Hiking in Argentina is giving me a strong sense of deja vu. It’s early April and the ragged mountain slopes are         enveloped beneath a scarf of beech trees, the leaves turing orange, yellow and red – just like the decidious beech in Tasmania, and at exactly the same time. It is a reminder that southern Argentina shares a Gondwanian history with Tasmania, with many trees close cousins of ours, particualrly their beech tree, Nothofagus pumilio, which looks the splitting image of our Nothofagus gunnii.
The photo to the right is from a hike I did in the Rio Negro Province of Argentina, near the border with Chile. It was an easy 10km hike from the tourist malestrom of Bariloche to the wilds of Refugio Frey, where you can stay the night in the hut, just like the Overland Track. Although there are certain differences between their huts and ours. For starters the refugio is manned year around and provides amazing meals of homemade pasta and cake, washed down with your choice of cold beer or a glass of red (the refugio has supplies helicoptered in every 20 days). There was also a refugio cat, which took a bit of getting used to as there are many birds scuttling about the rocky landscape. There are a series of huts across the mountains (which are around 2000m), making it possible to do a four or five day circuit of the area. The area has a strong German and Swiss history, and it is rumoured several wanted Nazis fled here after the war, helping build the huts as a potential escape route to Chile.
Refugio Frey is also a mecca for rock climbers, with bands of lean youths looking up at the surrounding slabs of rock and planning their routes for the next day. From here it is off to Columbia, hopefully for some more hiking, although it will be sad to say goodbye to Gondwana…
That’s fascincating, Warwick. The idea of a cat in National Park is a little hard to get used to, but your description of the food makes me want to helicopter in – especially as it has been raining hard here in Melbourne this morning. Have you seen any podocarps? Another Gondwana species. Any of the shrubs familiar from the Overland? I was wondering if you have read the Greening of Gondwana by Mary White?
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for your comment. Although they are definately around,I’m not too sure if we saw Podocarps – shamefully I couldn’t determine exactly which plants were of Gondwanian origin and which weren’t: it was hard to find a book to identify local species.
The oddest thing about the flora was the ‘colique´ which looks exactly like bamboo. This grew along the path in stands about 2m high and created a really stange and wonderful atmosphere – like some odd Japanese dream. We were fortunate to see the plant in flower as it only flowers once ever 40-50 years with a delicate panicle, a lot like a fine grass but with chunky seedheads like oats. The seeding of the colique heralds a plaque of mice, so the occassion is viewed with a certain trpidation. The mice eat the seeds and their numbers explode, over-running the mountain huts and even spreading some kind of virus. Always a little trouble in paradise.
I’ve just come back from a trip to my birth state Tassie, just missing the turning of our fagus. The resemblance is quite uncanny – another reason on my list to go walking in South America. Thanks for a fascinating comparison!
Hi Phoebe, thanks for your comment.
Too bad you missed the Fagus doing it’s thing in Tasmania, but I’m sure you would still have had a spectacular walk. Any snow?
The Fagus in Tasmania is usually at its best on around April 25 when Fagus Fanciers crawl the slopes camera in hand. The plant has a lot of fans!
If you come hiking in Baroliche and got to Refugio Frey make sure you give yourself at least 5 days as you can do a great hut to hut circuit, with landscape so awesome its like a slap in the face.
Happy hiking!
I have yet to manage to get down to Tassie to see the Fagus in color, but with a new camera in hand I’m marking it down on my calendar for next Anzac Day. Phoebe is recommending Mt Field.