Day 4 on the W Trail: Patagonian Panorama: From Glacier Grandeur to Fire's Scars (and a History Lesson from Señor Casasola).

Howdy folks, back at Pehoé Lake lookout with another postcard-perfect view. This time, I spun around 180 degrees to check out the southern end of Torres del Paine National Park. Talk about a landscape with a split personality!

Cerro Tenerife Calling

Right there, flank the park's southern border, stands Cerro Tenerife. Now this ain't no giant by Patagonian standards, clocking in at a respectable 1,650 meters (5,410 feet). Fun fact for y'all: this mountain's named after the Spanish island of Tenerife. Turns out, an early settler named Ernesto Casasola, who hailed from Tenerife himself, must have seen a resemblance to the mighty Teide volcano back home!

Fire's Fury and Nature's Resilience

But hold on, this ain't all sunshine and mountain peaks. Y'all see that part of the landscape lookin' a little worse for wear? That, my friends, is a sobering reminder of human impact. Two massive wildfires ripped through this area – one in 1985 that gobbled up a whopping 150 square kilometers (58 square miles) around Lake Pehoé, and another in 2011 that scorched 176 square kilometers (68 square miles) and wiped out 36 square kilometers (14 square miles) of native forest. It's a stark reminder that even in this wild and rugged paradise, nature needs our respect.

The good news? Nature is a fighter. Those sad-looking shrubs you see? They're the vanguard of a forest reborn, slowly but surely reclaiming its land. It'll take time – we're talking years between 2011 and now – but those towering giants will rise again. Just gotta give Mother Nature a hand by being responsible out there!

***

You can see the devastation of the wildfires better from this photo. Cerro Tenerife is marked in the photo below if you hover over it. I'm at the entrance to French Valley:
flic.kr/p/2pXH9g9

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Taken in: Chile / Region of Magallanes / Torres del Paine / Estancia Pudeto (show map)

Taken on: April 22, 2024

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Sets appears in: • The W Circuit (Day 4): Refugio Paine Grande to Refugio Grey, las Torres del Paine National Park, Chilean Patagonia.

Groups appears in: • Chile • UNESCO World Heritage Sites more » • visit the world - the travel guide • Travel Photography • South America - public group • Landscape Exploration • Views: 2000 • Montañas de los Andes • Parques Nacionales y Reservas de Chile • Torres del Paine • ***PATAGONIA*** • 500+ Faves 1-2-3 (Post one,Comment and Fave two) • Mountains Anywhere • Unforgettable Landscapes(High Quality) • ! 90+ Faves (P1,A+F3) • National Geographic | World Wide • Favorites: 500 • SONY ILCE-6000/6300/6500 • Flickr Social • ! FavTop Master 500+ (P1, A+F4) • All Free Pictures (Creative Commons and Public Domain) • FAV 111+ (P1, A+F5) • Shadows and Moods • A UNESCO SITE • Pure real and virtual works of art « less

Camera: Sony ILCE-6300, f/7.1, 1/250 sec, 120mm (=180mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony ILCE-6300
Lens:	E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
Aperture:	f/7.1
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	120mm (35mm equivalent: 180mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Landscape
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Landscape
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 16.4 (Windows)
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