Yesterday morning we set out from our lodge at 8:30 am to hike along the “Hunter’s Trail” which is a 6 km walk within the Torres del Paine National Park, and is an area where the elusive puma can sometimes be seen. We were guided by our expert guide, Patrick, who was calmly optimistic that we would see a puma. It was a clear and calm morning, and not too cold. We hiked uphill through the valley, to an area of overhanging rock with spectacular views. Under the rock shelf were ancient cave “paintings” in the red ochre of the surrounding earth.
From there, we headed back downhill following a ridge and where we were shadowed by a lone guanaco, that seemed to be spying on us as we trekked along. As we passed the 5 km mark, it was starting to look like one of the excursions which promised much, but ultimately failed to deliver. But then, we could hear the whinnying sound of a herd of guanaco over a low ridge. Patrick then went into overdrive, urging us to move quickly as this was a clear signal that a puma was nearby.
As we crested the hill, we could see about 40 guarnaco up the hillside chattering away at something down in the valley. And there it was, a puma feasting on the remains of a guanaco. We carefully skirted around the valley to get into a good position to view this young puma through binoculars and a long-range camera lens. We later learned that this young puma is a female named Ginger. It was a very satisfying culmination to our morning.
After lunch we headed back out again for another hike, and to see the mountain views from the shores of Laguna Azul.
One thing we learned is that the human impact is very evident as you hike through the park. There are vast tracts of burnt trees that were caused by careless campers lighting campfires that get out of control. With the strong winds that blow through the valleys the fires burn out of control and destroy vast areas of trees that have been there for centuries. It is heartbreaking to see, and although there are replanting programmes underway, it will be several generations before it gets back to anything close to what it was before.
It’s also worth noting that all the lakes are well below their normal levels. For several years now the lakes and ponds have been drying up through a reduced flow from the glaciers and lower rainfall. A clear sign of climate change.
We have been very lucky with the autumnal weather and hopefully it holds for the next few days.