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Incognito Patagonia: Sea kayak exploration of the wild west
12:12 am CST Feb 19, 2008
(ExplorersWeb.com) Cristian Donoso is currently leading an amazing Trans-Patagonia expedition that has already reached unexplored places of highly difficult access in Western Patagonia.
In only 5 months the expedition, now in its third and last stage, has already been a saga of unknown and incredibly varied wilderness.
Drifting ice and rainforests
Cristian and his friends have kayaked among drifting ice, camped on deserted beaches, and dragged their 400 lb sea kayaks across glaciers and through rainforests.
The team has cave and scuba dived in a part of Patagonia where few people, except for a small tribe of native Kaweskars, have set their foot.
One of the most unknown zones in the world
The expedition website describes the territory:
"Western Patagonia represents more than one third of the coastline of Chile’s continental territory, and is one of the main distinct features of the Chilean sea, which makes it clearly stand out from the rest of the coast of South America."
"Within this region, the stretch that goes between the Golfo de Penas (Gulf of Pains) and the western access of the Magellan Straits is one of the most unknown and uninhabited zones in the World."
"Among the most important aspects that determine the condition mentioned above are the countless obstacles the area poses to navigation, the Northern and Southern Ice fields on the East, which make any attempt to reach it by land impossible; a coastline of cliffs consisting of bare granite or covered by tundra and a compact jungle; permanent rain, which makes this territory one of the rainiest in the world; and principally, the violence of the winds, which has made tempests in this region renowned World-wide."
The firsts
The expedition's main transportation are the sea kayaks, doing double duty as sleds, and the journey will span 1250 miles (2,039 km) of mostly uncharted territory in the end. The firsts are too many to mention but here are some:
General first explorations:
• First exploration and crossing of the isthmus between San Nicolas and Pulpo fjords.
• First exploration and crossing of the isthmus between North Inlet and Adelaida fjord.
• First exploration and crossing of the isthmus between Lamero fjord and Barros Luco bay.
• First exploration of Ofqui isthmus Western bank, a route which was used by the Kaweshkar during thousands of years and by the Wager frigate shipwreck during the first half of the 18th Century.
• First exploration of Ofqui isthmus between the two lakes in front of San Quintín glacier.
• First inland exploration of Javier island.
• First inland exploration of the North and South West bank at Barros Luco bay.
• First exploration of the mountain range between Greve lake East bank and Southern Ice Field.
First lake explorations:
• Greve lake first navigation and first exploration of its East bank.
• First navigation and exploration of the nameless lakes under the front of Benito glacier at Southern Ice Field.
• First navigation of a nameless lake between Exmouth fjord and Captain plateau at Southern Ice Field.
• First latitudinal crossing of Presidente Ríos lake, a route which was used by the Kaweshkar and Wager frigate shipwreck during the first half of the 18th Century. Third navigation and exploration of the lake Drain Inlet, after Juan Augusto Grosse expeditions in 1945 and Francisco Gedda in 1993, in spite of the possible intrusion of cypresses felling at the beginning of the 20th Century, of which no records or reliable evidence are available.
First river explorations:
• First navigation and exploration of a nameless river which flows from the Northern Ice Field to San Esteban gulf.
• First complete navigation and exploration of a nameless river which flows from San Quintín glacier to San Tadeo river.
• First navigation and exploration of Nevado river, which flows from a lake under the front of San Quintín glacier to San Esteban gulf.
• First navigation and exploration of Mañiguales river, which flows from the interior of Taitao peninsula to San Esteban gulf, a route which was used by the Kaweshkar and Wager frigate shipwreck during the first half of the 18th Century.
First glacial explorations:
• First exploration of Brüggen glacier North front.
• First complete crossing and exploration of Brüggen glacier summit.
• First exploration of Benito glacier front at Southern Ice Field.
First ascents:
• First ascent of Mount Vertical.
• First ascent of Mount Abril.
• First ascent of a nameless peak on the East bank of Greve lake.
• First ascent of Javier island highest summit.
Caves and dives
Exploring its net of underground rivers; the expedition checks on the unknown calcareous universe of the North area of Madre de Dios island, covering part of the Southernmost caves system in the world.
The expedition also includes a dive on the historic Wager frigate. It's the first dive on the wreck since Major Sergeant Chiloé's in 1744, which he did to rescue part of its artillery and equipments.
Main objective ahead
Extensive sectors along the shores of the canals and fjords west of Wellington island, north of the Wellington archipelago and east of the gulf of Penas114, all of them of highly difficult access and totally unexplored up to now are included in the adventure.
The expedition will also try to find a route along the Exmouth fjord into the upper sector of the Brüggen glacier and the Captain's plateau of Southern Ice Cap.
There's more, lots more. Go to the expedition website for the full account, and the latest: Last Wednesday (February 13) the men finally reached Purcell island, discovering a formidable wildlife reserve with large populations of imperial cormorants, several sea lion groups, and a penguin herd in the depths of the forest.
"Tomorrow we will return north, attempting to reach the main objective of this expedition: the Presidente Rios lake."
2006 Rolex Awards Laureate Chilean Cristian Donoso, 31, has explored the unknown areas of Patagonia since he was 16 years old. Current team members (taking turns) are US Richard Vercoe, Chilean Rodrigo Fernández and Chilean Mariela González, and French Kai Salas.
Cristian Donoso is a Chilean lawyer who over the past 14 years has ventured almost 40 times into the region’s most inaccessible corners. "In order to strengthen the protection of this territory, we have got to know what’s there," Donoso told the Rolex award.
The explorers also hoped to find the exact location of the English frigate Wager sunk in 1741 on the north coast of the Guayaneco Archipelago and trace the route narrated in the journal of John Byron, who survived the shipwreck thanks to assistance from two indigenous groups who spirited him and three other survivors through the treacherous waters in their canoes.
The expedition started in September last year, and has spanned two legs already. Currently, the team is out on the third and final part of the journey, headed for the Presidente Rios lake.
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