February 17, 2006: Although only five days have elapsed, it seems ages since we left Patagonia. So much has happened in those five days! We had to leave El Chalten very early on Friday morning to be in time for the flight to Ushuaia at 2.30 pm. The bus trip to El Calafate airport normally takes about five hours but you have to allow for delays caused by roadworks, burst tyres, etc. The early start had its advantages, though, as we were able to photograph the mountains as the first rays of sun illuminated their craggy contours.
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February 17, 2006: Although only five days have elapsed, it seems ages since we left Patagonia. So much has happened in those five days! We had to leave El Chalten very early on Friday morning to be in time for the flight to Ushuaia at 2.30 pm. The bus trip to El Calafate airport normally takes about five hours but you have to allow for delays caused by roadworks, burst tyres, etc. The early start had its advantages, though, as we were able to photograph the mountains as the first rays of sun illuminated their craggy contours.  First light on Mount Fitzroy, a beautiful way to farewell a photographically rewarding place. This image, taken with the Nikon D200, has been cropped horizontally top and bottom to eliminate unwanted sky and foreground. The trip to Ushuaia occupied most of the day. We had to wait several hours before boarding our flight as it was re-scheduled during the morning. However, this provided some advantages, too, as we flew in with the sun at an even lower angle than anticipated, which highlighted the spectacular mountains that surround Ushuaia. In two of these upland valleys we would be camping over the following three nights.  Looking down on the mountains that border Ushuaia. This shot was taken from the plane, using the Ixus 750. The combination of low-angle lighting and the inherent elevated contrast of the compact digicam allowed me to obtain better-than-average shots through the plane’s window.
By the time we checked into our hotel on Friday night it was too late to do anything more than grab a meal and sort out the things we were taking on our wilderness trip from those we would leave behind. As we would be carrying everything we took, it was important to keep the weight in our backpacks to a minimum so some ruthless decisions had to be made. The Lowepro Slingshot bag came in handy for carrying the Nikon D200 and my compact tripod and I was also able to pack in my Goretex jacket, a couple of extra pairs of socks and a small pack of tissues. The Ixus 750 would go into my shorts pocket, well protected by the Lowepro pouch.  The Lowepro Slingshot pack was easy to carry in front and allowed quick access to the D200, while my main pack was carried on my back. In my left hand is a bag of eggplants, part of the food supply for the camping trip. Photograph by Nick Brown.  Damien staggering under the weight of four days’ supply of bread – an all-up weight of around 10 kg perched atop his already laden pack! This shot was grabbed with the Ixus 750 just before we set off. Several trips to and from the campsite would be required to bring up everything we required and Jerry and Owen, the younger guides, were immediately set to work. The rest of us (nine in all) began the long trek uphill. Our main guide, Milton, had an interesting philosophy for encouraging us: all trips in were described as “easy”, while (somewhat later), sections of the trip out were given names like “heartbreak flats” and “cardiac hill”. In fact, both ways were equally challenging as we varied between slogging over soggy sphagnum moss, bush-bashing through beech scrub, scrambling over rocks, meandering along muddy tracks and climbing over fallen logs.  Our camping group, pictured on one of the easier parts of the walk. Taken with the D200 during a brief rest break on one of the easier stretches of the route.  Some of the group took advantage of longer rest breaks to grab a bit of shut-eye. A grab shot with the Ixus 750.
Shortly after setting off we came upon our first beaver dam and saw the damage done by these rodents to the local vegetation. Beavers were introduced to Tierra del Fuego during the Great Depression to provide a source of income for those who would otherwise have none. The animals have thrived and, like the similarly introduced possums in New Zealand, are now numerous and regarded as a pest. We’re told they’re “bigger and meaner” than their Canadian counterparts.  A view from above a beaver dam shows the extent to which the animals’ tree-felling damages the surrounding vegetation. Photograph taken with the Ixus 750. During the afternoon we happened upon an active beaver dam and were able to photograph several beavers swimming small branches to their lodge. The lodge, where the beavers live, is located near the middle of the dam, giving the animals an impregnable fortress. There are few predators in Tierra del Fuego, although condors and puma probably provide some check on the population.   An active beaver dam and a beaver swimming a small branch to the lodge. Both photographs were taken with the D200, where the 18-200mm VR lens made it easy to ensure the tele shot of the animal was pin-sharp.
On arrival at our first campsite, the initial task was to set up our tents, while our guides produced the evening meal. Everything was cooked in large aluminium pots on the campfire and many of us pitched in to help gather wood to keep it alight. This was relatively easy, thanks to a disused beaver dam just down the hill, which provided some beautifully “cut to length” logs and lots of handy kindling! We lingered briefly by the campfire as the sun doesn’t set until after nine p.m. and most of us were pretty tired after the walk in.   These two shots, taken with the Ixus 750, show typical scenery of the high alpine valleys, just below the treeline. Roughly 100 metres from where these shots were taken, the trees disappear. Another 50 metres on there’s only rock!  Around the campfire. This two-second shot was taken with the Ixus 750 tripod-mounted. I used an ISO setting of 200 and triggered the exposure with the self-timer to capture maximum detail. Our third night out was to be spent in a different campsite, which was reached by walking over a ridge of round the face of the northern hill. With the weather remaining threatening, the ridge was considered too dangerous, so once again we made an early start so we could pack up the tents and have enough time for a “leisurely stroll” (which turned out to be more energetic and demanding than most of us expected). During the morning the clouds lifted, giving some excellent views over alpine lakes and mountain peaks.  A view of part of the route to the second campsite, taken with the Nikon D200. The path in runs along the right side of the lake but, on the way out, we crossed the stream above the lake and walked along the left side. Having set up camp at the second campsite, we were settling round the campfire for an evening meal when one of the group spotted a large fox, grabbing the bag that held the cheese and salami for tomorrow’s lunch. Our guides (and several members of our party) gave chase and the fox, seeing he was out-classed, dropped the bag and fled across the stream, returning about 30 minutes later to see whether he could make a second raid. This time, we were ready with cameras to grab some quick shots of the elusive animal before he departed – without any booty!  The stabilisation system in the Nikkor lens allowed me to grab a sharp picture of our visiting fox as he paused before crossing the stream. I had to shoot at ISO 400 to manage the low ambient light at the time. On our final day, the bad weather returned. However, the climbers in the group were so keen to walk on the ice cap near the mountain peak that they set off early, despite intermittent rain. By the time they returned, we had only enough time to grab a brief bite of lunch, pack the camp and set off downhill to meet up with the bus that would collect us.
The way out took us through six streams (getting wet feet each time) and over two sphagnum bogs. We were all exhausted by the time we reached the road. The comfort of the bus was very welcome – as was the hot shower and soft bed in our hotel. Margaret Brown is technical editor for Photo Review Australia Magazine.
Margaret’s Antarctica Post 1: The Preparation
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