The World's End Trek 2010

 

A 1,000Km human-powered expedition across some of the most spectacular though rapidly changing landscapes on Earth, following the steps of rather unknown and tragically vanished aboriginal cultures is commencing… towards the Last Great Wilderness of its Kind: Southern Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego, at the World’s End.
 

Before you Continue, take two minutes to watch our Trailer...

The Gist of it...

As an architect, I’ve had the great privilege of working in three continents, witnessing three radically different ways to go about our profession, however the three of them with a common thread: the growth of a global environmental conscience in this trade.

At the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Paris, 2003 [ lower left ]

I’ve witnessed too how vast regions of our planet are melting at increasingly high rates and how other vulnerable regions are seeing their ecosystems shift or simply disintegrate due to climate change. I’ve learned too how, of all CO2 emissions originating in the United States—the highest contributor per capita on the Planet—nearly half of them (48%) can be attributed to the building sector, most of which—40%— can be attributed just to building operations. According to this, we, the architectural community, hold a fundamental key to turn down the global thermostat, through design. Behavioral design, not only architectural, we just don't have a choice.


CARBON ATLAS, INTERACTIVE MAP | Click on the Circles for detailed info...


(source: The Guardian)


A year in the making, The World’s End Trek was conceptually born to celebrate and promote low-impact exploration and field observation of the planet, raising awareness of the environmental, ethnographic and cultural state of the highly imperiled southernmost wild regions of the planet: ranging from the fastest area of glacial retreat on Earth at the largest ice fields in the southern hemisphere—melting twice as fast as those in the northern hemisphere—to the tragic result of the clash between European and native cultures in the region: the decimation of entire aboriginal communities in the name of progress, through “guns, germs and steel”—not very different from episodes in North America, perhaps less notorious—with the sequestration of individuals from their homeland to be exposed as human curiosities in zoos throughout Europe. Such historically abusive and indiscriminative “productive” approach is analogous to the circumstances by which we have exploited and consumed natural resources worldwide to a point of global disarray. 


While the extinction of our original peoples is now irreversible, the opportunity to shift from this "business as usual" approach towards the environment remains at reach, and lies in our hands through modifying our urban behavior.
Selk'nam -- unknown author

More on Ethnohistory of the Original Peoples 

Launching our Expedition


SEATTLE, Nov 15th 2009 - Presenting the World's End Trek 2010 at The Explorers Club Annual Dinner. We decided to launch our expedition during this event, at the kind invitation of Ed Sobey, the Chair of the PNW Chapter.

Special thanks to Capt. Lynn Danaher, Michelle Westmorland and Milbry Polk for their invite and sponsorship in becoming a Member of the Club.

 

Learn more about The Explorers Club here.

Pit Stop


SEATTLE, Dec 28th 2009 - Isaac & Kelsey at Counterbalance Bike Shop in Lower Queen Anne worked on our bikes and gave us a bunch of troubleshooting tips on bike mechanics and some handy technical advice. Huge thanks to Adam Smith also (below), the owner at the time, who’s probably chugging a beer right now and watching an All Blacks rugby test-match in Kiwiland. Cheers, mates!!


SEA-PDX-SCL


PDX, Jan 3rd 2010 - Our travelling LHT’s, heading for Patagonia from Portland Airport at 5am. 

Thanks to Emily for all her help and for a fully loaded car ride from Seatown to PDX. And to Towney for the great wishes and for hosting us at his house, sharing a great bottle of Chilean wine! (I think I got like 2-hours sleep last night…) Will see you soon –Can’t wait to start pedaling now….!

Training in the Andes



VIDEO - Arriving to Rod’s house in “El Ingenio” at Cajón del Maipo, and 
getting introduced to his mutts “Walaila” and “Mudo”.
SANTIAGO - Once in Chile, Rod and I went straight to try out our gear in the mountains, looking for the most rugged paths we could find near the Santiago Area. We chose Cajón del Maipo (below), Rod’s current town at the time.
CAJON DEL MAIPO | photo by Rod Díaz
“Maipo” is the name of the main river in this canyon, and it’s the reason for agriculture to be so intensive here, especially for wine production. It’s an awesome spot about an hour drive east from Santiago, into the Andes.
It’s just an insane spot for riding. You gotta love it.

Kawéskar: Repatriation of Remains


TIERRA DEL FUEGO, Jan 12 2010 - While we are getting ready to begin our expedition, and while raising awareness of the cultural and ethnographic heritage of the World's End is an important objective of our project, we learn about a deep but relevant circumstance for the Chilean community, and, more importantly, for the Kawéskar culture.


Towards the World’s End

SOUTHERN PATAGONIA, Jan 19th 2010 - Dani and Max, Rod’s former-guide friends in Patagonia—are waiting for us at the Park (hence the truck ride!). They live in an Estancia adjacent to the National Park and we’re staying at their home tonight--notice Torre Central on the far right, behind the roof on the photo below—where they have prepared an amazing barbecue to welcome us, paired with the best Chilean wine of course again... and the most amazing view of the Torres del Paine.



A Puma lioness has been spotted lately, bumming around with her cubs right outside Max and Dani’s house, so we have to keep an eye on their 1.5 year-old, León (not a bad name to hold if you live on Puma territory!). Pumas have found refuge within the National Park where they are protected by law. They are the top predator of this wild expanse and their main prey is the Guanaco, the “Camel of the Andes”.



We will be heading up to the Torres very early tomorrow (5am), hopefully to catch the sunrise up there. It’s an 8km hike, easy at the beginning to intermediate as you reach the base of the Torres, where you hike up the moraine towards the Glacier.