This morning even before the dark of the night was being transformed into daylight we could tell that conditions had improved. The National Geographic Explorer slowly slipped into the small fjord where part of the Austral Highway crossed the land. Yesterday the winds funneled into the fjord making it impossible to get ashore. But today the winds were less and the first group to go ashore easily made it and began an excursion to the center of this private reserve. The rest of the group went ashore a bit later in the morning, everyone prepared for a morning of exploration in the rain in the temperate rainforest.
By definition rain is necessary for this environment. After all it is a temperate rainforest, what else should be expected. But the rain was light and not constant and it gave us a clue as to why the vegetation was so lush and verdant. Local transportation had come across on the Austral “highway” (a potholed gravel road) from the village of Chaiten to transport us to the various trails that had been established by the reserve. Some chose to hike to a hidden waterfall on a somewhat difficult trail up a rushing stream that plunged over rock ledges and fallen tree logs. Others decided to focus on seeing the unique Alerce trees and spend time experiencing the dense vegetation of mosses and ferns coating the ground, tree trunks, branches, and fallen logs. The group that left early in the morning climbed up through the forest and onto the side of a volcanic cinder cone, a side structure of the main Chaiten Volcano.
Pumalin Reserve was the dream of Douglas Tompkins. Purchased in 1990 and enlarged and officially founded a year later, Pumalin protected around 300,000 hectares of Valdivian rainforest containing about 25% of the remaining Alerce trees. Alerce, a member of the cypress family, represents some of the oldest known individual plants in the world. Wood of the Alerce had been in demand for decades as it has qualities that make it resistant to decay. Houses all over southern Chile were shingled with the wood of the Alerce. But with increased demand the trees were becoming scarce. Large trees were being logged and some had been alive for close to 4,000 years. Doug Tompkins and a few years later his wife Kris created a foundation to protect not only Pumalin Park but other unique areas of the Patagonia region of South America.
This morning we were privileged to experience the presence of the Alerce and thankful that a large tract of this unique rainforest had been protected. We were all impressed by the vegetation, the landscape, and the forethought of a few individuals whom dedicated their lives and wealth to allow us the experience we so fortunate to have.
