EDITOR'S LOG

Prefatory Note:

Dangerousroads.org provides a good, no-frills summary description of Chile's Route #7. 

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The road, formerly known as Carretera General Augusto Pinochet, runs about 1,240 kilometers (770 mi) from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins through rural Patagonia, in Chile. Most of the road is unpaved, ranging from quite good quality to absolutely horrible. If you are driving, you will not need a 4WD but your car will be suffering. You will probably have to take a ferry or two to get in or travel along the road. The Carretera Austral area is pretty wild, with often wild weather extremes. This area is characterized by thick forests, fjords, glaciers, canals and steep mountains. It has endless stretches of empty dirt roads surrounded by forests, mountains, glaciers and lakes, with scenic villages, free campsites and hot springs along the way.

—The Editor

Chilean Patagonia (Photo: Carlos Villalobos)

On route 7 into the heart of Patagonia | DW Documentary

DW Documentary

A trip along Chile’s National Route 7, the Carretera Austral, takes us into the stunning wilderness of Patagonia - a place that many German emigrants chose as their new home almost a century ago. The Carretera Austral is straddled by mountain ranges, primeval forests, fjords, volcanoes and a huge ice field. It has taken decades to carve its way through the almost impassable terrain - even now a lot of traffic is forced to take a detour across the border into Argentina. The military dictator Augusto Pinochet made the construction of the road a national priority in the 1970s, sending thousands of soldiers to the region to work under the most adverse conditions. One of the last surviving members of Pinochet's junta, former military police chief Rodolfo Stange, talks about the road’s strategic importance for the regime. German marine biologist Vreni Häussermann tells us about a catastrophe in one of the Patagonian fjords - an event that underlines how economic expansion along the route has adversely affected the natural environment in southern Chile. On our journey we meet descendants of German emigrants who found a new home in Patagonia’s remote vastness after the First World War. An insight into the past and present of this unique region. 

Spanish language subtitles

Rumbo al corazón de la Patagonia | DW Documental

DW Documental

 

La ruta 7 de Chile, la carretera Austral, se adentra en la magnífica naturaleza patagónica, un territorio que los expatriados alemanes también eligieron como su nuevo hogar.  Usa el traductor para leer todo el texto. 

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In terms of sheer labor inputs, and engineering difficulties, the Carretera Austral is in a class comparable to the "near miraculous" projects recently seen in China. We wonder indeed how long it would take the Chinese to build this highway across impossible fjords, glaciers, ocean expanses, and all. With their advanced machinery, proven skills, and legendary tenacity, who knows, maybe they would get it done in less time than anyone in the West would expect. Ironically, the "Carretera Austral" Project was pushed against all naysayers by Augusto Pinochet (the road was originally called Carretera Austral Gen. Augusto Pinochet), and may eventually serve to whitewash the dictator's innumerable crimes. Cynics claim Pinochet saw the project as a gigantic, bottomless pork barrel opportunity for his family and hangers-on. In any case, the ecological price of "developing" this fragile and precious environment is unquestionably bound to be high, perhaps prohibitive, even if the region is only kept as mostly a tourist reserve. The German documentary featured on this page suggests as much: the red tide ("marea roja") that killed hundreds and possibly thousands of whales, a mind-boggling number for an animal whose numbers remain fragile in the global oceanic ecosystem, is a tragic reminder that the human footprint should not be extended thoughtlessly.  Incidentally, Pinochet tackled this project as a military campaign, ordering tens of thousands of conscripts to contribute their labor for nominal wages.  

The Visionary

Onetime sporting clothes entrepreneur Douglas Tompkins may have permanently slowed down the development of Patagonia by creating national parks in the key northern segment of the region. Dedicated, and often heroic Chileans who shared his commitment to a pristine environment, helped him realise this vision.

Douglas Tompkins: Wild Legacy

Outside TV

 

Carlos Villalobos and the late Douglas Tompkins (r), visionary founder of Parque Pumalín. As a hands-on ecologist and key ranger, Carlos proved invaluable to the survival and success of this critical natural park.