Johnny Staver, University of Puget Sound
Our first backpacking trip of the semester was a fabulous introduction to what is lining up to be a semester of fun, engaging learning. Excitement for the trip grew as we began to lay out all the required group gear and organize our food rations. After a good night of sleep, we woke up early and finished organizing our packs. With all the group gear evenly split, we drove 10 minutes to our trailhead in the Tamango Sector of Patagonia National Park. We made our way up the first 3 kilometers of trail, passing into the snow line and identifying a fox track in the snow. We ate lunch at an old cabin, a relic of the days when the Tamango Sector was a Federal Reserve. Now, these cabins which were once usable are boarded up and ready to be torn down. The Tamango Sector was incorporated into Patagonia National Park in 2018, which has led to new land use regulations.
Old cabins in the Tamango Sector
As we set off from lunch, we began our Leave No Trace lesson in which we learned from our instructor Ben about the 7 principles: Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, Dispose of Waste Properly, Leave What You Find, Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife, and Be Considerate of Other Visitors. The next 7 kilometers of trail was filled with sweeping views of Lago Cochrane and the Esmerelda Mountain Range to our south. Finally, we dropped down along the sparkling blue water of the lake and made camp in an enclave of Coigüe trees. Despite forgetting the pasta sauce, we made do with what we had. Nothing like mayo and spaghetti.
Lago Cochrane
Arriving at Camp
Day 2 was a layover day filled with fun field-based classes. Beginning with José’s binoculars and birding basics course, we practiced identifying some of the most common birds in the region; the Southern Lapwing, Thorn-tailed Rayadito, Black-faced Ibis, Chilean Flicker, and the celebrity of the trip the Chucao Tapaculo.
José teaching an awesome class
We then learned the basics of orienteering and navigation. With hands on use of the GPS, we navigated our way through a scavenger hunt ending in a bar of chocolate. After lunch and a group reading of the essay “Round River” by Aldo Leopold we made our way down the lake to make dinner with a gaucho at his cabin. The gaucho, Dani, has lived in the Tamango Sector for 24 years. The property he lives on, a small cabin and pasture for his horse, was grandfathered into the park. He works for a rewilding program and is an expert Huemul Deer tracker. The Huemul is a native species to the Aysén region of Chile and is currently endangered with only 1,500-2,000 individuals remaining. After dinner and some geographical knowledge exchange, we made our way back to our campsite.
Day 3 started with a classic oatmeal breakfast and a swift breakdown of camp. Before setting out on our route home, our instructor Felipé gave us a lesson on tracking animals using scat, game trails, and tracks. The 10-kilometer trail contoured along a lower elevation than the route in, giving us some wonderful views of a small inlet which marks the beginning of Rio Cochrane. We found a great lunch/swim combo spot, and everyone took a dip despite the cold air and water temperature.
The best swimming hole in Lago Cochrane
Gotta clean off when you can. Finally arriving at the trailhead, we took our natural history quiz in which we applied all the knowledge we had learned on the trip so far. It included identifying native trees and shrubs, bird calls, and geographical and geological features of the basin. The Tamango Sector backpacking trip was a perfect introduction to Round River fieldwork and fun.