, moving very, very slowly, one step at a time (with each one feeling as if it was the last one I could take). I so wanted to close my eyes and rest. We ate lunch at the summit; all I could manage was the cheese followed by chocolate for a quick hit of energy. I closed my eyes and dozed for a bit and was happy that I actually was able to recover enough to complete the trek to our next camp.
As with all the other camps, the location was awesome; it was by a laguna, with a river and had a view of a gorgeous glacier. It was only around 1:30 when we arrived and the sun was still warming. I layed outside to rest for a bit before heading into the tent for a full-on rest. Supper was at 6:30 and I had to drag myself of the tent to head to the cook tent for some sustenance. I managed to make it through supper but could not stay for mate. Off I went with my water bottle filled with hot camomile tea. I did not end up taking even one sip because I simply passed out. I did not wake up to go to the bathroom which, given my record, is saying a lot. When I did finally wake up in the morning I was super hot because the sun was beating down on the tent.
Another blue sky day!
The pattern so far has been for full blue sky in the morning, followed by clouds moving in, followed (or not) by hail or rain. You certainly have to be ready for every type of weather while trekking here. I find myself one minute hauling clothes off and the next, putting it all back on. Certainly when we reach the passes, which range from 4,800m to 5,100m, there is usually more wind and it's definitely cooler.
Each day has really been a different experience, depending in part on the character of each valley. We have hiked through deserts; rocky terrain; bogey areas and have hiked down steep pitches of scree. (I am not exaggerating when I say that the pitch has been as much as 40 degrees). There have been many lagunas, all offering up various greens, blues and opals. There have also been unending herds of llamas (lovely creatures) and some herds of alpaca (the pure white ones apparently fetch more money than the ones of other colours; not sure how many colours they "come in" but I have seen gorgeous brown ones as well). They have quite a unique look with their heads seeming large because only their bodies are sheared.
The good news to the story is that I did make it to the summit, moving very, very slowly, one step at a time (with each one feeling as if it was the last one I could take). I so wanted to close my eyes and rest. We ate lunch at the summit; all I could manage was the cheese followed by chocolate for a quick hit of energy. I closed my eyes and dozed for a bit and was happy that I actually was able to recover enough to complete the trek to our next camp.
As with all the other camps, the location was awesome; it was by a laguna, with a river and had a view of a gorgeous glacier. It was only around 1:30 when we arrived and the sun was still warming. I layed outside to rest for a bit before heading into the tent for a full-on rest. Supper was at 6:30 and I had to drag myself of the tent to head to the cook tent for some sustenance. I managed to make it through supper but could not stay for mate. Off I went with my water bottle filled with hot camomile tea. I did not end up taking even one sip because I simply passed out. I did not wake up to go to the bathroom which, given my record, is saying a lot. When I did finally wake up in the morning I was super hot because the sun was beating down on the tent.
Another blue sky day!
The pattern so far has been for full blue sky in the morning, followed by clouds moving in, followed (or not) by hail or rain. You certainly have to be ready for every type of weather while trekking here. I find myself one minute hauling clothes off and the next, putting it all back on. Certainly when we reach the passes, which range from 4,800m to 5,100m, there is usually more wind and it's definitely cooler.
Each day has really been a different experience, depending in part on the character of each valley. We have hiked through deserts; rocky terrain; bogey areas and have hiked down steep pitches of scree. (I am not exaggerating when I say that the pitch has been as much as 40 degrees). There have been many lagunas, all offering up various greens, blues and opals. There have also been unending herds of llamas (lovely creatures) and some herds of alpaca (the pure white ones apparently fetch more money than the ones of other colours; not sure how many colours they "come in" but I have seen gorgeous brown ones as well). They have quite a unique look with their heads seeming large because only their bodies are sheared.
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