Monday February 13th, 2017
Each day at the EcoCamp we had a choice of easy, medium or hard activities. We chose easy, except for the last day when Krista stayed in camp and I went on a medium 17 km hike. The easy outings were nature based, and had some short walks of up to 4-5 km. More or less everywhere we went, the scenery was dominated by the Torres del Paine massif, and we ended up seeing it from the east, south and west.
Just one of the many panoramic views of Torres del Paine massif
Over the three days we met key components of the local ecosystem: e.g. the nothofagus species and grass lands, guanaco and puma, condors and caracas. We also learned that a few years ago a massive fire destroyed around 20,000 hectares of grass land and forest, and saw how slow the landscape is recovering. Nothofagus is quite fire sensitive, and it will be many years before any grow back from a seed store in the soil; if they don’t, the grassland will take over.
Nothofagus leaves
I was very impressed with the structure used by the EcoCamp for their day trips, and felt this enabled us to make very good connections with the people sharing our trips, and also with the guides. It was good for group bonding, and many of us stayed together for the following day.
The day started with those doing a specific trip gathering for breakfast at a designated table in the dining domes. So, as on our first day we’d chosen to go to Laguna Azul, our designated table had a slate with Laguna Azul chalked on to it. We acquainted ourselves with our fellow travellers, our guides filled us in on our program, and our dinner order was taken. We then had an ample breakfast, and made ourselves a lunch for the day. Over the day we interacted with guides and companions, and then in the evening we’d share a meal together at “our” table, at times with our guides too.
Sharing the evening meal was always a highlight of the day
The rest of this entry is devoted to the first of our three days in EcoCamp: a trip to Laguna Azul for a nature walk and a BBQ lunch. But first we visited two other lakes and learnt about trombolites and their formation.
The two lakes in question are “closed systems”: the only way water can leave them is by percolation into the earth, or by evaporation, and evaporation is high compared to rainfall. So over many years the water becomes salty. Under the appropriate conditions of salinity, temperature and pH, a cyano-bacterium (a microscopic organism) flourishes. These creatures form a fragile soft mat that washes onto the shores of the lake, and we could pick this gooey mess up and examine it. The formation of the cyano-bacterial mats is a process that has been going on for a long slab of geological time. The stromatolites in Shark Bay in WA is one example of the end product. Here was another: once the mats build up and become fossilised, the end result is trombolites. This had been like meeting an old friend!
Cyano-bacterial communities washed ashore on a lake
Trombolites, one form of fossilised cyano-bacterial mats
Laguna Azul is a lake that lives up to its name: Azure Lake. It is a very linear lake with an awesome view up it to the Torres del Paine massif. Today it was also funneling a cold wind down the lake and the “surf was up” on the little beach at the end of the lake.
Laguna Azul … and Torres del Paine, for good measure
The lake has a field at its end and this was covered with a large herd of guanaco grazing. These gentle animals are lama-like and hence related to the camel. They are also very photogenic, and seemed unfazed by me sitting amidst them.
Herds of guanaco graze contentedly, while one individual is disdainful
After lunch we had a 2-3 km return walk to a vantage point a 150 m or so above the lake. The view was awesome! It was also a good introduction to the local environment. More guanaco grazed amidst Nothafagus trees, there were the skeletons of once quite large trees, and we saw a caracas grazing on a carcass. These birds are scavengers; they avidly plunder someone else’s kill, or scavenge the leftovers from picnics.
Images from on the way up to a lookout
Finally, on our way back to the EcoCamp, we visited the Paine Waterfall on the Paine River. The falls were in full spate and were an impressive sight … and again with the Torres del Paine massif dominating the horizon.
The Paine Waterfall
In the evening we had an awesomely clear view of the Torres. They seemed so close I should have been able to reach out and touch them. The night sky was incredibly clear, and it was also clear this was going to be a cold night!
Evening view of the Torres!
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