Imagine enduring your first steep hike of several hours up the beautiful granite walls of Trinidad or Anfiteatro valleys, and just as you emerge from the forest you smell and then see smoke. As you get closer, you follow it back to its source to see a circle of blackened granite boulders, a smoking campfire, tents with plastic tarps, trash tossed aside, dirty pots and pans, and piles of camping and climbing gear everywhere. And not just one site, but many. In the distant bushes, scraps of feces and toilet paper.
Many hikers complained about these scenes and the human impact caused on nature by these campers, mostly climbers. During the last decade, the number of climbers and other visitors camping in the high altitude valleys of Anfiteatro, Trinidad, Paloma and Arco Iris has increased significantly, resulting in negative impacts to the particular ecosystems of each upper valley.
There is no one in charge of stopping disrespectful behavior towards Cochamó's nature except for you. Speak through your own example.
Several nonprofit organizations (Organización Valle Cochamó, Conserva Pucheguin, Puelo Patagonia and Friends of Cochamó), along with neighboring landowners, climbers and other tourist operators, have, in the past two years, pushed a campaign to minimize these impacts. They have implemented some of the following guidelines to follow.
This ancient forest with its millenary alerce trees and centenary coihues, mañios, tepas, is drier than ever due to climate change. To build a fire is to risk losing it! Please do not further impact or risk these fragile natural environments.
Help minimize the impact we generate on the fragile environment of these upper valleys.
• Only bivouac when necessary as part of the logistics for multi-pitch climbs that cannot be done starting from the camps in the La Junta sector.
• Keep your bivouac and your belongings out of sight of hikers. And when you spend the night bivouacking in the high valleys, please do so at a suitable distance from the main trail so as not to attract the attention of visitors who are not sufficiently informed and may assume that it is a free camping area.
On many occasions, these “camps” have attracted campers, especially non-climbers, who do not rely on advanced camps to achieve their multi-pitch goals.
The ecosystem of these valleys is fragile. And in high season, many climbers stay overnight and use this limited space. Please:
• Use the toilets already built in the valleys. There are two in Trinidad (the Trinidad Norte base and next to the bivouac boulder) and one in Anfiteatro.
• Use a biodegradable poop bag and take it out with you.
• Don't bury you poop . The wildlife will find, eat and spread it.
Many people drink from the same watercourse in the lower valley. And there are many of us who visit the valley. Wash and wash more than 70 meters from the watercourses and use biodegradable detergents or, ideally, no detergents. It is recommended to treat the water before drinking especially if you draw water from the stream in the Amphitheater.
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