There is a magical place
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where the wind blows down river from the northe
Photo: George Nuckols
Patagonia is one of those areas that is reserved for the determined traveller, striking awe in its visitors, who can see clearly the transitory nature of their situation in the resolute look of the locals who know this land as their own – the few who truly understand its soul. We felt a very warm welcome but our journey did not begin in Puerto Bertrand but in Grand Junction, Colorado. The canyons on the Rio Baker were not just a run from a dream list of rivers. The river, Patagonia’s largest in terms of volume, flows out of Bertrand Lake and runs along the east side of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. Its characteristic turquoise-blue colour is due to the glacial sediments deposited in it.
the threat of damming
However, there is a very real threat to this free flowing river with ENDESA’s plans to dam the river with huge hydro projects, as has happened on most of the larger rivers on the planet – however, for the moment, the dynamic Rio Baker still flows free. The pilgrimage to the Rio Baker, even if only to sit on the riverbank to feel, hear, smell and see this force of nature, is worth every step of the long journey. When you are there the place holds your focus. It is this realm where your mind goes when you daydream and to be there is like a lucid dream where every colour and moment is so vivid. With the proposed dam comes a sense of urgency – in fact this trip would likely not have happened but for the threat of paradise lost.
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